New Mexico Beef Jerky Company – Albuquerque, New Mexico

The internet is replete with compilations abounding in truth and humor entitled “You Know You’re From New Mexico When…” Perhaps most resonating in factuality are the items which depict just how much New Mexicans value their culinary traditions. For example, you know you’re from New Mexico when: your favorite breakfast meat is sliced fried bologna; you buy green chile by the bushel and red chile by the gallon; most restaurants you go to begin with ‘El’ or ‘Los’; you have an extra freezer just for green chile; you think Sadie’s was better when it was in a bowling alley; and you can order your Big Mac with green chile.

Even if you’ve lived in the Land of Enchantment for only a short time, several items on that short list will ring with veracity for you. If you’re a lifelong resident, however, the list may get your dander up a bit because, conspicuous by their absence, are sacrosanct New Mexican foods and culinary traditions we treasure. We would add to the list, you know you’re from New Mexico when: your trail mix consists of pinon and carne seca and instead of popcorn, your home movie nights consist of eating chicharrones in front of the television.

You also know you’re from New Mexico if you can drive down the street and pass several stores selling carne seca. New Mexicans have always had an affinity for carne seca whose literal translation is “dried beef” but for which a more accurate description would be “dehydrated beef.” Spanish conquistadores and settlers learned the process for making carne seca from indigenous peoples, quickly discerning the value of preserving and ease of transporting dehydrated meats as they set off on their conquests. When they settled down and raised cattle for their families, they retained their carne seca preparation traditions. Years of preparing it had taught them that beyond its practicality, carne seca is an addictively delicious meat treat.

Frank Chavez and his family have been provisioning New Mexicans with high-quality, delicious carne seca for three decades, proffering some thirteen flavors. The carne seca is hung and dried in a controlled environment until the desired texture is achieved. The thin strips of dehydrated beef are then marinated in such ingredients as Hatch red and green chile with no additives or preservatives. Any triskaidekaphobia you might have will dissipate when you feast your eyes and wrap your lips around any of the thirteen flavors: original (salt only), peppered (salt and pepper), green chile, red chile, tangy teriyaki, extra hot teriyaki, lemon peppered, old-fashioned, garlic, extra hot Habanero, hot chile con limon and Christmas (red and green chile).

27 November 2013: Texturally, the carne seca is absolutely perfect. That means it snaps when you bite into it or break apart a piece. It isn’t stringy in the least and is lean and super delicious. The chile con limon is not to be missed. Chile con limon is a very popular Mexican spice mix combining chile spices, salt, lemon and lime to impart an addictive piquant-tangy-citrusy flavor. The heat is real. So is the citrusy flavor. Other early favorites include the extra hot teriyaki and the garlic, but that’s likely to change with future visits and more sampling.

Chavez, an Albuquerque native who grew up in the area around Central and Atrisco, realizes that New Mexican’s can’t live on carne seca alone. When he launched his second instantiation of the New Mexico Beef Jerky Company, he diversified its offerings by selling chicharrones, too…and if there’s anything New Mexicans love as much as carne seca, it’s chicharrones. We also love hot and spicy New Mexico Quality (the store brand) red chile chips so Chavez makes the very best, created with the same high standards as other products in the store.

Several months before relocating from diminutive digs to a rather capacious space (1527 4th Street, N.W.), Chavez once again listened to his customers (a novel concept more restaurateurs should embrace) who were clamoring for more. He expanded the menu beyond carne seca, chicharonnes and red chile chips, restructuring the store to include several tables for eat-in dining. One of the first to visit after the menu expansion was Rudy Vigil, the Sandia savant who’s led me to some great restaurants. Rudy endorsed the burritos at the New Mexico Beef Jerky Company with the same enthusiasm he has for the University of New Mexico Lobos.

In July, 2019, The New Mexico Beef Jerky Company relocated to its third space on 4th Street, this one just a couple blocks south (1425 4th Street, N.W.) of its previous home.  Long-time Duke City residents might recognize this address as having once been home to Harper’s Furriers, Inc.  Exterior north- and south-facing walls festooned with signage for both the New Mexico Beef Jerky Company AND the Wanderlust Vegan Eatery might confuse first-time visitors.  Things aren’t much clearer when you step inside until you see queues directing visitors to one option or the other.  Contrary to what you might think, the vegan fare isn’t fried in manteca nor are the chicharrones made from seitan.  This is truly a case of never the twain shall meet–two disparate concepts working well in the same space.

The standard menu features breakfast (served with eggs, beans, papas, chile cheese and a tortilla) and lunch plates (served with beans, papas and a tortilla).   Ten breakfast burritos (served all day long), nine lunch burritos, burgers (tortilla or bun), sandwiches and tacos make up the menu, but savvy diners will quickly pick up on the fact that they can also order chicharrones in half or full-pound sizes. Even better, they can indulge in a chicharrones plate which comes with two tortillas and four ounces of chile for a half-pound portion. Order a full pound of chicharrones and you’ll double the number of tortillas and chile portion size if you order the full pound. You’ll also double your enjoyment.

1 November 2013: Order the taco burgers as an appetizer to begin your experience in New Mexico Beef Jerky Company deliciousness. The taco burgers are simple in their construction: a hard-shell corn tortilla, a hamburger-style beef patty, lettuce and your choice of red or green chile (or both). More tacos should be made with hamburger patties. Texturally, hamburgers have an advantage in that they don’t fall off the taco shell. Hamburger patties are also superior in flavor to fried ground beef. The real kicker, literally and figuratively, is the green chile which bites back with a vengeance. It’s an excellent chile, some of the best in town.

1 November 2013: The carne adovada burrito is so good, it’s easy to imagine yourself having one for breakfast and one for lunch two or seven times a week. The breakfast version is made with carne adovada, eggs, cheese and potatoes while the lunch version omits the eggs (though as previously noted, breakfast burritos are available all day long). The carne adovada is outstanding with tender tendrils of porcine perfection marinated in a rich, piquant red chile made from chile pods. Burritos are generously engorged, easily twice as thick as most hand-held burritos…and most of the filling is carne, not potatoes. They’re easily affordable and will fill you up. My much-missed adovada adoring amigo Ruben Hendrickson called them “unbelievably good,” a sentiment you’ll echo. Another friend Richard Valdez believes these are the very best carne adovada burritos in town. Frankly, I can’t think of any better.

1 November 2013: By most measures, the carne adovada burrito would be the best burrito at most restaurants’ burrito line-up, but it may not even be the best burrito at the New Mexico Beef Jerky Company. That honor probably belongs to the chicharrones burrito (with beans and chile), the only possible way in which chicharrones could be improved. The chicharrones are exemplars of crackling pork. They’re crispy, crunchy and redolent with porcine goodness. This burrito is tailor-made for green chile, an R-rated variety in that it may be unsuitable (too piquant) for some children, adults who don’t have an asbestos-lined mouth and Texans. This is chile the way New Mexicans have been preparing it for generations, not dumbed down for tourist tastes.

27 November 2013: The ground beef for the burgers comes from the same beef used to create the old-fashioned carne seca. Each beef patty is hand-formed and prepared at about medium-well then topped with mustard and onions. Green chile (a must-have) and cheese are optional. As a green chile cheeseburger, the emphasis here is on chile as in plenty of piquancy. If you’ve ever lamented not being able to discern any chile on your green chile cheeseburger, this is a burger for you. The chile is not only piquant, it’s got a nice flavor. The beef patty exceeds the circumference of the bun and is thick, probably a good eight ounces of delicious, rich beef. Burgers are served with New Mexico Quality red chile chips.

24 September 2014: Baloney! If you’ve ever wondered why the popular Italian sausage is synonymous with a term commonly associated with nonsense, bunkum or insincerity, you’re not alone. It turns out the word “baloney” was first used in the 1930s as a reference to the disingenuousness of government bureaucracies. The term was later applied to “Bologna” sausages because the sausage tasted nothing like the meat used to make them (a mixture of smoked, spiced meat from cows and pigs).

24 September 2014: There’s nothing insincere or nonsensical about the love of baloney, the sausage. It’s long been a favorite among families in rural New Mexico, a realization some restaurants are only now starting to grasp. New Mexicans love the log-sized baloney we slice ourselves so that it’s three or four times the height of the single-sliced baloney sold in supermarkets. We like to grill or fry it over low heat so that it acquires a smoky char and we love our boloney on a tortilla. That’s how Frank’s crew prepares its baloney sandwich: two thick slices of grilled baloney, melted cheese, lettuce and an incendiary green chile that will bring sweat to your brow. It’s the baloney sandwich of my youth recaptured and for my friends Bill and Phil, it’s a new way to appreciate the “Rodney Dangerfield” of meat products. They’ve become hooked on the baloney sandwiches, much to the detriment of ordering anything else.

30 January 2020: Baloney–it’s not just for sandwiches anymore! In fact, baloney is a versatile ingredient that improves almost every dish in which it’s used (and it’s pretty terrific on its own, too). In addition to using it on the aforementioned baloney sandwich, the New Mexico Beef Jerky Company deploys baloney on its burritos, too. Were it not for that sublime carne adovada, the baloney, egg and cheese burrito would be in contention for best burrito in town. The only thing that can improve this winner is beans.

9 October 2014: When I asked the genial server manning the counter whether or not the chorizo burrito included cumin, his answer validated my long-held assertion that cumin has no place in New Mexican food. He told me: “we don’t use sobaco on anything here.” Sobaco is Spanish for armpit, a description my friend Bill also uses to describe cumin. The chorizo burrito (eggs, potatoes, cheese, chorizo in a flour tortilla) is the best I’ve had in memory, maybe the best ever. The chorizo has a wonderfully piquant kick. It’s not nearly as piquant as the XX-Hot chile of the day (a placard at the counter will tell you how hot the chile is ), but it’s got personality and deliciousness.

17 November 2014: Chile cheese fries aren’t a new idea. Several New Mexican restaurants offer them though very few are notable. At the New Mexico Beef Jerky Company, they’re so memorable you might wish they were available at every meal. The French fries are reminiscent of the fries at the K&I Diner in that they’re soft and easy to pick up en masse with a fork. The cheese is shredded, not gloppy. The chile, of course, is fantastic! The plate includes a garnish of chopped tomatoes and lettuce which go surprisingly well with the fries.

7 February 2015: In past years there have been efforts to define New Mexico’s best sandwich. More often than not, the de facto best “sandwich” named has been the green chile cheeseburger. While the green chile cheeseburger is outstanding in its own right, as a sandwich it’s a cop-out choice, especially considering the surfeit of superb sandwiches crafted throughout the Land of Enchantment. Among the very best unique to New Mexico sandwiches is the green chile Philly, essentially a Philadelphia cheese steak with green chile.

Enter into the fray the New Mexico Beef Jerky Company whose green chile Philly might be in the company of the one once served at the much-missed Itsa Italian Ice as among Albuquerque’s very best. It’s an overstuffed behemoth brimming with red, yellow and green peppers, cheese, chopped steak and the restaurant’s fabulous green chile. It’s a concordant collection of ingredients in a soft, chewy bread canvas.

4 December 2015: As faithful readers know, I’m not monogamous when it comes to food…or restaurants. Life would be so boring if limited to a few favorite dishes or favorite restaurants. That’s one of the reasons the New Mexico Beef Jerky Company suits me. Virtually every time I visit there’s something new on the menu just beckoning me to try it. Invariably the new dish becomes yet another favorite pushed back on an ever-increasing rotation of favorites. Add to the mix the restaurant’s posole, a rather unique dish in that the posole is topped with crunchy, crispy chicharonnes. What a novel and wonderful way to enjoy one of New Mexico’s favorite dishes. It’s available with your choice of red or green chile.

When it comes to service, many restaurants can learn a thing or two from Frank Chavez and his crew. By the time our taco burgers were delivered to our table during our inaugural visit, Frank had already secured our unending loyalty with a generous sample of chicharrones. For “dessert” he brought us chicharrones in red chile and samples of the beef jerky. He had us at chicharrones. We’ll continue to frequent this outstanding restaurant.

New Mexico Beef Jerky Company
1425 4th Street, N.W
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 242-6121
Web Site | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 30 December 2020
1st VISIT: 1 November 2013
# OF VISITS: 11
RATING: 22
COST: $ – $$
BEST BET: Chicharrones, Chicharrones Burrito, Carne Adovada Burrito, Taco Burger, Beef Jerky, Green Chile Cheeseburger, New Mexico Quality Red Chile Chips, Baloney Sandwich, Chorizo Burrito, Chile Cheese Fries, Enchiladas, Green Chile Philly, Posole with Chicharrones