What started as a hobby for Mason’s Tammie Rush and her husband Kevin has steadily grown into a thriving local business.

In 2016, Tammie began making beef jerky for friends and family. The positive feedback was overwhelming, leading them to launch their business, Tammie’s Wicked Jerky, in 2017.

"I thought I could make better and cheaper beef jerky than you could buy at the store," Tammie said.

By 2018, the business continued to grow.

“By 2018, we were selling all over the place," Kevin said. "And it's grown since then; we added two more flavors last year,"

Unlike store-bought jerky products, Tammie and Kevin use high-quality top-eye round.

"It's the most-expensive eye round you can get," Kevin explained. "It's a lot more flavorful and tender."

The Rushes said that the most of their ingredients are simple everyday items someone might find at a grocery store, but they go out of their way to ensure the quality of certain ingredients.

"Some of the ingredients we can't find in grocery stores, so we have to really look around," Kevin said. "The peppered jerky isn't just black pepper; it's called tellicherry pepper. It's from India, and we order it in 5-pound bags and Tammie grinds it. We're making something that nobody else around here has."

To make the jerky, each batch is marinated for about 48 hours, with the drying process taking an additional two to three days, depending on the batch size.

"It takes a while for the jerky to dry because I don’t like to do it fast," Tammie said. "It's nice and slow, which makes it more tender."

Kevin added that the process involves continuous monitoring, as different marinades require different drying times. Altogether, a batch takes about five to six days from start to finish.

Tammie, now retired, brings her 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry to the business. For her, making jerky is a way to continue her love of cooking.

Kevin, who works as a safety engineer with OSHA, also contributes his skills and experience. With more than 40 years of hunting experience, he brings additional knowledge to the jerky-making process, although his past experience involved only a small tabletop dehydrator. They have since upgraded to two industrial-size, stainless steel dehydrators.

Developing new flavors involves making multiple test batches. Tammie adjusts ingredients by feel and then tests the jerky with friends and family before finalizing a new flavor.

"My batches are never exactly the same," Tammie said. "I don’t measure; I just do it by heart."

Kevin compared this approach to "Mama’s cooking," emphasizing that while each batch is similar, it reflects years of skill and experience.

The business has attracted several regular out-of-state customers. Recently, Tammie persuaded Kevin to start offering another of his specialties – smoked cheese.

"I told Kevin, 'You should make some of your smoked cheese. It would go great with the jerky,'" Tammie said.

Initially skeptical, Kevin has seen great success with the smoked cheese, which is made using a cold-smoking method that keeps the cheese from melting while infusing it with flavor.

Despite their success, the Rushes prefer to keep their operation small to avoid being overwhelmed. They sell their products at the Mason Farmers’ Market on the first and third Saturday of every month. While they do not yet have a website, customers can place orders by sending email to Kevin at kevinrush41@gmail.com.