Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe vs. Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe

There is a decent butcher shop here in Rochester called the Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe (est. 1974). My wife orders special cuts of pork there for summer grilling and I like their grill sausages too. We also get our Easter ham there, and that's why we stopped in yesterday. Of course, I seldom walk out without a meat snack too.


Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe
Rochester, MN
1oz Beef Sticks

Noteworthy ingredients: Sugar, Corn Syrup Solids, Red Pepper

Taste: At first taste, this is a what I consider sweet beef stick. Not sweet like a cupcake, but sweet like a dinner roll. After a few chews, the peppery flavor emerges and lingers.

Texture: On the bite, the stick compresses before my teeth break through, suggesting sponginess. The casing is slightly rubbery, but after a few chews this stick has a nice texture.

Overall: This beef stick reminds me more of a venison stick. It's good in that context, but nothing special. I think this stick would improve with some aging...just snip a corner off the bag and let sit in the fridge for a few days.


Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe
Rochester, MN
"Naturally Smoked" Beef Jerky

Noteworthy ingredients: Brown Sugar Cure, Sugar, Maple Syrup, Worcestershire

Taste: Despite an apparent preponderance of sweet ingredients, this jerky isn't sweet. It is satisfyingly salty. It claims to be "naturally smoked" and one of the ingredients is "hickory smoked salt", but any smoky flavor was subtle at most.

Texture: These are solid strips of lean beef, not chopped. It is very dry but sliced at the right angle with the grain of the meat to facilitate a nice bite and chew.

Overall: This is a top notch beef jerky. If it is too salty or dry for your tastes, then pair with strawberries or beer. I have noticed some inconsistency in this jerky over the past few years, severely affecting the taste and texture. The last few bags have been good, so I hope they've got things straightened out.


Conclusion: I'm reaching for the beef jerky at the Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe. They have a variety of other meats and flavors in their meat snack cooler, so there is plenty more to explore.

Have you tried either of these? Let us know what you think of them in the comments.

Armbrust vs. Wenzel's

I made the trip to the nearest gas station in search of a meaty snack the other night. I passed by the rack of the usual Jack Link's and Slim Jim offerings because I know this place usually has something special in their deli cooler. They did not disappoint, as there sat two brands of beef sticks: Armbrust and Wenzel's. I grabbed a package of each. Let's see how they match up.


Armbrust Meats
Medford, Wisconsin
1 oz. Beef Stick

Noteworthy ingredients: Mustard Seed, Garlic Powder

Taste: My initial impression was a pleasant garlic. Then I noted a tanginess that suggested vinegar, but maybe it was the mustard seed. Overall it was a good balance of meat and spice flavor.

Texture: This stick has a neutral texture. Not to wet and not too dry. Not too chunky and not too mushy. Creating such a balance must be a fine art and a great achievement for this sausagemaker.

Overall: This is a fine beef stick. After eating this stick first, I wasn't expecting the Wenzel's to surpass it.


Wenzel's Farm Sausage
Marshfield, Wisconsin
1 oz. Beef Stick

Noteworthy ingredients: Corn Syrup Solids, MSG, "Sprayed with potassium sorbate to improve quality."

Taste: My initial impression was smoky. But this has a unique smoky flavor, reminiscent of seared steak. Fantastic. If this stick had any other flavors, I missed them because I was enjoying the smoky seared flavor too much.

Texture: Multi-staged texture. The initial bite and tear suggests a dry stick. After a few chews the greasiness emerges, similar to but not as pronounced as a Slim Jim. I loved it.

Overall: Smoky seared meat that you can carry around in your pocket? It's something special.


The Verdict:
Both are superior beef sticks but I'm going to go with the Wenzel's.

Have you tried either of these? Let us know what you think of them in the comments.

So this was my first review here. I'm going to try various formats, but I like these side by side comparisons because it is a good excuse for me to buy more meat snacks. Also, don't think for a second that I eschew the common brands such Jack Link's, Slim Jim, etc. I grew up on those and still love and crave them. We'll have the Slim Jim vs. Matador showdown soon enough.

It's meat. And it's a snack.

I travel the world, tasting meat snacks, and documenting my discoveries. Come with me now...

Here I am in Innsbruck, Austria buying a few links.