An entire brick and mortar shop dedicated to beef jerky? My son Luke calls beef jerky 'hard meat' and since our family considers beef jerky a food group, I finally caved. Plus, the shop is owned by local Morro Bay dad, Jeff Eckles. I was mysteriously drawn to the fact that the picture on the House of Jerky bag is a cowboy dude playing a triangle. I also had to chuckle that they sell vegan beef jerky, which, you guessed it, is made from mushrooms.

We tried both the Natural Beef Jerky and the Teriyaki, but they also come in Black Pepper, Sweet & Spicy, and Hot in 4-ounce ($10.99), 8-ounce ($19.99) and 16-ounce ($34.99). The minimally processed house jerky is 100 percent natural U.S. sourced top round beef made without MSG, nitrates, or preservatives. The Natural was on the drier side, but nice and chewy. The Teriyaki was tender, moist, and full of sweet soy flavor. I asked my sons how much they loved the jerky, which was gone in about 20 minutes (no joke). They both gave a 10 out of 10. This shop is worth a visit to choose your favorite jerky and to participate in a campy, even adventurous experience because there are plenty of other exotic brands and types (venison, whiskey rabbit, alligator, and wild boar, too).

Morro Bay House of Jerky is located at 1130 Front St. across from the big rock in Morro Bay. Visit morrobayjerky.com or stop by any day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Δ

Flavor writer Beth Giuffre has been MSG free since '93. Send your favorite flavors to [email protected].