Swift River Jerky is a new vendor this year at the Tamworth Farmers’ market. Mark Nolet has quickly become known for the quality he puts into each package of jerky he makes. We caught up with him to learn more about his products and to learn more about how he makes his delicious jerky.
Mark makes all the jerky from local fresh ingredients. No chemicals from cheap stuff. Only quality ingredients are selected and used. He oversees every step of the process. The only thing he sources out in his business is the graphic design he gets from his talented wife.
For most of the summer markets he offered the following flavors: Steak House Blend, Teriyaki, Maple Sriracha, Buffalo, Pineapple Jalapeños, Sarsaparilla, Carolina Reaper, Barbecue, and something called Cowboy Candy which is made with maple syrup, espresso and ancho chili. Some flavors are standard favorites, other ones were the product of extensive experimentation and trials.
Maple Sriracha is currently the #1 seller, but Cowboy Candy is climbing up in the ranks. Like all the meat itself, he uses locally made ingredients for the seasonings where ever possible. He uses local syrup from Eldridge Sap house and other local syrup producers.
For the quieter winter market’s he’ll be slimming down the options focusing on the bigger sellers with some custom batches here and there. For the winter farmers’ markets he’ll be bringing: Maple Sriracha, Steakhouse (salt, pepper, garlic, and onion), Teriyaki, Carolina Reaper, along with some custom batches.
Mark makes his jerky in small batches. Each batch is 6 lb at a time, which he bags into 3oz packages. Jerky loses the majority of its water weight during the dehydration process. He uses the leanest cuts possible, which is eye of round. He’ll slice the beef into 1/4” strips, marinate it 24 hours, and then dehydrate for 7 1/2 hours.
Swift River Jerky also sells beef tallow, which makes an excellent fat for cooking. His tallow is boiled in salt water over 3 days, to be triple purified. The tallow is shelf stable for 6 months opened, or a year in the fridge. Tallow has a higher smoke point than olive oil and butter, making it a great alternative.
Mark has been cooking professionally for 20 years. He started the company on February 25th, 2025. For a long time he was working on ideas to start a business for himself before he decided to go all in on Jerky. One day he came across Alton Brown’s Good Eats show which showed him the steps on how pro jerky is made in detail, and then he ran with it.
We asked Mark for some pro jerky tips he could share. He says unlike many of his competitors, he offers soy-free & gluten-free options. The only flavor with soy is the Teriyaki.
Traditionally, frontiersman would use jerky as a means of storing food on long distance journeys. You can rehydrate it to make stews and other trailside meals. He recommends if you are getting into jerky making, to focus on the research. Read a book or two. If you don’t do it right, you can get people sick.
Soy sauce – salt, pepper, garlic, onion is a solid basic to master first. You can also experiment with liquid smoke. He doesn’t use nitrates, instead he uses celery and cherry juice powder which have nitrates naturally. But obviously, even if it’s natural, it still has nitrates, so it’s something to be aware of.
Final tip: the fatter the meat you use to make jerky, the more likely it will go bad sooner. It is the fat that is the first to spoil.
Much to our excitement, Mark hinted this winter he’ll be experimenting with making high-quality sausages! Hopefully there will be some exquisite chorizo, bratwurst, breakfast sausages available at the market for us to try in the new year.
Swift River Jerky is the only licensed business in the area to sell the jerky they make. Most places pay a co-packer that pays a company in the state to package it for them. He uses a licensed commercial kitchen to produce a top-shelf product with local ingredients. We are truly blessed to benefit from his efforts.
You can check out Swift River Jerky on facebook here.
On December 6th Mark will be attending the festival of trees in Wolfboro at the Wright Museum. Stop in if you are in the area.