Cactus Pete's adds 'world champion' to accolades
BY ROSE SGARLATO
HEWITT — Who knew the world’s best beef jerky can be found in the Garden State and right here in Hewitt at Cactus Pete’s.
Brian and Ushanee Gerri, owners and creators of Cactus Pete’s Beef Jerky, were shocked and thrilled about their teriyaki flavored jerky placing first in the 2015 World Hot Sauce Awards in Louisiana this past July in the teriyaki division. Icing on the cake was their victory in the extra hot category with their ghost biltong flavored jerky.
The history of Cactus Pete'sWhat started as a cooking experience in their kitchen in Highland Lakes has turned into a successful business with a storefront location on Union Valley Road and a constant presence in local farmers markets and festivals.
It all began about five years ago on a whim one night while Brian was still employed in the mortgage business.
“We had some extra meat and marinade and figured why don’t we make beef jerky,” said Brian Gerri.
After several taste tests and tons of positive feedback from family and friends, Gerri quit his day job and turned in his laptop to make jerky full-time, opening Cactus Pete’s Beef Jerky in April of 2013.
Dual influencesInfluenced by both Ushanee’s Filipino background and his own love of hunting, making jerky is a natural.
“Growing up in West Milford, everyone is a hunter so I come across a lot of people who made a lot of jerky mostly from venison,” said Gerri. “And my wife grew up with certain spices and flavors that we use in the marinades.”
Seven days a weekThe labor of love begins on Monday when the Gerris prepare all the jerky for the week by marinating the strips of Angus beef and dehydrating it for eight hours.
The couple also entered popular flavors Ghost Biltong, Campfire and Jamaican Me Crazy, all ranked high in their categories of mild to medium and hot.
“Ghost Biltong is a South African jerky, and ghost is one of the hottest peppers,” explained Brian Gerri.
Live streaming the championship
The Gerris watched their jerky win through a live stream video of the contest that took place on July 17 in New Iberia, Louisiana. Their beloved teriyaki won a first place trophy for the world champion of teriyakis. And ghost biltong placed first in the extra hot category.
“I always said I would put our teriyaki up next to the best of them, but still I didn’t expect to win. I am pretty happy about it,” said Gerri.
The World Hot Sauce Awards is a competition to find the best extreme and intense foods in the world. Categories include barbecue sauces, marinades, salsa, even jams and jellies. And entries come from around the world, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Belize and Slovenia, among others.
And it's right here in HewittCactus Pete’s is open Tuesday through Friday where customers can purchase varieties of jerky costing from $5 to $9 per bag. Although a shelf-stable product lasting six to nine months, Cactus Pete’s jerky has no nitrates and no preservatives. Gerri proudly mentions using a special soy sauce that is only available at Asian markets and is brewed in Middletown, New York.
On weekends, the award-winning jerky can be found at:
Goshen Farmers Market on Friday
Ringwood Farmers Market on Saturday
Warwick Valley Farmers Market on Sunday
Working seven days a week agrees with Gerri. "I always work Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The people coming in have become our friends. I consider doing the markets my day off.”
Cactus Pete's is located at 1939 Union Valley Road in Hewitt. For more information, call 973-846-0081 or go to www.cactuspetesjerky.com.