Made in Fort Worth: Uncle Ron’s Beef Jerky

In each installment of Made in Fort Worth, Madeworthy shines a spotlight on a local business that is undeniably Fort Worth. For our travel issue, we thought we would feature a company that makes the original travel snack – beef jerky. The process of seasoning and drying meat not only prevents meat from spoiling, it makes it supremely portable. And delicious!

We spoke with Darlene and Eric Marion, the owners of Uncle Ron’s Beef Jerky. You may have come across the Marions at various farmers markets around the area, or you may have stopped at their brick-and-mortar location on Westcreek Drive. If so, you know that their jerky makes the perfect travel snack, full of flavor and protein to keep you going all day long.

Madeworthy: How did your jerky-making journey begin? Was it a hobby first?

Eric Marion: Our jerky-making journey began from receiving a gift from my brother Ron… the recipe for the original beef jerky flavor. It began as a hobby, and friends and family loved the finished product.

MW:  What made you decide to start making jerky as a business?

EM: I was a member of Corporate America for many years. After my position with the company ended, I found myself in need of work… I knew I had to pivot my career. I had this recipe for beef jerky that everyone loved. My wife and I decided to start this journey. I quickly adapted new recipes and flavors to provide a variety of options available for all.

MW:  How is the jerky made? Smoked? Dried? Both? Other? What is the difference?

EM: Our jerky starts as a slab of beef. It is then cut into half, and from there it is cut into steaks. Then all fat and blood pockets are removed by hand. Once that’s done, it’s hand sliced into strips and dropped into marinade. [After marinating], it’s then loaded in the dehydrator piece by piece… Once it’s fully cooked to perfection, it’s then bagged, labeled, and sealed for sale. The difference between Uncle Ron’s beef jerky and others is ours is 100% beef that is sliced by hand across the grain [for easy eating] and perfectly marinated to have flavor in every bite.

MW:   You have a lot of flavors, 18 by my count. Which are your most popular?

EM: The most popular flavors are Coarse Black Pepper, Regular, Smokehouse, Original Peppered, Spicy Garlic, and Sweet & Spicy.

MW: Do you source your beef locally or where does it come from?

EM: Our beef is sourced from our local meat market. We found them to be a consistent source to keep up with the demand of the business.

MW: Do you make jerky from other meats?

EM: We currently only make beef jerky. However, we have considered other products such as turkey, deer, and mushroom jerky.

MW: What makes your jerky better than others out there?

EM: What makes my jerky better than others out there is the fact that there is flavor in every bite because we hand slice and marinate. Also, there are no artificial fillers; it’s 100% Angus beef.

MW: Besides jerky, what other products do you make and sell?

EM: Besides jerky, we sell a variety of trail mixes. We also offer chocolate-covered walnuts, pecans, and almonds… T-Shirts and gift packages are also available.

MW: Where can Fort Worthians buy Uncle Ron’s Jerky?

EM: You can purchase our beef jerky at our shop at 5677 Westcreek Drive, Suite C, or at uncleronsbeefjerky.com. We’re at the Clearfork Market every Saturday and the Benbrook Farmers Market.

MW: For those who don’t live here or if folks want to send your jerky as a gift, do you offer shipping?

EM: You can send a gift or order online. You will receive a free gift with all purchases made online. This will be a free bag of our beef jerky of a flavor you did not order. If you choose to send our jerky as a gift, we will pass your free gift along to the recipient and include a note stating that this is a gift from you.