The Story of Smokie's Cuts LLC
A Cut Above the Rest
Smokie's Cuts are all natural single ingredient jerky treats for dogs.
NO ADDITIVES PERIOD!
Simply meat, cleaned, sliced and dried!
Smokie's Cuts are "A cut above"
Thanks for checking out Smokie’s Cuts! Our solution to the healthy pet treat predicament of purposefully providing our pups with premium single-ingredient beef jerky treats.
This idea, like many other great ideas, came unintentionally. We were making a batch of jerky for the family, and our pup Smokie kept walking over to the dehydrator to investigate all the wonderful smells coming from it. He’d look at us with that face and we’d just have to tell him.
“I’m sorry bud, it’s got too much garbage in it that you shouldn’t have.”
I'm talking about crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and all kinds of other things that we don't want him having.
So, on the next batch, it was trimmed well, getting off as much fat as we could, then it received a good rinsing and was thrown right on the dehydrator as plain and clean as can be. Once this batch was done, we gave him a piece to try and he LOVED IT! He immediately went into some of his obedience training trying to please us and earn another piece. It was crazy to see his reaction SO STRONG to them, but he must know clean and healthy foods. We ended up making a few more batches and had some friends give their dogs some to try. All of them were big fans, including a co-workers “very picky” Chihuahua. From there, things started to come together. Then one day, the concept of starting “Smokie’s Cuts” was born! Here's how!
The first thing we did, is take a look at Smokie and say to ourselves, he needs a treat, a naturally healthy treat that he loves. Then it's off to the butcher, (which was a chain grocery store). There we see what they have for top round, bottom round, or eye of round, all hand-chosen. Once we get home it goes in the freezer while we put everything else away and get out the cutting glove, filet knife, and cutting board. After about an hour or so it's ready to cut. We find it works well to let it stiffen up a bit first so it's easier to cut, it won't be frozen but it'll be a little firmer and easier to be cut into steak sized slices.
We prefer using the round as jerky meat, it's a great choice! Depending on how you cut it, either with or across the grain, you can make it either easier to chew or tougher. We tend to go with the crosscut when possible for a couple of reasons. First, it is a little easier to chew if you have an older dog, but also because it's easier to break into smaller pieces when using them for training. At the moment we've also experimented with cutting with the grain to get longer pieces to try to create braids, twists, spirals, etc.
From there, the slices are spread onto the trays of the dehydrator, we double-check and make sure it's set to where it should be, and let it go. We have it on a timer that we set and keep checking on occasionally. This whole process takes about 6 to 7 hours.
After it's done, it cools down to room temperature before it gets packaged. This helps prevent condensation in the bag, which could cause moisture, and promote mold, which is a big no-no. Now it's time to enjoy it! We absolutely love using these for training treats because they work so well. These are Smokie's favorite, and the more he likes something the harder he's willing to work for it. These are also great for a random treat or reward, and because they're both nutritious and delicious, it's a great way to show your pet some love.
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We are currently working with a wholesale food distributor for supplying us with large quantities of beef round rather than our local butcher.
So reach out and give us a shot TODAY! Your pup will be glad you did, and so will you once you see how much they LOVE them!