My Cool Jerk arrived in four amazing flavors: Original, Sweet & Spicy, Lemongrass, and Native Lao Hot. For Lao folks, beef jerky and sticky rice go together like peanut butter and jelly. It’s good for any time of day to satisfy hunger at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

This past weekend I decided to throw a Cool Jerk Party. It was simple enough: sticky rice (kao niew), hot pepper paste (jeow bong), mashed mushrooms and peppers sauce (jeow het), and my four flavors of Cool Jerk. Now, I would have added papaya or cucumber salad, but the pantry was sadly empty. I had a couple of Lao friends with me (the best judges of beef jerky, of course) and lunchtime was just around the corner.

I had cut the jerky into bite-size pieces, noted each flavor with labels, dished out my pepper and mushroom sauces, and opened the sticky rice basket. A steam let out and I grabbed a handful of rice. I reached out first for the Native Lao Hot jerky, hoping for sharp stinging sensations, but nothing. My tolerance for hot and spicy food must be native Lao (it is in my blood). I moved on to the Sweet & Spicy, a nice mixture of both flavors, again, not too spicy. Next was the Lemongrass Flavor, a unique seasoning of full-on lemongrass with a hint of sugary sweetness. Of course there was the Original Flavor that I knew too well, a sweetness freckled with sesame seeds—the other carnal pleasure. That day lunch was served.

Across the board, our votes were unanimous. The first place prize went to Lemongrass Flavor for its unique taste. We gave the second place prize to Original Flavor, that which we knew and loved. The third and fourth place prizes were given to Sweet & Spicy and Native Lao Hot, respectively. We’ll definitely be having more Cool Jerk soon.

Cool Jerk is made right here on the prairie in Minnesota. It makes a cool gift and while you’re online also check out the Cool Jerk t-shirts. You haven’t had beef jerky until you’ve had Cool Jerk. Make your next party a Cool Jerk Party. Visit www.cooljerk.net and get your jerky on.

~Danny