| Did you know?
In Africa, jerky is known as biltong, a cured meat dried in the sun.
This traditional food is still vital to sustain tribes throughout the leaner months.
Today biltong is eaten around the world. It tends to be tougher and less versatile than the traditional beef jerky. |
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| On the outskirts of San Luis Obispo County, back in the days of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Billy The Kid, outlaws like Jesse James and Black Bart used to camp out in the rolling hills of Pozo and Carrisa Plains. Cattle rustlers used to raid the cattle ranches on the Central Coast.
Wranglers moved cattle up and down the coast to greener pastures. Their daily ration usually consisted of beans, hardtack (a kind of bread made of flour and water) and beef jerky.
The Native North Americans originally taught the settlers how to pull or cut meat into long strips. The strips of beef would be cured, seasoned and smoked. The word jerky comes from the Native American word “charqui” meaning jerked beef. The Native American jerky was sliced thin and dried on rocks in the sun. We know it as pemmican-style dried meat today.
Now cowboys liked their jerky thick and meaty. This jerky was hand cut and pulled from a side of beef. They would use the leftover cuts of beef to make the jerky.
Their jerky was a knotted and twisted hunk of beef, that was salted, and hung over tree limbs to dry in the sun and wind. The cowboys carried this beef jerky in their saddlebags. When they were out on the range for long periods of time this jerky was their only source of protein and nutrition.
On the outskirts of these Central Coast ranches, our founder, William Cattaneo started to commercially manufacture San Luis Obispo’s traditional homemade beef jerky with a personal commitment to quality and excellence in 1947.
Three generations later, we still follow his instructions and traditions. We still make the thick, twisted meaty jerky that is all hand-cut. Our cowboy-cut beef jerky is made the old-fashioned way.
We use thickly sliced, select top round and marinate the strips in our special spices and seasonings. Then we slowly dry the jerky at just the right temperature and humidity in our specially designed ovens.
Every handmade batch is quality tested by master jerky makers and packed in vacuum-sealed bags to protect our jerky’s unique flavor and taste.
Today jerky is not just a part of cowboy folklore. Jerky is still a nutritious snack for people who are on the go they just happen to be in cars rather than on horseback.
Yesterday, today and in the future, the best gift you can give your family and friends is Cattaneo Bros. Jerky, the Best in the West! |
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