If it tastes the same, you're (he's) doing it wrong.

I'd be willing to bet he's just selling you his own beef jerky. Which in that case, yeah, don't bother.

I use a dry cure to make my jerky and a dehydrator. It retains a lot more of the meats own flavor as well as the spices I add. You can definitely tell the difference that way.

I was actually hoping that I might get more than one deer this year so I can make jerky out of an entire deer! I LOOOOVE jerky!