Tired of the same old snacks? It may be time to spice up your selection with a trip to the newly opened Beef Jerky Outlet.
 
With everything from flavored popcorn and nuts to cheese curds, dried fruits and veggies and dried crickets -- yes crickets -- there is a little something for everyone at the Wilmington store, 317 S. College Road, Unit 1. And that’s not even counting the 50-plus flavors of jerky.
 
Owner Angie Blackburn and her husband first came across a Beef Jerky Outlet about a year ago in West Virginia. A family of hunters, they had always made their own jerky and were quickly taken with the idea of bringing the chain to Wilmington. There are currently over 150 stores nationwide, with the closest being in Myrtle Beach.
 
Beef Jerky Outlets products range from USDA-certified beef to turkey, bison, elk, venison and salmon. There is also a wild and exotic series that includes alligator, antelope, kangaroo and ostrich.
 
Blackburn said the majority of the meat is purchased from small family-run farms and then brought to facilities in Michigan, Tennessee and Charlotte for processing and private labeling. The jerky is made in small batches and packaged by hand. The Charlotte location specializes in Biltong jerky, a jerky process native to South Africa.
 
The vast majority of products are available in various sizes and can be sampled on site. Sampling stations are set up throughout the store to allow customers to browse and sample at their leisure.
 
A newly introduced line, the Bootlegger Series, features Bloody Mary-, bourbon- and rum-flavored jerky. While these have been gaining in popularity, Blackburn says her current bestsellers are prime rib, cherry maple beef and teriyaki beef. The store also carries kits for making jerky at home.
 
A grand opening celebration will take place June 11, which just happens to be National Beef Jerky Day. There will be promotions and giveaways throughout the day, Blackburn said.
 
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