Jack Link's Is Hosting a Jerky-Themed 'Meat Retreat' — Here's How to Score a Spot

In 2012, Wisconsin-based jerky brand Jack Link’s launched an annual celebration of all things dried meat by establishing National Jerky Day. At the same time, then-governor Scott Walker declared that June 12 would also be commemorated as a Wisconsin-wide day of Jerky Pride, in honor of the brand’s ongoing contributions to the state.

Every year, Jack Link’s finds new and interesting ways to mark its holiday, whether that’s displaying a three-story high bag of jerky in Manhattan’s Gansevoort Plaza, or putting adventurous contestants through a series of challenges in Arizona. (The winners collected $10,000 and a year’s supply of jerky.)

For this June’s Jerky Day, Jack Link’s is welcoming a handful of lucky guests to an all-expenses paid “Meat Retreat” at the Bar W Guest Ranch, a dude ranch in Whitefish, Montana. These four-day, three-night stays will be up for grabs on a first come, first serve basis on the Jack Link’s Meat Retreat website on June 12. (For additional details — like what time the reservations will officially launch — you’ll need to follow the @JackLinksJerky Instagram account.)

“Jack Link’s declared National Jerky Day in 2012 simply to celebrate meat snacks — we’ve significantly turned up the heat since then,” Tracy Fleischhacker Quigley, Senior Brand Director, Jack Link’s, said in a statement. “This year, we created an immersive, five-sense experience that will be seared into the minds of our meat-loving guests for years to come.”

The lucky guests will spend their days riding the ranch’s extensive trail network on horseback, getting roping lessons, wading into crystal clear streams to fly fish, and doing a bit of leather-crafting. In the evenings, Jack Link’s promises a legit campfire singalong, and “a good ole hootenanny with line dancing.”

A private chef will also be catering the stay, cooking up a carnivore-centric menu that includes marinated flank steak bruschetta with a jerky-infused cream sauce, teriyaki beef and bison meatballs, tomahawk steaks, and New York-style cheesecake with a jerky and graham cracker crust.

As for the accommodations, those will be on-theme too, with a specially designed Beef Stick bed, meat-printed sheets, and all the jerky guests can chew through in four days. There’s also a morning wakeup call from Sasquatch himself (or at least a worthy imitator) and a “Marination Station” trough-turned-jacuzzi for a post-campfire relaxation session.

Jack Link’s hasn’t yet specified how many guests it will welcome to the Meat Retreat, but we’re assuming it’s a pretty exclusive experience, so you might want to set an alarm and warm up your double-clicking fingers. If you miss out, there’s no reason you can’t still find a way to celebrate National Jerky Day on June 12 — but every bite might taste a little bit like jealousy.