Est. 1997 · Graham, Washington
From family farm to beef jerky obsession
Hogwild Ranch started in 1997 as a small family-owned farm — chickens for eggs, and about six pigs a year raised for family and close friends. Farming wasn't a side project back then; it was the whole operation.
The first jerky ever smoked here came off a little Chief smoker picked up at a garage sale. That led to messing around with smoking salmon and beef, and it didn't take long before a Holland Grill joined the lineup, followed by a stainless steel smoker from Outdoor Leisure Products, picked up at Costco. Before long there was a smoker for fish and a smoker for beef — and the little Chief got moved to the sidelines.
What started as a hobby turned into a full-on obsession with equipment. A Masterbuilt "Red Head" came next, with a cold-smoke attachment for longer burns. Years of experimenting with marinades and spice blends followed — including a connection to the family's own hot pepper farm, which eventually became Burt's Hot Sauce, and led to some of the hottest wet-marinated beef jerky around.
When the kids grew up and left the nest, the farming days ended along with them — no more chickens, no more pigs. But here at Hogwild Ranch, the obsession simply changed shape. Over the years the equipment collection grew to six smokers total — until it settled into what runs the show today: a Traeger Ironwood 885 and a RecTeq 2500 "BFG," the two that handle every batch now.
The farming journey ended years ago, but the beef jerky obsession took off like nothing before it. Weekend after weekend, batch after batch, one-of-a-kind smoked and marinaded creations went out to family, friends, coworkers, local butcher shops, grocery stores, and anyone crossed paths with along the way. Hogwild Ranch was still alive — just in a different way.
Est. 1997 · Graham, WA · Run by Bill Schroeder, Pitmaster & Marinade Creator
The equipment
Six smokers, one obsession
The collection built up over the years — these days, the Traeger and the RecTeq BFG do the heavy lifting.
Little Chief
Picked up at a garage sale — the smoker that started it all.
Holland Grill
The next step up, not long after the first taste of smoked salmon and beef.
Outdoor Leisure Products
A stainless steel smoker from Costco — dedicated beef duty while fish got its own smoker.
Masterbuilt "Red Head"
With a cold-smoke attachment for longer burns — apple wood chunks from a friend's tree included.
Traeger Ironwood 885
The one that stuck. Still fired up every Sunday at the crack of dawn.
RecTeq 2500 "BFG"
The newest addition — now one of the two in regular rotation, alongside the Traeger.
Smoker 07 and 08 are already on their way...
The process
Nothing here is mass-produced
Every batch follows the same ritual, built over years of weekends on the Ranch.
36-hour soak
Sliced beef is rinsed with 11.5 alkalized water, triple-rinsed at 9.5 pH, then soaked in a custom wet marinade for 36 hours.
Picked for the smoke
Different wood types shape different flavor profiles — apple wood is one go-to, chosen deliberately for the flavor it gives the smoke, not just because it's on hand.
Sunday, dawn to dusk
The smokers fire up at the crack of dawn — 5 lb batches smoke all day until the sun goes down, then each one is weighed, bagged, vacuum-sealed, and hand-labeled.
Get in touch
Reach the Ranch
-
Address24508 154th Ave E
Graham, WA 98338 - Phone / Text253-278-2824
- Emailhwranch22@gmail.com
- Running nowSeasonal small-batch runs
- DeliveryUSPS shipping, local pickup, or local drop-off
- PaymentCash, Venmo, Zelle, Cash App
Ready to order?
Browse the flavors here, then head to our store to shop, check out, and pay — it's all handled there.
Follow along