Beef jerky is trending, and no, we aren’t talking about Slim Jims. Over the past year, meat snack sales have increased by 3.5 percent to total $2.8 billion. According to the Washington Post, consumers are snacking more and eating fewer sit-down meals so they’re looking for snack options that provide more nutritional value, particularly protein. Beef jerky makes for the ideal high-protein, low-carb snack, and lucky for us, there’s a new sheriff in town — Outlawed Jerky.
Cousins Jeff and Chris Gilch, who share a passion for both beef jerky and the outdoors, stumbled on the idea seemingly by accident. After making beef jerky for a camping trip, and receiving rave reviews from friends and family, they realized they were on to something. “We dove in headfirst and decided to make a serious run at it. We wanted to start a company that made a really high quality product above all else,” says Jeff Gilch. Outlawed Jerky, based in White Plains, was launched in 2012.
With prior experience in the restaurant business (Chris is a professional chef), they went to work developing and experimenting with flavors before settling on three varieties: Original, Sesame Beef, and Jalapeño Lime. Their jerky is sold in prepackaged 2 oz. portions, the perfect serving size. The reason? “We wanted something that you could just roll up and put into your back pocket, your golf bag, gym bag, etc,” says Gilch. Take a peek at their Instagram feed and you’ll see that people do take this jerky anywhere and everywhere.
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As for the ingredients, their beef is all natural and antibiotic-free. Most importantly, you won’t find any nitrates in their products. “Our jerky is naturally preserved from the drying process with large drying ovens and, of course, the salt from the soy sauce. That’s it! Super simple,” explains Gilch. They aim to use fresh and local ingredients whenever possible. “We believe good in equals good out; one of our goals was to create a product with integrity.”
In addition to beef jerky, Outlawed Jerky also produces a spice rub and a wet marinade that is “crazy good on steaks, chops, and all things poultry,” according to Gilch. You can find their products at Super Stop & Shops across the county, Jerry’s Post Road Market in Rye, Cooked and Co in Scarsdale, and C-Town Supermarkets in Tarrytown, to name a few. You can also find their products online at outlawedjerky.com. As for the future Chris and Jeff are working on funding to create new flavors.
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