With Veteran’s Day coming up and the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays, the Beef Jerky Outlet in San Angelo is gearing up to do a bit of fundraising for the troops and preparing to provide the citizens of San Angelo with unique gift options.
The Jerky Barrel Fundraiser is a way to honor the troops in Afghanistan, said Bob Hatfield and his wife, Janice. They added that they will be happy to fill one large barrel with different flavors of jerky, but they would really like to send three barrels if possible across seas so the military men and women serving can get something in time for the Holidays that gives them a good taste of home.
“Some stores are going to donate to the local bases, and I wanted to do that, but the guys over there don’t have access to anything like this, so let’s get it to them,” Mr. Hatfield added.
The Hatfields said they got the idea from another Beef Jerky Outlet store in Virginia. The owner is ex-military, and this man came to San Angelo to help them set things up at their location, which opened April 10, 2015.
“He did it, and he was here helping us set up the store and told me about it,” said Mr. Hatfield.
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The man told Hatfield how he got a letter of appreciation from the guys at the base, and it included an American flag that still had sand from Afghanistan on it. That was a special package, and not one the man would forget, so the Hatfields wanted to do something similar for these troops.
“We want to fill two or three barrels,” Mr. Hatfield said. “People can come in and buy jerky. We’ll take 10 percent off [the purchase], drop it in the barrel, and we’ll pay the freight to get it shipped overseas to Afghanistan. We want to get them something in time for Christmas, something from home.”
That something from home would include beef jerky of all flavors, dehydrated and smoked, which the Hatfields can provide. They also have specialty beef jerky, including exotic jerky that come in snack sticks and are made from buffalo, boar, elk, antelope, ostrich, kangaroo and more. They also have other forms of jerky that are processed differently, but is still 100 percent beef.
“It’s not about the profit,” Mr. Hatfield added. “It’s about getting this out to the guys. They deserve it.”
Mrs. Hatfield said the Jerky Barrel Fundraiser is a franchise-wide event, and most of the stores are doing the same thing across the U.S. The Hatfields hope once area residents know about this effort, they will participate. The store will be filling the barrels until Nov. 15.
Beef Jerky Outlet Offers Novelty Holiday Ideas
Also for the upcoming holiday season, the Hatfields are working hard to get novelty baskets of various sizes ready, and for people in San Angelo, the surrounding towns and other cities looking for something different to give to family members and friends, Beef Jerky Outlet has a lot to offer being that it’s a general store with a special and unique feel.
For the holidays, the Hatfields will be making gift baskets, which they’ve started. They’re making baskets for hostesses going to a relative’s house, or for people looking to give unique gifts to the ones they love. The Thanksgiving gift baskets will be full of jerky, pumpkin butter, sweet potato butter and more.
“Someone can come in and make their own basket,” Mrs. Hatfield pointed out. “They can customize it to what they want.”
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The prices for the baskets will range from $25 on up. The Hatfields will also be attending Ladies’ Night Out, an annual event that offers San Angelo women an opportunity to shop for those unique holiday items from local vendors. The Hatfields will be offering lots of goodies, including coolers for men filled with various jerky flavors and all the things men like. Those prices go up to $75.
“You never know what people want to spend, but we can customize those baskets, and you can put in as much as you want, or as little,” Mrs. Hatfield added.
For these baskets, the Hatfields offer a variety of jerky flavors in two styles. On dehydrated jerky side of the store, people can choose flavors like the Lemon Pepper, Three-Beer Barbecue and Prime Rib all-beef jerky, and one of the benefits is visitors get to sample the flavors before buying. The Hatfields, or their son, Greg, who is the general manager of the store, will open a bag, use tongs to take the jerky out and give visitors a piece to try.
“A lot of people come in thinking they know what they’re going to like, but then it’s not what they thought it would be,” Mrs. Hatfield said. “And something they think doesn’t sound good, they think it’s very good; so that’s the nice thing. You get to sample because there are so many flavors.”
So for people who may not be certain what their family or friends might prefer, the Lemon Pepper and Prime Rib are some fan favorites. However, the store doesn’t always have the Lemon Pepper jerky because it’s made quarterly. This particular brand is made for the Texas market, so the Hatfields have to order enough of it. Prime Rib, the other favorite with its soft smooth flavor, is the number one seller on the dehydrated side of the Beef Jerky Outlet.
“There’s a steakhouse franchise called the Chophouse Steakhouse in Tennessee and this is what they season their prime rib with. We try to match that,” said Mrs. Hatfield.
Mrs. Hatfield also said the dehydrated jerky side of the store is the “more traditional” side because most people like their jerky dry, so for people who want to buy that style of jerky, they’ll want to visit that area.
For people with older friends or relatives, they may want to choose jerky gifts from the smoked side of the store. That jerky is a lot thicker and more tender. Older people prefer the smoke side because the jerky is easier to chew. The Hatfields have ham, beef and turkey on that side, including the Cherry Maple flavor, which is the best seller in the smoked category.
Additionally, for animal lovers or family members and friends of animal lovers, Beef Jerky Outlet offers animal jerky treats for a nice Thanksgiving or Christmas gift.
In addition to jerky, the Outlet offers summer sausage and sticks, and little snack sticks in different varieties. They can also be bought individually. To add additional variety to their gift baskets, buyers have many jams, spices, jellies, candies, hot sauces, popcorns and funny T-shirts. The Hatfields said the jams and jellies come from the Amish in the northeast.
For those wives looking to buy some good grilling sauces and seasonings for their hubbies, Bob and Greg Hatfield prefer the Steak and Burger seasoning, another top seller. Plus, for wings and chicken, there are some specialty hot sauces.
“We have all kinds of hot sauces, the very extreme hot sauces too,” Mrs. Hatfield said.
For the kiddos and their stockings, the Outlet offers tasty gummy bears that make store-bought ones look mediocre, and they’re not rubbery. They’re tender like the jerky. There are also bags of kettle popcorn, expresso bean and cocoa flavored candies filled with a thick filling, and for family members who are familiar with Wisconsin cheese, the Hatfields have a stock of cheese curds. Those, however, may not do so well in a stocking.
For gag gift ideas, the store offers large green suckers with scorpions at the center and flavored dried crickets; surprisingly, many people love those things, the Hatfields said. They also have chocolate covered ants. Not too long ago, the Hatfields had some grandmothers who visited their store and bought a bunch of the suckers with the scorpions to take to their grandchildren.
“It’s just a novelty thing,” Mrs. Hatfield explained. “We have ordered and ordered and reordered [the crickets]. I think it’s more the kids. It’s kind of like a challenge or a dare to try them.”
Parents and grandparents who feel their kids have been bad this year can give them a box of crickets instead of coal from Santa, Mrs. Hatfield joked.
Although some people go for these types of novelties, the Hatfields aren’t about to try them anytime soon.
“They have some flavor,” Mrs. Hatfield said about the crickets. “Greg said they sort of taste like sun flower seeds.”
However, Greg said they have more of a chip flavor.
“If you close your eyes, put it in your hand and you eat it, you would think it’s a potato chip,” Greg described. “Except when you feel the leg.”
As for the suckers, Greg cringed at the thought of eating one of those.
“You gotta be that tall to ride that ride,” Greg said raising his hand high. “I’m not that kind of person.”
Mrs. Hatfield said people claim that when they get to the scorpion, it’s brittle so people don’t even realize it’s there. She also said she’s amazed at all the kids who go into the store and want to buy them.
“We do sample the bugs; they’re just outside,” Greg joked.
“And it’s just a different variety,” Mrs. Hatfield joked as well.
She added how she was surprised that there are actually people who raise these bugs to actually kill them, dry them, season them, and probably bake them in the oven. The bugs come from California.
For people who wish to help fill the barrel with jerky for the troops in Afghanistan and/or to take advantage of jerky, jams, jellies, and more for the holidays, the Beef Jerky Outlet is open Mon. through Thurs., 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Fri. and Sat., 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The store is located at 4521 Sherwood Way in San Angelo.
Mrs. Hatfield said these hours might change with the time change because it gets darker earlier and that affects traffic; however, they will post that information if that happens.
The Hatfields also offer online sales at www.centraltexasjerky.com. Orders over $100 get free shipping.
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