Beef Jerky Reviews

Beer Drinkin' Dan's Beef Jerky - Sweet Black Pepper Teriyaki

2012-05-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

Beer Drinkin' Dan's Beef Jerky is a brand of jerky operated by Daniel Purrenhage of Dearborn, MI.

Daniel got started in beef jerky about 14 years ago when he got a dehydrator as a wedding gift. His first batch didn't work out so well, so he dabbled in a variety of recipes. Through much trial and error, he developed this Sweet Black Pepper Teriyaki, which he made for himself and his friends. It wasn't until last year that he set up a website and started selling his strips of meat joy online for the world to experience.

Beer Drinkin' Dan's offers three flavors in all, this Sweet Black Pepper Teriyaki, a Mountain Maple (which I also have to review later), and a Chinese Ginger.

Ingredients

USDA beef, honey, soy sauce, black pepper, garlic

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a strong sweetness, and a sharp, well-noticed black pepper flavor. The garlic is just lightly noticeable.

The chewing flavors start with a little bit of a honey flavor, and a moderate saltiness. A medium level burn from the black pepper builds up.

For being marketed as, "Sweet Black Pepper Teriyaki", this jerky seems to hold up fairly well. It's definitely sweet, very sweet, just like the package says, "It's like meat candy". But it also has a strong black pepper flavor, very sharp, as evidenced by the chunks of cracked black pepper on these pieces. But I'm having some difficulty picking up the teriyaki part. It doesn't taste at all like the traditional teriyaki sauces I've come to expect from Japanese restaurants, nor offers any kind of Asian touches. Instead it tends to taste more sweet than anything else, with some moderate amounts of saltiness. To me, it's more like sweetened beef jerky than teriyaki.

Otherwise, the flavors that seem to define this jerky overall is the heavy sweetness followed by a strong, sharp black pepper bite. There's maybe a touch of garlic noticeable, a light bit of a honey flavor in the chewing, and a moderate level of saltiness.

There's a good deal of burn from the strong black pepper. I'd rate this as medium-hot on my personal heat scale (level 4 out of 5).

I can't seem to pick up much natural meat flavors.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced into small slabs and sliced thin.

This is a dry jerky with a sticky surface feel. The slabs are quite flexible and pliable. Biting off a piece seems easy to do, while chewing seem to be "chewy", somewhere between easy and tough.

The chewing texture starts out with a little bit of initial chewing resistance, but easily breaks down. It tends to chew crumbly in the process, and somewhat gummy from the heavy sweetness. The gumminess seems to make the chewing a little laborious. Once chewed down to a soft mass, it doesn't really resemble at all like a piece of steak, it's mostly a crumbly/gummy consistency.

I see only small deposits of fat on some pieces but otherwise no gristle or tendon. There's a light amount of stringiness in the chewing, but otherwise no unchewable tissues encountered.

In terms of clean eating, my fingers pick up a fair amount of stickiness along with an occasional chunk of black pepper.

Snack Value

Beer Drinkin' Dan's sells this Sweet Black Pepper Teriyaki from its website at a price of $22.00 for a one pound bag. Add to that shipping fees of $5.10 flat rate, and it works out to a price of $1.69 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes at the $1.69 per ounce price, it's a good value. I'm getting a good overall flavor, with a good meat consistency, though a crumbly/gummy chewing texture. Compared to major brands of jerky sold in grocery stores, it's considerably lower in price, and considerably better in overall snackability.

As a "Sweet Black Pepper Teriyaki" beef jerky, at the same $1.69 per ounce price, it's also a good value. It clearly delivers on the sweet and the black pepper flavors, but seems lacking in the teriyaki. It's not exactly the kind of teriyaki I've come to expect from Japanese restaurants, tasting more sweet than anything else.

Rating

I'm giving this a good rating.

This Sweet Black Pepper Teriyaki variety from Beer Drinkin' Dan's Beef Jerky offers up a lot of sweetness and a lot of black pepper flavor, particularly a sharp, fresh cracked black pepper that'll make any pepper person proud. It doesn't really come off as a teriyaki beef jerky in my opinion because it doesn't seem to offer much of the components found in traditional teriyaki cuisine, such as the tangy chewing, or the pungent overtones of ginger. It doesn't really express any amount of Asian flare.

If anything, it has more of an American-style goodness, reminiscent of steak-houses, country fairs, BBQ cookoffs. It's really an explosion of sweetness and sharp, black pepper spice, which in itself is quite tasty. I liked the noticeable honey flavor too. I wished I could taste more of the natural meat flavors.

The chewing felt rather gummy from the heavy sweetness but also rather crumbly from the drier, thin-sliced consistency. It didn't really feel like real meat when I chewed through this. However, I didn't encounter much stringiness and nothing unchewable, which made for a better overall experience.

I think a good beer pairing for this is a standard brown ale, such as the Big Sky Moose Drool or the Lost Coast Downtown Brown.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

http://shop.bddsbeefjerky.com/

Ed's Roadhouse Jerky - Jalapeno Green Pepper Pizza

2012-05-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

The next newest flavor in the Ed's Roadhouse Jerky lineup is this Jalapeno Green Pepper Pizza variety. Yes, you read it right, pizza.

See my previous reviews of Ed's Roadhouse's other flavors here.

A Google search of "beef jerky pizza" shows that many other people have decorated their cheesy-baked pies with seasoned slices of jerky. But I haven't been able to find jerky that was seasoned to taste like pizza. So, this may be a first. Ed & Mary Herman, the proprietors of Ed's Roadhouse Jerky, claims that this jerky is supposed to taste like pizza, so it will be interesting to see if it does.

Ingredients

Angus beef, fresh jalapenos, fresh green pepper, tomato puree, salt, sugar, water, soy bean, wheat, garlic, onion, molasses, vinegar & natural flavoring spices.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is the tomato puree with a noticeable sweetness. There is a seasoning flavor that comes in, perhaps the garlic & onion, and a spiciness building up in the back of my mouth.

The chewing flavor starts with an slightly increased sweetness, and a bit of chile pepper flavor. I also do notice a touch of green pepper (bell pepper) flavor. There's also a slight bit of natural meat flavor that comes in towards the end.

For being dubbed "Jalapeno Green Pepper Pizza", I have to say this actually does hold up to those words. I do taste a light chile pepper flavor in the chewing, as well as a touch of green pepper, or bell pepper, flavor. But amazingly, this really does taste like pizza. I think the tomato puree is the key, but certainly also the seasonings that liven up the sauce. Often times it's said that the sauce is what makes the pizza, and what I taste in this is largely the pizza sauce.

The flavors that seem to define this jerky the most starts with the sauce. It's the first thing my tongue picks up, tasting like a bold, spicy, pizza sauce, like something you'd find at a mom & pop in Manhattan, but with a fair amount of sweet added to it. The chile pepper and green pepper flavors come in next, just enough to notice against the pizza sauce, and just enough to keep this jerky in line with the Ed's Roadhouse brand. After that, there's only a slight touch of natural meat flavor that comes in towards the end of chewing.

Considering this jerky has jalapenos in it, there's some noticeable burn. On my personal heat scale, I consider this medium (level 3 out of 5).

As for level of saltiness, it feels moderate. The sauce and sweetness seems to keep me from focusing too much attention to it.

Overall, this is very much like tasting a jalapeno, green pepper, pizza, with a sweet & spicy sauce.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced thin, and in bite-sized pieces.

This is a dry jerky, with a semi-moist and sticky surface feel. The pieces have a good deal of flexibility, but still crack apart when bent just a little. It's a little chewy, but very much in line with what you'd expect jerky to be.

The chewing texture starts out with just a touch of chewing resistance, and feels sticky/gooey from the sweetened tomato puree. It easily breaks down with some chewing, and doesn't take long to render into a soft mass. At that point, it tends to chew like real meat, having a soft, steak-like quality, similar to one cooked medium.

Several of these pieces contain some small visible bits of fat. I don't find any gristle or tendon, and I don't encounter anything stringy, nor feel any unchewable wads of tissue. It's very meaty.

In terms of clean eating, my fingertips pick up a fair amount of stickiness, requiring some licking and wiping before touching my keyboard.

Snack Value

Ed's Roadhouse Jerky sells this Jalapeno Green Pepper Pizza variety from its website in several package sizes. If you bought four 4oz packages, with shipping out to Southern California, the total would cost $38.55 ($32.60 + $5.95). That works out to a price of $2.41 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.41 per ounce price, it's a good value. I'm getting a lot of snackability from its great overall flavor, excellent meat consistency and chewing texture, and bite-sized pieces. Even though it will cost you more than the major brands of jerky at the grocery store, it's clearly a better buy.

As for being marketed as "Jalapeno Green Pepper Pizza" flavored beef jerky, it's a great value. It has a flavor that I immediately recognized as pizza sauce, and offered up light flavors of jalapeno and green pepper. And considering Ed's Roadhouse is the only brand offering pizza-flavored jerky, it's the only value in town.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

This Jalapeno Green Pepper Pizza variety from Ed's Roadhouse Jerky, amazingly enough, really does taste like pizza, except instead of being served up on pizza dough, it's served up on slices of meat, minus the gooey mozzarella cheese. It's largely the pizza sauce that I taste, with a dominant tomato flavor, spiced up with garlic, onion, jalapenos and green peppers, and then sweetened up in the Ed's Roadhouse tradition.

So, considering both pizza and beef jerky are each culinary standards of American cuisine, do they really taste good together? Well, this seems to taste pretty good. Think of it as gathering together the saucy chunks of meat and peppers that fell off the pizza, picking them all up at once, and popping it in your mouth, except getting an entire bag of it. It's actually quite good.

I don't really pick up much of the natural meat flavors that I felt makes Ed's Roadhouse Jerky so good. I think perhaps the tomato puree is strong enough to overpower those flavors, or perhaps it does something to remove those flavors. Either way, I got the "wow factor" that I look for when assigning the five-star rating.

My recommended beer pairing for this, try an Italian brew like a Peroni or a Birra Moretti.

Rating: Best

Buy this online:

http://www.edsroadhousejerky.com/

Crazy Horse Beef Jerky - Steak House

2012-05-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly a year since I published my reviews of Crazy Horse Beef Jerky (Original, Sweet, and Cajun). And since that time, the owners of Crazy Horse have told me that sales have been great.

Along with that, customers have asked them to launch new flavors, and so towards that request, they've launched this new "Steak House" variety. Dave and Cara Wenrich, the owners of Crazy Horse, claim to love steak sauce and felt it would add a great flavor to their jerky.

Based in Hellam, PA, Dave started making this brand of jerky based on a old family recipe that he got from his father, who received the recipe from his father, who received it from his father...

Ingredients

None provided.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a strong smoky flavor, followed by a sweet, steak sauce flavor. There's also a light saltiness.

The chewing flavor starts with some noticeable tanginess, more like a vinegar tanginess, along with a natural meat flavor. The saltiness is slightly increased.

For being marketed as a "Steak House" variety of beef jerky, it seems to live up to the description. I do get a steak sauce flavor, which is how the company described this. The sauce flavor is almost similar to A1 Steak Sauce, though perhaps a little more tomatoey, and maybe a little more sweet.

It actually mixes well into the strong smoky flavor. And in fact, the smokiness is probably the more noticeable flavor.

The natural meat flavor is also well noticeable, and helps to create that overall "steak house" experience.

There's also a noticeable tanginess in the chewing that has a vinegar-like quality. It seems to liven up the chewing.

The level of saltiness in this feels to be light, or moderate at best.

Overall, what you're going to notice in this is a strong smoky flavor, with a well-noticeable natural meat flavor. The steak sauce is also well-noticeable, with a light sweetness, yet still allows the smokiness and meat flavors to take the spotlight. There's a tanginess in the chewing.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced into thick strips measuring four to six inches in length, and about one inch wide.

This is a semi-moist jerky with a moist surface feel due to the wet coating of steak sauce. There's some flexibility in these strips, but will eventually crack open. Biting off chunks seems easy to do, while chewing seems mostly easy.

The chewing texture starts out feeling tender and moist, and seems to break down easily enough. It chews down to a soft mass without too much effort and time, and by that point it actually feels more dry, but still very steak-like, more like one cooked well-done.

These strips also appear to be free of any fat, gristle or tendon. However in biting off chunks and chewing, I can feel a little stringiness, and a few times I encountered some wads of unchewable tissues.

In terms of clean eating, my fingers pick up a good deal of wet, sticky sauce, enough to require a licking and wiping on my jeans before touching the keyboard.

Snack Value

Crazy Horse Beef Jerky sells this Steak House variety at a price of $28.99 for one pound, and that price includes the shipping. That works out to $1.81 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $1.81 per ounce price, it's a good value.
I'm getting a lot of snackability for an overall great flavor, good meat consistency, and good chewing texture. That price is comparable to what you'd pay at the grocery store for major brands of jerky, yet this offers far more snackability.

As a "Steak House" variety, at the same $1.81 per ounce price, it's also a good value. I'm getting a flavor that I do associate with eating a steak at a steak house, mostly for its steak sauce flavor and its strong smoky, natural meat flavor.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

This Steak House variety from Crazy Horse Beef Jerky offers a well-noticed steak sauce flavor along with a strong smoky, natural meat flavor, that should give you a good feeling of chomping down a New York Strip slathered in steak sauce.

It's actually comparable to the company's Original variety I reviewed a year ago, with a similar smokiness, natural meat flavor, and even that tanginess in the chewing, but with the addition of steak sauce for an added flavor dimension.

Fairly easy to chew and eat with its soft, moist consistency, it seems to provide a good chewing experience to satisfy the discriminating meat snacker.

My recommended beer pairing for this, try a porter, such as the Anchor Porter or Stone Smoked Porter. The darker roasted malt should compliment the stronger smoky, meat flavor well.

Rating: Best

Buy this online:

http://www.crazyhorsejerky.com/

Crazy Horse Beef Jerky - Cajun

2012-05-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

Next in the series on Crazy Horse Beef Jerky is this Cajun variety. See my previous reviews of their Original and Sweet varieties.

Crazy Horse Beef Jerky is a brand made by Dave Wenrich in Hellam, PA, who started making this brand about nine months ago, based on a old family recipe that he got from his father, who received the recipe from his father, who received it from his father.

Dave smokes all of his jerky from USDA certified bottom round in a homemade smoke house using maple, oak, and fruit woods, and sells it locally in some shops and on his eBay store.

Ingredients

None listed.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a spicy seasoning flavor, much like chili or cayenne powder, with some saltiness, and a bit of heat building up. There's a touch of smokiness back there too.

The chewing flavor starts with a bit more smokiness and some natural meat flavors. The saltiness picks up a bit.

For being dubbed a Cajun beef jerky, it definitely has the spicy seasoning and heat that I'd normally associate with the description. Upon putting a piece into my mouth, I get a burst of that chile pepper seasoning along with a moderate amount of heat.

But like with Crazy Horse's Original and Sweet varieties, the smoky natural meat flavors dominate the overall flavor, though the cajun seasonings still make a good showing. I taste them mostly on the surface, and then moving into the chewing the smoky natural meat flavor takes over.

Since this doesn't have the sweetness of the Sweet variety, the high saltiness tends scorch after eating several strips. And the spicy heat from the cajun seasonings tends to exacerbate that scorching. I find myself needing to take drinks.

It still has that light tanginess in the chew that I found in the Original variety.

Overall, what you're going to notice in this is a strong smoky natural meat flavor, but well countered by the cajun seasonings and a moderate amount of heat. There's also a high degree of saltiness.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced to medium thickness, and in strips of about 3-4 inches in length.

This is a dry jerky, with a slightly oily surface feel. The strips have some flexibility to them, but easily crack open with any amount of bending. Tearing pieces apart with my fingers seems easy enough, and chewing seems easy.

The chewing texture starts out feeling dry and coarse, but is soft enough that it chews down without much effort. It has some chewiness to it, but never gives my jaws a workout. Once chewed down to a soft mass, it takes a on a steak-like feel, very comparable to one cooked well-done.

I didn't find much of any fat on these strips as I did with the Original variety, I didn't find any gristle, tendon, and nothing stringy. I found no unchewable wads of tissue when chewing. It's very meaty.

As for clean eating, my finger tips pick up trace amounts of oil, but not as much as I found with the Original variety.

Snack Value

Crazy Horse Beef Jerky sells this Cajun variety online at a price of $26.99 for one pound. That price includes the shipping. That works out to a price of $1.69 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $1.69 per ounce price, it's a good value. I'm getting a good deal of snackability from this. That price is less than what you'd pay at the grocery store for the major brands of jerky, yet it's better in flavor, consistency, and chewing texture.

As a Cajun beef jerky, at the same $1.69 per ounce price, it's a decent value. I do get a good deal of cajun flavor and heat, though a seemingly salty one. Still, the price is still is low enough compared to the major brands, that I think you're getting your money's worth.

Rating

I'm giving this is a good rating.

This Cajun variety from Crazy Horse Beef Jerky gives off a good showing cajun flavor and a moderate amount of heat, along with the same great smoky natural meat flavor that they offer in all of their varieties.

It even has an excellent meat consistency being easy to tear apart and chew, and doesn't wear my jaw muscles out. It also has a nice steak-like chewing texture.

I didn't give it the higher "best" rating because the saltiness just got to me. Crazy Horse's jerky already has a higher salty flavor, and it wasn't too bad in the Original and Sweet varieties, but in this Cajun it seems even higher. I think the spiciness of the cajun seasonings and its heat exacerbates it and takes some of the snackability away.

Of the three varieties that Crazy Horse offers, I liked the Sweet the most. It's effectively the same as the Original, but with that added layer of sweet, which not only provides an extra flavor dimension, but also mitigates the saltiness and gives the flavor more body.

For my recommended beer pairing with this Cajun, go with something lighter and refreshing, try a cream ale like a St. Peter's Cream Ale.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

http://www.crazyhorsejerky.com/

Crazy Horse Beef Jerky - Sweet

2012-05-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

Next in the series on Crazy Horse Beef Jerky is this Sweet variety. See my previous review of their Original beef jerky.

Crazy Horse Beef Jerky is a brand made by Dave Wenrich in Hellam, PA, who started making this brand about nine months ago, based on a old family recipe that he got from his father, who received the recipe from his father, who received it from his father.

Dave smokes all of his jerky from USDA certified bottom round in a homemade smoke house using maple, oak, and fruit woods, and sells it locally in some shops and on his eBay store.

Ingredients

None listed

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a light sweet, followed by a smokiness. I can pick up some saltiness, and a touch of black pepper.

The chewing flavor starts with a good deal of natural meat flavors and more saltiness.

For being dubbed a "Sweet" variety of beef jerky, it does have some sweetness to it. It's perhaps most noticeable upon putting a piece into my mouth, but as I get into the chewing, the smoky, salty, and natural meat flavors take over and the sweetness moves to the back. But I can still taste it in there, and seems to do a job good adding an extra dimension and providing a little more body. You won't find this heavily sweet, just enough to color the overall flavor.

Otherwise, this jerky is much like the Original variety, with a strong smoky, natural meat flavor defining the dominant taste.

It also has the light tanginess in the chewing that the Original variety has.

I think the sweetness does a fair enough job to counter the higher saltiness. Like the Original variety, this Sweet variety has the high saltiness, but I think the sweetness tempers it, letting you still taste it without getting a salt scorching.

Some of these strips contained a bit more black pepper than I found in the Original variety, and I could taste it more. I'm sure that's just a variance from one piece to another and not something specific with this Sweet variety.

Overall, what you're going to notice in this jerky is the smoky, natural meat flavor, with a good deal of saltiness, just like in the Original variety, but with an initial burst of sweet that mixes into the chewing flavors, adding a bit more body.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced to medium thickness, and in strips of about 3-4 inches in length.

This is a dry jerky, with a slightly oily surface feel. The strips have some flexibility to them, but easily crack open with any amount of bending. Tearing pieces apart with my fingers seems easy enough, and chewing seems easy.

The chewing texture starts out feeling dry and coarse, but is soft enough that it chews down without much effort. It has some chewiness to it, but never gives my jaws a workout. Once chewed down to a soft mass, it takes a on a steak-like feel, very comparable to one cooked well-done.

I didn't find much of any fat on these strips as I did on with the Original variety, I didn't find any gristle, tendon, and nothing stringy. I found no unchewable wads of tissue when chewing. It's pretty much all meat.

As for clean eating, my finger tips pick up trace amounts of oil, but not as much as I found with the Original variety.

Snack Value

Crazy Horse Beef Jerky sells this Sweet variety online at a price of $26.99 for one pound. That price includes the shipping. That works out to a price of $1.69 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $1.69 per ounce price, it's an excellent value. I'm getting a lot of snackability from this. That price is less than what you'd pay at the grocery store for the major brands of jerky, yet it's far superior in flavor, consistency, and chewing texture.

As a Sweet beef jerky, at the same $1.69 per ounce price, it's a decent value. I do get a fair amount of sweet, not strong, not overwhelming, but enough to notice. Still, the price is still is low enough compared to the major brands, that I think you're getting your money's worth.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

This Sweet variety from Crazy Horse Beef Jerky is much like the Original variety, in that it's centered around a strong smoky natural meat flavor, but provides some extra sweetness to help color the flavor. I got an initial burst of sweet upon putting a piece into my mouth, and then with the chewing it fades into the mix and gives this jerky more body and balance.

It's easy to tear apart and chew, it still has some chewiness like you'd expect with jerky, but doesn't give my jaws a workout, and still chews like a piece of real meat.

When I wrote the review of the Original variety, I said that I wanted an extra bit of flavor from some other ingredient, and perhaps adding the sweet does it. It adds body to the overall flavor, and even tempers the higher saltiness, but still lets the strong smokiness and natural meat flavors show through.

As for my recommended beer pairing, I'd still go with a smoky porter, just like I recommended for the Original variety, but stick to one with a lighter body, such as the Stone Smoked Porter or the Sierra Nevada Porter.

Rating: Best

Buy this online:

http://www.crazyhorsejerky.com/

Crazy Horse Beef Jerky - Original

2012-05-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

Crazy Horse Beef Jerky is a brand made by Dave Wenrich in Hellam, PA. He started making this jerky about nine months ago, based on a old family recipe that he got from his father.

Wenrich says he comes from a long line of farmers in Berks County, PA where they smoked their own meat. So using the family recipe he tried out some jerky and thought it was pretty good. And after receiving positive feedback from friends, he's been selling it directly through an eBay store and in some local shops around town.

Dave smokes all of his jerky from USDA certified bottom round in a homemade smoke house using maple, oak, and fruit woods.

Ingredients

None listed

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a strong smokiness. Following is a fair amount of saltiness.

The chewing flavor starts with a very smoky, natural meat flavor, along with a bit more saltiness, and a slight amount of tanginess.

Smoky is perhaps the best word to describe this jerky. Just opening the package a strong smoky aroma wafts its way out, and then the very first thing I taste is the smokiness, and it continues on into the chewing.

But the natural meat flavors come on very strong, and mixed with the smokiness, it defines the overall taste of this jerky, giving it a steak-like flavor.

I reported a slight tanginess in the chewing, and it continues to be there, and I think it adds a bit of liveliness to the flavor. It's comparable to a vinegar tang.

I can see some bits of black pepper on these pieces, but it's so lightly spread I don't really taste any of it.

There are also other bits of seasoning visible but they too are lightly spread that I don't really taste them when I take a bite.

I also notice chopped bits of something else, I think may be garlic. They seem to add a touch of flavor to this jerky.

The level of saltiness in this seems somewhere between moderate and high.

Overall, what you're going to notice the most in this jerky is the smoky, natural meat flavor, with a light bit of tanginess in the chewing, and a good deal of saltiness.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced to medium thickness, and in strips of about 3-4 inches in length.

This is a dry jerky, with a slightly oily surface feel. The strips have some flexibility to them, but easily crack open with any amount of bending. Tearing pieces apart with my fingers seems easy enough, and chewing seems easy.

The chewing texture starts out feeling dry and coarse, but is soft enough that it chews down without much effort. It has some chewiness to it, but never gives my jaws a workout. Once chewed down to a soft mass, it takes a on a steak-like feel, very comparable to one cooked well-done.

I can see some bits of fat on these strips that actually provide a bit of extra flavor, but not a spoiled flavor. I didn't find any gristle, tendon, and nothing stringy. I found no unchewable wads of tissue when chewing.

As for clean eating, my finger tips pick up a light amount of oil which I must lick off and wipe before touching keyboard.

Snack Value

Crazy Horse Beef Jerky sells this Original variety online at a price of $26.99 for one pound. That price includes the shipping. That works out to a price of $1.69 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $1.69 per ounce price, it's an excellent value. I'm getting a lot of snackability from this. That price is less than what you'd pay at the grocery store for the major brands of jerky, yet it's far superior in flavor, consistency, and chewing texture.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

This Original variety from Crazy Horse Beef Jerky treats the senses with a lot of smoky, natural meat flavor, mixed with a touch of tanginess in the chewing, and a good deal of saltiness. The smoky aroma alone coming out of the package creates a lot of mouth-watering anticipation that seems to heighten the snackability.

It's also very easy to eat, being easy to chew, but still retaining a lot of steak-like chewing. Combined with the great flavor, I could find myself going through a one-pound package of this in one sitting.

The flavor is quite mild, though on the upper end of saltiness. I didn't necessarily find it too salty for my liking however. I keep thinking this jerky could use a bit more of another flavor, perhaps more pepper, or another seasoning. But then again, I really love jerky with a lot of real-wood smoked natural meat flavor, and I'm getting a lot of that in this, and I think keeping it this way is best.

For my recommended beer pairing, I think a porter would work well, matching the smokiness of the meat with the smokiness of the malt, and letting the natural flavor of malt pair up with the meat. Try a Stone Smoked Porter, or a Sierra Nevada Porter.

Rating: Best

Buy this online:

http://www.crazyhorsejerky.com/

Lawless Jerky - Hawaiian Teriyaki

2012-05-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Next in the series on Lawless Jerky is this Hawaiian Teriyaki beef jerky. See my previous review of their Japanese Curry beef jerky.

Lawless Jerky is a new brand created by a licensed attorney named Matthew Tolnick of Santa Monica, CA. Making jerky started from his days in college when he and his fraternity boys needed sustenance through long evenings of ~~partying~~studying. Now that he's earning a living as a legal beagle he's much less happy, and figures life was better when all there was to look forward to was marinating nuggets of meat. Hence, he started his own jerky business.

This Hawaiian Teriyaki is described by Tolnick as the best of American and Japanese cuisines blended together, sweet from brown sugar and 100% pure Hawaiian pineapple juice, it's spiced with ginger, garlic, and onion, with some Asian inspired vinegar for tanginess.

Ingredients

100% US Beef, soy sauce, rice vinegar, pineapple juice, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, onion.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a soy sauce flavor with a light sweetness. I can pick up trace amounts of garlic and ginger.

The chewing flavor starts with a more defined soy sauce flavor along with a good deal of natural meat flavors. I get a touch of tanginess in the chewing, and can pick up the garlic a little more.

For being marketed as "Hawaiian Teriyaki" it seems to fit the bill, but more so as just Teriyaki. It has what I would consider a distinctive teriyaki flavor with its sweetness, a defined soy sauce flavor, a tanginess in the chewing, and touches of pungent ginger and garlic. The only ingredient I see that would make this uniquely Hawaiian is the pineapple juice, and I don't really identify a pineapple flavor. But to be honest, I've been to Hawaii and have had Hawaiian-style teriyaki, and I'm not sure there's any difference between that and just teriyaki. So I'm not sure how to define Hawaiian Teriyaki.

Otherwise, the flavors that seem to define this jerky is the distinct, authentic teriyaki flavors and the natural meat flavors. Both seem to balance each other out quite well. The natural meat flavors are rich, oozing out a steak-like flavor that's hard to miss.

The level of saltiness in this seems somewhere between light to moderate.

Overall, it's a mild tasting jerky in that there's no heat or heavy spiciness, but not mild in terms of flavor.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, cut into chunks mostly of bite-sized pieces.

This is a dry jerky with a semi-moist surface feel. Chewing seems labored, slightly tough, requiring a good deal of chewing to get through.

The chewing texture starts out with a good deal of chewing resistance, but very quickly takes on the feel of real meat, though still slightly tough. But it does chew down to a softer, easier chew, and by that point it feels like eating a piece of steak, one cooked medium-well.

I don't see any pieces of fat on these chunks, nor do I see any gristle or tendon, but here and there I did feel some stringiness in the chewing, and I did encounter some unchewable tissues on some chunks.

As for clean eating, it seems quite clean. Even though it's semi-moist on the surface, my fingers still seem clean enough to type on the keyboard.

Snack Value

Lawless Jerky has a price of $25.00 for a one pound package. Tolnick doesn't mention shipping prices, but considering the box he sent me had a $6.80 postage label, that would work out to $31.80, or a per ounce price of $1.99.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $1.99 per ounce price, this seems to be a good value. I'm getting a good deal of snackability for its good overall flavor and excellent meat consistency and chewing texture. It's priced similarly as the major brands of jerky found in grocery stores, yet this has a far better flavor and meat consistency.

As a "Hawaiian Teriyaki" variety of beef jerky, at the same $1.99 per ounce price, it's a good value again. I can identify a classic teriyaki flavor in the true Japanese style, which is far better than any of the major brands which seem to give you just sweetened soy sauce.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

This Hawaiian Teriyaki variety from Lawless Jerky offers an excellent teriyaki that remains in the classic Japanese style, marrying together a perfect quartet of sweet, soy sauce, tangy vinegar/wine, and the pungent dashes of ginger and garlic.

On top of that is a well-defined, easily identifiable, natural meat flavor that comes out right with the first chew, tasting like morsels of marinated steak grilled medium-well, and then seasoned with garlic, onion, and sprinkles of sesame seed. All that was missing were the bamboo skewers, because this meat reminds of the Hawaiian shiskabobs grilling at farmers markets and street fairs.

I didn't, however, identify anything in this as being uniquely Hawaiian, but then again I'm not sure there really is anything distinct between Teriyaki and Hawaiian Teriyaki aside from having slices of pineapple on the side. Maybe adding some crushed pineapple into the marinade might work. Otherwise, I think it's fine. The meat is also somewhat tough, particularly the thicker, chunkier pieces. But the great flavor still managed to get me through.

Lawless Jerky recommends any beer from Maui Brewing Co to pair with this. However, I think the fruitier Wailua Wheat from Kona Brewing makes a nice companion.

Rating: Best

Buy this online:

http://lawlessjerky.com/

Blue Ox Jerky Co - Cherry Maple Smoked Turkey

2012-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Next in the series on Blue Ox Jerky Co is this Cherry Maple Smoked Turkey. See my previous review of their Peppercorn Smoked Beef.

Blue Ox Jerky Co is based out of Troy, MI, having launched in January of 2011. Legend has it that the company was started by Saul Bunyan, lesser known brother of the famous Paul Bunyan. Saul had accidentally set fire to Paul's bovine companion, Babe the Blue Ox, and opted to douse the fire with teriyaki sauce. And hence, a business was born selling jerky.

According to the company, it was Saul who had a knack for luring turkeys into barns with this unique cherry maple sauce and then turning them into strips of jerky.

Ingredients

Turkey, sugar, cherry syrup, salt, maple flavor, onion, garlic, spice, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a fair amount of sweet, a light smokiness, and a faint touch of maple. A light saltiness comes into view shortly after.

The chewing flavor starts with an increased saltiness, and a touch of natural turkey meat flavors. The sweetness and touch of maple seems to continue. I can pick up a little bit of the garlic and onion seasonings.

For being marketed as "Cherry Maple Smoked Turkey", it's doesn't quite live up to the billing. I can pick up a light bit of the maple flavor, but it's hard to identify the cherry flavor. What I pick up is a fair amount of sweetness, but not necessarily the unique flavor of cherry. I don't really pick up any kind of fruity flavor. It does, however, have a light smokiness, and a light natural turkey meat flavor.

Otherwise, the flavors that seem to define this jerky is primarily the sweetness, with a light layer of real wood smoke and maple flavoring. I can also pick up touches of garlic and onion towards the latter part of chewing, along with a light amount of natural meat flavor.

Overall, it's a mild tasting jerky with no spiciness. The saltiness seems to be at a moderate level.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced into slabs and strips of medium size, and sliced thick.

This is a dry to semi-moist jerky with a lightly oily surface feel. There's a fair amount of flexibility to these pieces, but will crack open with some bending. Biting off chunks is easy, and chewing is quite easy.

The chewing texture starts out with a little bit of resistance, but breaks down easily enough. It continues on somewhat crumbly, and by the time it chews down to a soft mass, it has something of a meaty feel, but still rather crumbly.

I don't see any bits of fat on these pieces, nor any gristle or other tissues. I don't feel anything unchewable or stringy in these pieces. It's very meaty.

As for clean eating, my fingers pick up a light amount of oiliness, requiring some licking and wiping before touching the keyboard.

Snack Value

Blue Ox Jerky Co sells this Cherry Maple Smoked Turkey from its website at a price of $24.25 for a one-pound package. Shipping costs to Southern California generally comes to about $8.00 according to the company. That works out to a total of $2.02 per ounce. Shipping is free if you purchase more than $75.00.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.02 per ounce price, it's a fair value. I'm getting an overall satisfying flavor along with a good meat consistency and decent chewing texture. Compared to major brands of jerky sold at grocery stores, it costs about the same, but seems to offer a similar snackability.

As a Cherry Maple Smoked Turkey jerky, at the same $2.02 per ounce price, it's a decent value. I don't get any cherry flavor, but I do get a light taste of maple, along with a light smokiness and light natural turkey meat flavor.

Rating

I'm giving this an average rating.

This Cherry Maple Smoked Turkey is a mild tasting jerky perfect for meat snackers who don't tolerate spicy foods. It has a lot of sweetness, though not really any cherry or fruity flavor. It does, however, deliver on the maple flavoring to a light but noticeable degree, and it does offer a light real wood smoke flavor.

As a turkey jerky, it seems to give off a nice natural meat flavor, though the chewing texture tends to feel crumbly, though still having some turkey-like qualities.

Overall, it has an average amount of snackability, but tends to come off as bland. If the cherry flavors could make a good showing I think it would generate enough interest to keep this from going bland, and generate more snackability.

A good beer pairing with this, go with a German-style weiss, like the Franziskaner or Ayinger.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

http://blueoxjerky.com/

Steve's Original Chicken Jerky - Buffalo Wing

2012-05-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

The newest jerky offering from Steve's Original is this Chicken Jerky in a buffalo wing recipe. See my previous reviews of Steve's Original here.

Steve's Original is the creation of Steve Liberati, the founder of Steve's Club, a fitness center for disadvantaged youth, based in Camden, NJ. Steve's Original is a line of fitness foods based on the "Paleo Diet". Proceeds from the sales of Steve's Original goes towards Steve's Club.

This Chicken Jerky is made from breast meat using free range chickens, free of hormones and antibiotics.

Ingredients

Chicken breast, sea salt, apple juice concentrate, paprika, pineapple juice concentrate, beet powder, black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, vinegar, ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a meaty flavor, followed soon after by a peppery flavor, more like paprika/cayenne. There's a light bit of saltiness too.

The chewing flavor starts with an increased natural meat flavor, more seasonings, and a light to moderate level of heat. I can also detect the black pepper, and trace bits of garlic.

For being marketed as Chicken Jerky with a buffalo wing recipe, it holds up pretty well. It definitely has the natural chicken meat flavors, and it definitely seems to have the spiciness of a buffalo wing recipe, but more like the seasonings and less of the sauce.

And in fact, that's largely what defines the overall flavor of this jerky, the natural flavor of chicken breast combined with the fiery seasonings of buffalo wings. In terms of heat, it ranks as "medium" on my personal heat scale (level 3 out of 5).

Considering the apple juice and pineapple juice concentrates listed in the ingredients, this doesn't taste fruity or sweet at all.

The level of saltiness in this feels to be at a moderate level.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, cut into strips of about two to four inches long, and sliced medium thickness.

This is a dry jerky with a dry surface feel, having a just a little bit of flexibility. Biting off chunks is somewhat easy, requiring a little bit of biting and gnawing. Chewing is a little tough, but not too bad.

The chewing texture starts out feeling stiff, with a good deal of initial chewing resistance. Several chews later, and it starts to break down. It tends to feel quite meaty, and by the time it chews down to a soft mass, it takes on the feel of real chicken breast, just more dry and chewy than roasted or fried chicken.

These pieces appear to be very meaty, with no fat, gristle, or other tissues visible. I don't encounter anything crunchy or unchewable.

In terms of clean eating, it's mostly clean. I don't find any residue on my fingertips and don't see any fragments of meat or seasoning falling off.

Snack Value

Steve's Original sells this Chicken Jerky from its website at a price of $5.50 for a 2.9oz package. You can get a five-pack for $27.50, with shipping to California for $6.00. That works out to a price of $2.31 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.31 per ounce price, it's a good value. I'm getting a good flavor overall, with good meat consistency, and good chewing despite a little toughness. Compared to major brands of jerky sold in grocery stores, it's priced considerably higher, but still manages to deliver a better snackability.

As a chicken jerky, with buffalo wing seasoning, it's also a good value. I'm getting a good deal of natural chicken breast flavor, and a chewing that resembles chewing real chicken breast meat, along with spicy, buffalo wing seasonings.

Rating

I'm giving this a good rating.

This Chicken Jerky with buffalo wing seasoning offers up a good deal of flavor, living up to its namesake with a good deal of natural chicken breast meat flavor combined with a spicy blend of buffalo wing seasonings. It's very meaty with what appears to be slices of pure meat. The fact that its free range, preservative free, with no hormones, is bonus.

Considering this this is the first chicken jerky I've reviewed here on Best Beef Jerky, it's pretty good. I think I like this chicken jerky better than turkey jerky, at least Steve's Original brand of chicken jerky.

As a fitness snack, how can you go wrong with 28g of protein in a 2.9oz package, with zero carbs and zero sugar?

I did, however, find this jerky somewhat tough to chew. If you can get over that, then perhaps all is well.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

http://stevesoriginal.com/

My Rancher - Yak Jerky

2012-04-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

My Rancher is a small country store located in Greenville, TX along the I-30, about 50 miles north-east of Dallas. In addition to selling a line of its own branded jerky, it sells fresh meats, eggs, candy, nuts and fruits, among others country-living staples.

The store, owned by Doug and Marguerite Robbins, opened up in May 2008 as an outlet for their 142-acre ranch where they raise grass-fed cattle. This Yak Jerky, along with their other exotic-meat jerky, is manufactured for My Rancher by an outside facility.

Check out this video of My Rancher's jerky offerings: http://youtu.be/mhzad1tFcp0

Ingredients

Yak meat, brown sugar, soy powder, water, salt and spices.

The package is also labeled, "Hickory Smoked".

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a light smokiness, a light sweet, some oily flavors, and a light saltiness.

The chewing flavor starts with a slightly increased saltiness. There's a light bit of natural meat flavor, and a faint touch of black pepper.

For being a yak jerky, it seems rather unremarkable. Considering that yak is a bovine animal, the same as cattle, this jerky tastes no different than beef, though it seems rather light on natural meat flavors.

Otherwise, the flavors that seem to define this jerky is more of a combination of the light smokiness, light sweet, light saltiness, and light natural meat flavors. It's a light tasting jerky overall, with no particular ingredient taking over the taste-profile.

I can detect a slight bit of soy sauce flavor towards the end of chewing.

After eating several pieces, the black pepper flavor increases intensity.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced into strips of two to four inches, and sliced thick.

This is a dry jerky with an oily surface feel. It has a light bit of flexibility, but will easily crack open with some bending. Biting off chunks seems easy enough to do, while chewing similarly easy.

The chewing texture starts out feeling stiff, but seems to break down easily with a little bit of chewing, offering little resistance. Once chewed down to a soft mass, it feel rather crumbly, like eating dry meat loaf.

I don't see any bits of fat on these strips, along with no gristle. I didn't encounter any stringiness nor anything unchewable. It's all meat.

As for clean eating, my fingers pick up a good deal of oil, requiring a wiping before touching my keyboard.

Snack Value

My Rancher sells this Yak Jerky at a price of $9.95 for a 3oz package. Shipping is a flat-rate of $5.30. If you bought six packages, the total comes to $65.00. That works out to a price of $3.61 per ounce.

As a yak jerky, at the $3.61 per ounce price, it's a fair value. I'm getting only a light flavor overall, despite a good meat consistency and a crumbly chewing texture. When you spend higher prices for exotic meat jerky as this, you want the full flavor of the meat, which this doesn't quite do, and the chewing doesn't quite feel like real meat, rather dry and crumbly instead.

Rating

I'm giving this an average rating.

This Yak Jerky from My Rancher has a light taste-profile overall, with a light natural meat flavor, and complimented with light amounts of hickory smoke, sweet, and salt. There's just a touch of black pepper mixed in.

Considering that yak is similar to cattle, the meat doesn't seem to taste much different. In fact, you might be better off just buying My Rancher's beef jerky, and saving yourself some cash, considering this yak only provides a light natural meat taste. Otherwise, this jerky doesn't really knock me out with flavor, and it's dry, crumbly chewing is not much to sing about.

But overall, it's not bad. It just seems like it could do much better by improving the flavor and chewing.

My recommended beer pairing, go with a brown ale such as the Moose Drool, or the Newcastle Brown.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

http://www.myrancher.com/

Carnivore Candy - Volcanic Jalapeno

2012-04-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

The newest flavor from Carnivore Candy is this Volcanic Jalapeno variety. Read my previous review of their Original Peppered.

Since that previous review, the company has redesigned its process and the cut of meat, now using extra lean pectoral meat and processed for maximum tenderness, and marinated in vacuum tumblers.

This particular variety is labeled as claiming, "Fiery jalapeno with a hint of tangy sweetness! A taste explosion as hot as burning lava!"

Ingredients

Beef, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, pepper, natural smoke flavor, jalapeno powder, natural flavor enhancer, onion powder, garlic powder, citric acid.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a light sweetness followed immediately by some chile pepper flavor. There's a moderate burn building, and hints of the natural smoke flavor.

The chewing flavor starts out with some natural meat flavors and an increased sweetness. I can detect the black pepper a little, and can taste a saucy flavor as well.

For being marketed as, "Volcanic Jalapeno", it holds up well. I do get a good deal of heat from this, at what I would rate on my personal heat scale as "medium hot" (level 4 out of 5). And it even seems to "erupt" with heat in that it comes on as soon as it enters my mouth. I even get some chile pepper flavor too, but I'm not sure its jalapeno flavor, or the red pepper flakes all over these pieces.

Otherwise, the flavors that seem to define this jerky is largely the sweetness, and then a peppery flavor which seems to be a combination of black pepper and chile pepper, and then a light natural meat flavor, and a saucy flavor that perhaps combines the soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, and the garlic and onion seasoning.

The saltiness in this feels to be light as evidenced by the lower sodium content.

The natural meat flavors are light, but still manages to remain detectable throughout the chewing. It has a well-cooked flavor, almost reminiscent of ground beef.

Overall, it's well packed with flavor, attacking all areas of the tongue, sweet, spicy, and lightly salty, but still managing to keep some natural meat flavors.

Meat Consistency

These are strips of whole meat, but having the appearance of being pounded tender. They're of medium thickness and in lengths of three to four inches.

This is a dry jerky with a slightly moist, slightly sticky, surface feel. It's very flexible, and very easy to bite off and chew.

The chewing texture starts out feeling dry with little chewing resistance. It breaks down quite easily, and renders into a soft mass quickly. By that time it feels meaty, but more like ground beef, perhaps closer to meat loaf than burger.

I don't see any bits of fat on these pieces, but I do see some stringiness and can feel it in the chewing. Aside from that, it's mostly meaty with no other unchewable tissues.

As for clean eating, my fingertips tend to pick a faint stickiness, but still dry enough to type. I also get a fair amount red pepper flakes falling on my lap.

Snack Value

Carnivore Candy sells this Volcanic Jalapeno through their website at a price of $5.99 for a 3oz package. If you spend more than $45.00 shipping is free. So for 8 packages, the total comes to $47.92. That works out to a price of $2.00 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.00 per ounce price, this seems to provide a good value. I'm getting a a lot of snackability for a great flavor, good meat consistency, and good chewing texture. That price is similar to what you'd pay for major brands of jerky at the grocery store, and yet it offers much better snackability.

As a jalapeno beef jerky, at the same $2.00 per ounce price, it's a good value. I'm getting a good deal of heat, and a fair amount of chile pepper flavor, though it's hard to tell if that's the red pepper flakes or the jalapeno.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

This Volcanic Jalapeno beef jerky from Carnivore Candy packs a lot of flavor in each bite, giving off a variety of flavors, including a lot of sweet, a light saltiness, chile pepper, a saucy flavor, and a light tanginess. All the while, it manages to retain some of the natural meat flavors.

And true to its namesake, it manages to erupt in flavor and heat like a volcano blasting strips of meat laced in molten lava, enough to please the spicy food fanatics in a level that will let them feed pieces into their mouths without delay.

It's also quite easy to eat, rather tender, and slightly moist, which only seems to increase its snackability. And the meat consistency is great, practically all meat with very little unchewable tissues.

My recommended beer pairing, go with a Belgian pale ale, try a Duvel, or the Leffe Blonde.

Rating: Best

Buy this online:

http://www.carnivorecandy.com/

Ed's Roadhouse Jerky - Sriracha with a Wasabi Twist

2012-04-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Sriracha sauce, perhaps Thailand's best gift to the world, finally hit the beef jerky scene when Ed's Roadhouse Jerky launched its "Sriracha with a Wasabi Twist" variety last December.

It seems there's never an end to what foods and dishes the famous chili sauce can improve upon. I like it on pizzas and french fries. And now Ed brings it to us on beef jerky.

Ed's Roadhouse Jerky is based out of Wellington, FL, operated by Ed & Mary Herman who specializes in jerky that combines heat with sweet. You can find other reviews I've done on their jerky varieties here.

Ingredients

Angus beef, fresh red jalapenos, fresh thai peppers, wasabi, fresh horseradish, salt, sugar, water, soy bean, wheat, garlic, molasses, vinegar, natural flavoring spices.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a chile pepper flavor with some tanginess, that slowly defines itself as sriracha sauce. I can in fact, detect a hint of the wasabi. There's a decent amount of heat building up.

The chewing flavor adds the natural meat flavors along with a light soy sauce flavor towards the end of chewing.

For being marketed as Sriracha with a Wasabi Twist", it seems to hold up fine to that description. I do taste the Sriracha flavor, though it takes several seconds for that that unique flavor to define itself, and I do identify a faint touch of wasabi. It also has the tangy taste overtones that you find in Sriracha. The wasabi isn't well defined, but I can detect its presence by its sharp, pungent quality.

The flavors that seem to define this jerky most of all is the sriracha sauce dehydrated into the meat, along with the natural meat flavors, a moderate level of sweetness, and a light soy sauce towards the end.

Just as with all the other varieties that Ed's Roadhouse produces, there's a well-noticed natural meat flavor that reminds me of roasted tri-tip. Against the sriracha sauce, it practically shares the spotlight, and would probably be the most dominant flavor of this jerky if not for the intense flavors of the sriracha.

The level of heat in this feels to be high. I'd rank it as "medium hot" on my personal heat scale (level 4 out of 5). It produces a good deal of burn without searing my tongue so that I can keep the conveyor belt pouring into my mouth.

As far as saltiness goes, it feels to be at a moderate level. The heat tends to make it seem saltier than it really is.

Overall, you're going to taste a light to moderate amount of the sriracha sauce flavor with a faint bit of pungent wasabi mixed in. Otherwise, the natural meat flavors are quite dominant in this. There's some sweetness to this, and a soy sauce flavor towards the end.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced thin, and in bite-sized pieces.

This is a dry jerky, with a slightly moist surface feel. The pieces have a good deal of flexibility, but still crack apart when bent just a little. It's a little chewy, but very much in line with what you'd expect jerky to be, and still easy to chew overall.

The chewing texture starts out with just a touch of chewing resistance, but easily breaks down with some chewing, and doesn't take long to render into a soft mass. At that point, it tends to chew like real meat, having a soft, steak-like quality, similar to one cooked medium.

Several of these pieces contain some small visible bits of fat. I don't find any gristle or tendon, and I don't encounter anything stringy, nor feel any unchewable wads of tissue. It's very meaty.

In terms of clean eating, my fingertips pick up traces of seasoning and a touch of sticky, but doesn't require any licking or wiping before touching my keyboard.

Snack Value

Ed's Roadhouse Jerky sells this Sriracha with a Wasabi Twist variety from its website in several package sizes. If you bought four 4oz packages, with shipping out to Southern California, the total would cost $38.55 ($32.60 + $5.95). That works out to a price of $2.41 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.41 per ounce price, it's a good value. I'm getting a lot of snackability from its great overall flavor, excellent meat consistency and chewing texture, and bite-sized pieces. Even though it will cost you more than the major brands of jerky at the grocery store, it's clearly a better buy.

As for being marketed as "Sriracha with a Wasabi Twist" variety of jerky, it's a great value. It has a light to moderate flavor of sriracha sauce, and a touch of the pungent wasabi mixed in. Combined with the sweetness, it tends to take on a clearly Asian flavor, much like a chili dipping sauce that you might use with egg rolls.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

This Sriracha with a Wasabi Twist variety from Ed's Roadhouse Jerky gives off a recognizable sriracha sauce flavor along with a touch of pungent wasabi mixed in. Combined with the sweetness, and a a little bit of tangy, it has a taste that reminds me of a sweet, Asian chili sauce.

The natural meat flavors that come out of each bite, however, still makes Ed's Roadhouse Jerky a big winner in my book. Supplemented with the garlic and soy sauce, it has a flavor that reminds of roasted tri-tip. When you consider the tender, easy chewing, meaty chewing texture, and the bite sized pieces, it has an excellent snackability, causing me to stuff my face piece by piece.

I feel compelled to boil several of these jerky pieces into a bowl of Phô, or eat them with some steamed rice. There's so much good flavor in these meat pieces that I want to cook with them.

But for a good beer pairing, I go with a dark lager, such as the Asahi Dark, or the Negra Modelo.

Rating: Best

Buy this online:

http://www.edsroadhousejerky.com/

Hangtown Beef Jerky - Original

2012-04-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hangtown Beef Jerky is a brand owned by Glenwood Smoked Products, based out of Idaho Falls, ID. The company was started back in 1961 by Glen C Scott as a maker of smoked turkeys.

Since then, the company has gone on to expand its smoked meat products, including even wild game processing, and of course, makes beef jerky.

Glenwood also has a line of jerky named "Glenwood Beef Jerky", which is actually the company's original jerky brand. Hangtown is a recent brand, and I'm led to believe is a different recipe, and is also being marketed through Amazon.com.

Ingredients

Beef, brown sugar, water, salt, apple juice, honey, lemon juice, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrite, liquid smoke.

Taste

The first I taste from the surface of these pieces is a faint sweetness and a light saltiness. There's a subtle black pepper in there too.

The chewing flavor starts with a bit more saltiness and a bit more sweet. There's a smidgen of seasoning inside, and that subtle black pepper picks up just a tiny bit.

The flavors that seem to define this jerky most of all is the sweet, though it's not overly sweet, it's actually moderate at is peak. The light saltiness is the next most noticeable flavor, with perhaps the onion, garlic, and black pepper seasonings having a small footprint.

The natural meat flavors are hardly noticeable, and despite the addition of liquid smoke, it doesn't seem to be easily identifiable.

Overall, it's a light tasting jerky, mostly sweet with light touches of seasonings.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be slices of whole meat, sliced against the grain, into medium sized slabs, and sliced to a medium thickness.

It's a dry jerky with a dry surface feel. They have a lot of flexibility, quite pliable, and easily bendable like soft rubber. Biting off pieces take a little bit of work to do, while chewing is slightly "chewy".

The chewing texture starts out with some chewing resistance, and otherwise feels somewhat tough and rubbery. But it seems to soften up quickly and then chews down to a soft mass easily. By then, it has a meaty, steak-like feel, similar to a steak cooked medium-rare.

I don't see any bits of fat on these pieces, but I do some streaks of gristle, which felt rubbery and would not chew. I also found a fair amount of stringiness.

As for clean eating, my fingers don't pick up any residue and tearing pieces apart doesn't seem to drop any fragments of meat or seasoning.

Snack Value

Glenwood Smoked Products sells this Original variety at $33.00 for three 10oz packages. I don't have shipping costs, but if we just throw in $6.00, then it would work out to a price of $1.30 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes at the $1.30 per ounce price, this seems to offer a good value. It has a satisfactory flavor at best, with a decent meat consistency, and decent chewing texture. It's priced considerably less than what you'd pay for major brands of jerky in stores, yet this offers a similar snackability.

Rating

I'm giving this an average rating.

This Original variety from Hangtown Beef Jerky is mostly a mild flavored jerky with a mild flavor intensity. It's best described as a sweet jerky with light touches of salt, garlic, onion, and black pepper.

The flavor doesn't really excite the taste buds, though it still satisfies the urge to snack. The chewing texture is decent, the meat consistency is decent minus some streaks of gristle and stringiness. But overall, this jerky doesn't go out its way to offer you something special.

It's advantage is that its priced low, but manages to stay one step above the bargain brands in terms of flavor and chewing texture. It's like getting a Jack Link's caliber of jerky at much less price.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

http://www.glenwoods.com/

Jerky Hut - Hot Teriyaki Beef Jerky

2012-04-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

Next in the series on Jerky Hut this is Hot Teriyaki Beef Jerky. See my previous reviews of their other flavors here.

Jerky Hut is a brand of Jerky Hut International, Inc., based out of Hubbard, OR. The brand which is often seen at boat shows, gun shows, car shows, and trade shows of every kind, was started over 30 years ago by Steve Risch. The company makes jerky from its own USDA inspected facility under its parent company, Saddle Mountain Meats.

This Hot Teriyaki is also dubbed, "Mooie Looie", and according to the company, is made from prime cut, thick slices of beef, seasoned with a touch of crushed red chilies and Chinese Hot Mustard. This sample was provided to me for review by one of their licensees, YummyJerky.

Ingredients

Beef, brown sugar, water, teriyaki sauce, teriyaki seasoning, onion, garlic, dextrose, sodium erythorbate, sunflower oil, disodium inosinate, corn syrup solids, mustard powder, crushed chili peppers, garlic powder, black pepper, sodium nitrite.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a moderate sweetness and light saltiness. There's perhaps a faint hint of teriyaki, and a little bit of heat building up.

The chewing flavor starts with much of the same, with the teriyaki being just a bit more defined. The heat builds up a little more, and I can also detect a light touch of chile pepper flavor.

For being labeled, "Hot Teriyaki", it seems to hold up. I wouldn't consider this hot by any means, but I does generate enough heat to register with me. I'd rank the heat as "mild medium" on my personal heat scale (level 2 out of 5). As for the teriyaki part, it generates a light flavor, more sweet than anything else, but still seems to evoke a sense of the famous Japanese grilling sauce. I don't pick up any pungent contrast, and not much of the tangy wine/vinegar ingredient. But overall, it seems to squeak by as hot teriyaki.

The flavors that seem to define this jerky overall is primarily the well-noticeable sweetness, colored by the light teriyaki flavor. There's a touch of chile pepper flavor wafting in the background, and a light saltiness.

I don't pick up any natural meat flavors.

With respect to the "Chinese hot mustard" labeling on the package, I couldn't detect any of it.

Meat Consistency

This appears to be slices of whole meat, sliced into strips of 3 to 4 inches in length, and sliced thick.

This is a dry jerky with a sticky, moist surface feel. The strips have some flexibility but will easily crack apart. Biting off pieces seems easy to do, and chewing is mostly easy.

The chewing texture starts out with little to no resistance, breaking down into a soft mass quite easily. It doesn't quite chew like real meat, however. There's perhaps a little bit of a meaty chew, but mostly it wants to crumble apart with some gumminess from the heavy sweet coating.

I don't see much of any fat on these strips nor any gristle. I didn't encounter any stringiness or other unchewable tissues.

It's not clean eating either. The sticky, sweet coating on these strips required me to lick and wipe my fingers before touching the keyboard.

Snack Value

YummyJerky sells this Hot Teriyaki Beef Jerky from its website at a price of $21.00 for a one pound package. Add to that shipping costs of $6.95, and it comes to a price of $1.75 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $1.75 per ounce price, it's a decent value. I'm getting a satisfactory flavor overall, with a good meat consistency, though a subpar chewing texture. But it's priced slightly less than what you'd pay for major brands of jerky in stores, and seems to offer a similar snackability.

As a Hot Teriyaki beef jerky, at the same $1.75 per ounce price, it's a fair value. It's not really hot, though it does generate a little bit of heat, and it doesn't really belt out a strong, well-defined, teriyaki flavor.

Rating

I'm giving this an average rating.

This Hot Teriyaki Beef Jerky from Jerky Hut delivers a low level of heat with a mostly mild teriyaki sauce flavor. Beyond that, it gives off a light chile pepper flavor, and that seems to complete the overall flavor profile. It doesn't really go out of its way to generate an eye-popping, mouth-watering, jerky experience. It's as if it does a half-baked job of meeting its advertised flavor, and then nothing more.

The meat consistency seems good in that these strips appear to be all meat, but it tended to chew somewhat crumbly, and a little gummy with the copious amounts of sweet. In comparison to other brands of teriyaki jerky I've reviewed, it seems mostly unremarkable.

My recommended beer pairing for this, try a standard IPA, such as the Stone IPA or the Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

http://www.yummyjerky.com/

Jerky John's Turkey Jerky - American Original

2012-04-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

Jerky John's introduced its turkey jerky in August 2011, and recently the company sent me two of their flavors for review. I had written reviews of their beef jerky back in October 2010 (see reviews).

The company, which at the time was based in Huntington Beach, CA, has since relocated to Norco, CA. It was started by John Keller, a former US Army paratrooper. The entire line of Jerky John's also touts itself as being one of the lowest sodium jerky brands on the market.

According to Keller, this line of turkey jerky received great response at multiple venues, and even people who hated turkey jerky found themselves liking it. In addition to this American Original turkey jerky, I also have their Black Pepper, which I'll review later.

Ingredients

Turkey, Kikkoman's Low Sodium Soy Sauce, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, brown sugar, Yoshida's Teriyaki Sauce, granulated garlic, granulated onion, liquid smoke, prague powder (sodium nitrite).

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a faint sweetness and a faint bit of the teriyaki sauce. The liquid smoke flavor is lightly noticeable.

The chewing flavor starts with a noticeable blend of the teriyaki and soy sauce. A light bit of the worcestershire becomes noticeable, as well as a little bit of the garlic and onion. The natural turkey meat flavors are lightly identifiable.

For being marketed as a turkey jerky, it seems to have a light bit of the turkey meat flavor, but mostly it's the seasonings and marinades that I taste.

I'd say the flavors that define this jerky mostly is the combination of sauces, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and worcestershire. The garlic and onion adds a light pungent bite on the back end. The sweetness is light, and finally a natural turkey meat flavor can be tasted towards the latter part of chewing, and leaves a little bit of aftertaste that I often get with turkey jerky.

The saltiness in this feels light, as supported by the low sodium content noted in the nutrition facts label.

Overall, it's a tasty and savory flavor consisting mostly of the marinade sauces and a little bit of the onion and garlic, with a light saltiness.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced into chunks and strips of small to medium sizes, and sliced thick.

This is a dry jerky with a dry surface feel. Some of these pieces can bend all the way back on themselves without cracking, while others tend to crack open easily. Biting off chunks seems easy enough to do, and chewing seems easy, with some pieces being more chewy.

The chewing texture starts out with a little bit of resistance, but seems to soften up and break down easily. It's mostly a soft chew, though some thicker, harder pieces were chewy. For the most part, it feels meaty and fibrous, and in some cases chews just like beef jerky, and less so like turkey jerky.

I can see some pieces of fat on this jerky, as well as some stringy tissues that I wasn't able to chew through. I also found some other pieces of hard, unchewable tissue, enough to make notice here. Still, there's quite a bit of pure meaty chewing.

It's also clean eating, leaving no residue on my fingers, and tearing apart with dropping any fragments or bits of seasoning.

Snack Value

Jerky John's sells this American Original Turkey Jerky from through Amazon.com at a price of $27.96 for four 4oz packages. Shipping is $7.50. That works out to a price of $2.22 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.22 per ounce price, it seems to be a decent value. I'm getting a fair amount of snackability for a satisfying flavor, a decent meat consistency and good chewing texture. Compared to major brands of turkey jerky you find in stores, it's priced a little higher, and seems to be a little bit better.

It's actually a good value, however, on a diet and weight loss standpoint, being only 45 calories per serving, and a low sodium content.

Rating

I'm giving this an average rating.

This American Original Turkey Jerky from Jerky John's provides a tasty, savory flavor consisting of a mixture of soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, and teriyaki, along with a lightly noticeable garlic and onion seasoning.

Considering this turkey jerky has the same set of seasonings and marinades as the company's beef jerky, it seems to react differently to the turkey meat, not being able to pick up the tanginess, and tasting considerably less salty. While the marinades still make up the primary flavors in this jerky, it seems to have a little less definition than with its beef counterpart. What resulted is a flavor with less "punch" than the company's beef version. The chewing texture is pretty good despite feeling some unchewable bits of matter.

On its own merits, this turkey jerky is still enjoyable, providing a tasty combination of sauces and seasonings that you don't often find in turkey jerky. But in comparison with other turkey jerky brands I've reviewed, it still seems to sit in the middle of the lot. I think the low saltiness gives it something of a bland flavor than compared its beef cousin.

My recommended beer pairing for this, go with a standard IPA, try the Stone IPA or the Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA. The lighter body and sharper hops should help compliment the sweet and savory flavors.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

http://www.jerkyjohns.com/

Pap's Genuine Beef Sticks

2012-04-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

Pap's Genuine Beef Sticks is a new brand of meat snacks based out of Junction City, KY. It was started by Rick Waldon.

Waldon's philosophy with beef sticks was to make them out of beef, and not "mechanically separated chicken". And instead of filling them up with soy and wheat fillers, he actually fills them up with beef. The result is a beef stick made of beef, and American raised beef at that. Moreover, Pap's Genuine Beef Sticks claims to be a "tender, moister, beefier" beef stick.

Presently the company offers three flavors, Mild Smokey, Honey, and Spicy, with more flavors are coming this year. They are currently stocked in convenience stores throughout Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana. You can also buy them from their website.

Ingredients

Mild Smokey: Beef, water, salt, corn syrup, spices, monosodium glutamate, dextrose, citric acid, garlic powder, natural hickory smoke flavoring, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite.

Honey: Beef, water, honey, salt, corn syrup, spices, monosodium glutamate, dextrose, citric acid, garlic powder, natural hickory smoke flavoring, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite.

Spicy: Beef, water, salt, corn syrup, spices, monosodium glutamate, dextrose, citric acid, garlic powder, natural hickory smoke flavoring, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite.

Taste

The Mild Smokey has quite a mild flavor indeed, with just a hint of smokiness. For the most part, I taste a light bit of the natural meat flavors, but mostly a light saltiness, a touch of sweet, a light bit of spice, and a faint bit of tangy.

The Honey is noticeably more sweet than the Mild Smokey, and does have a touch of the unique flavor of honey. Otherwise, it's very much like the Mild Smokey.

The Spicy has a noticeable red pepper flavor, perhaps cayenne, and is a little more spicier than the Mild Smokey, and a little less sweet than the Honey. It's not hot however, I'd rank it as "mild medium" on my personal heat scale (level 2 out of 5).

Overall, all three sticks have a light natural meat flavor, a light saltiness, and a faint bit of tangy.

Meat Consistency

Just as the company claims, these sticks are quite tender. Each bite of a stick felt soft and very easy to chew. As far as being "moister" than other sticks, I suppose that could be said considering I've had my fair share of dry, chewy meat sticks. But they don't seem to be ahead of the bell curve in terms of moisture, and more or less within the ballpark of other beef sticks.

There's a nice "snap" or crunch when biting off a chunk due to the casing, yet the casing doesn't get in the way of chewing.

The meat filler is finely ground and seems to be mostly meat, though I did encounter some crunchy matter, it was quite few and far between.

They also handled well, leaving no sticky or oily residue on my fingers, and they felt quite substantial as if there was a lot of meat packed into them.

Snack Value

Pap's Genuine Beef Sticks can be purchased from its website at a price of $27.00 for an 18-count box, with each stick weighing in at 1.25oz. Shipping to Southern California comes to $9.00, for a total cost of $36.00. That works out to a price of $2.00 per stick, or $1.60 per ounce.

For general meat stick snacking purposes, at the $1.60 per ounce price, it's seems to be a good value. I get a decent level of snackability for its satisfying flavor, but more so for its soft, tender chew, nice snap of the casing, and clean eating. Considering it's all beef without any fillers perhaps makes it more valuable as a protein snack. Compared to other meat sticks sold in convenience stores, it's similarly priced, yet it provides a better meat stick experience.

Rating

I'm giving these sticks a good rating.

Pap's Genuine Beef Sticks seems to have its strength in its meat consistency, having a soft, tender chew, with a good "snap" of the casing, and leaving my fingers clean and dry. I found mostly all meat inside with very little crunchy, stringy, tissues, and these sticks seemed to have a weighty feel.

As far as taste, I think they're tastier than the major brands of meat sticks, and "cleaner tasting" too. Yet, they all seem to have a mild flavor overall, even the Spicy variety. That is, I didn't get a burst of flavor in these sticks, they had a tame, watered-down-for-the-masses, characteristic. The Mild Smokey had only a hint of smokiness, not quite enough to meet my expectations on a product with such a flavor name.

Still, I felt quite pleased to snack on these beauties and could see myself eating several more. Compared to other brands of meat sticks, they seem to be better than the average lot, but mostly for its meat consistency. Out of the three flavors here, I'd go with the Spicy.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

http://www.papsbeefsticks.com/

PA Dutch Style Beef Jerky - Some Like It Hot

2012-04-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Next in the series on PA Dutch Style Beef Jerky is this "Some Like it Hot" variety. See my previous review of their Peppered variety.

It's the creation of Lisa Heinemann, who started making jerky in 1992, but just started selling it on eBay late last year. She makes it all fresh to order, and offers seven varieties in all. Her jerky is all hand-trimmed and preservative-free.

She describes "Dutch Style" as meaning "slightly sweeter and not as salty as some". This "Some Like It Hot" variety is her original sweet/salty jerky and what appears to be her spiciest offering.

Ingredients

None provided

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a moderate sweetness, followed by a light chile pepper flavor. Some saltiness comes in later.

The chewing flavor starts with a more defined chile pepper flavor, along with an increased sweetness and saltiness.

For being marketed as "Some Like It Hot", this seems to hold up to such a billing. I get a good deal of heat from this, what I would rank on my personal heat scale as "medium-hot" (level 4 out of 5), even though there's only a light scattering of chile pepper flakes visible on these pieces.

Otherwise, the flavors that seem to define this jerky overall is a combination of the chile pepper and sweetness. It's very much the "sweet heat" classic but taken a little more seriously with some extra sweet and some extra heat. Aside from that I'm picking up a light to moderate saltiness, but not much else.

The chile pepper flavor, by the way, seems to have light smoky flavor, perhaps lightly roasted to bring out slightly chipotle flavor.

I don't taste any natural meat flavors in this.

Overall, what you're going to taste in this is a strong combination of sweet and chile pepper flavors, a medium-hot level of heat, and a light to moderate saltiness.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced against the grain into small to medium sized pieces, and sliced medium thick.

It's a dry jerky with a sticky surface feel. They have some flexibility, and will crack open if bent far enough. Biting off chunks seems easy to do, while chewing is a little more chewy.

The chewing texture starts out with some initial chewing resistance, but then breaks down into a little bits and chunks. Some pieces seem to mesh together as a single piece of meat, while others tend to remain chunky. Those that mesh feels like chewing real pieces of meat, cooked rare, while others just feel chunky and sticky.

I can spot tiny bits of fat on these pieces, but for the most part it's seems very lean. A couple pieces revealed small streaks of gristle, but I didn't feel them in the chewing. No stringiness that I could find, and nothing unchewable noticed.

In terms of clean eating, my fingers picked a little bit of the stickiness from these pieces, but not enough to warrant a licking and wiping before touching the keyboard.

Snack Value

PA Dutch Style Beef Jerky is sold on eBay at a price of $24.25 for a one pound package. Shipping is free. That works out to a price of $1.52 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $1.52 per ounce price, this is a good value. It's priced considerably less than the major brands of jerky sold in grocery stores, and seems to offer a much better snackability in terms of flavor and meat consistency.

As a sweet and spicy beef jerky, at the same $1.52 per ounce price, it's an excellent value. I get a lot of sweetness countered with a good deal of spicy flavors of chile peppers and a medium-hot level of heat.

Rating

I'm giving this a good rating.

This "Some Like It Hot" variety from PA Dutch Style Beef Jerky packs a nice wallop of sweet and spicy flavors, mostly as lightly roasted chile pepper flavor with a medium-hot level of heat. But aside from the light saltiness, I wasn't able to find much else to taste, not even the natural meat flavors.

However, I still found the trio of sweet, spicy, and salty flavors to be snackable enough to warrant the four-star rating, primarily because of the chile pepper flavor which I like better than the black pepper. I also found the meat in this batch of "Some Like It Hot" to chew more like real meat than the Peppered variety. However, I still found some pieces to chew into chunks and bits, but overall it seems more of a meaty chew.

But the price point still seems to be strength of this jerky, giving you better flavor overall than most of the other budget-minded jerky brands you find in stores, plus knowing it's made fresh to order.

My recommended beer pairing, go with a nutty brown ale, try the Alesmith Nautical Nutbrown, or the Rogue Hazelnut Brown.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/sarahspatch555/m.html

JW's Jerky - Cajun

2012-04-12T16:10:00.000-07:00

Last up for review in the series on JW's Beef Jerky is this Cajun variety. See my previous of review of their Medium variety.

JW's Jerky is a brand owned by Jerry Wilkinson of Oklahoma City, OK. The brand has been selling in trade shows, fairs, and festivals for the past 10 years throughout Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas.

JW's doesn't quite have a website yet, though they are working on one at www.jwsjerky.com, but for now they are online via Facebook, and orders can be placed by phone or e-mail. Jerry makes all the jerky himself, trims it by hand, and marinates the beef in vacuum tumblers. Orders placed via phone or e-mail are made fresh to order. Currently he has three flavors, this Medium, a Cajun, and an Original. He can also do Ghost Pepper upon request.

Ingredients

Beef, soy sauce, water, lime juice, spices, sodium benzoate.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a saltiness and soy sauce flavor. There's a light bit of sweetness mixed in, and some light cajun seasonings.

The chewing flavor starts with a bit more definition from the soy sauce along with a light bit of natural meat flavor. Meanwhile, the cajun seasonings produce a little bit of heat.

For being marketed as "Cajun", it seems to hold up. I get a seasoning flavor that does seem to resemble something that could be described as Cajun. The black pepper is perhaps the dominant of the cajun seasonings. There's even some burn, supported by the visible flakes of red pepper. I would rate the heat as "medium" (level 3 out of 5) on my personal heat scale, but I can imagine others may see it a bit more hot.

Otherwise, the flavor that seem to define this jerky is primarily the soy sauce. It's a soy sauce flavored jerky with a little bit of sweetness, a moderate level of cajun seasonings, and a light to moderate level of burn. It's also rather salty, at what I would consider to be at a high level.

I can detect some natural meat flavors, but they're just barely noticeable.

Overall, it tastes similarly to JW's Medium variety I reviewed earlier, except with added cajun seasonings and a medium level of heat.

Meat Consistency

This are slices of whole meat, sliced thin, and cut into medium to large sized slabs.

It's a semi-moist jerky with a moist, sticky surface feel. The slabs have a lot of flexibility, being able to bend back on themselves without cracking. Biting off chunks against the grain is somewhat chewy, but it tears easily with the grain. Overall, chewing varies from somewhat easy to somewhat chewy.

The chewing texture starts out with a fair amount of chewing resistance, and requires a bit more chewing considering how thinly sliced this meat is. Once chewed down to a soft mass, however, it does take on the feeling of steak, one cooked well-done.

I can see small spots and streaks of fat one these slabs, and can even see some lines of gristle running through some. I also find a fair amount of stringiness, some of which reduces down to an unchewable wad.

In terms of clean eating, it leaves a some stickiness and seasoning on my fingers, enough that I have to lick them and wipe them before touching my keyboard.

Snack Value

JW's Jerky sells this Cajun variety at a price of $15.00 for an 8oz package, with a flat rate shipping of $6.00 up to two pounds. If you bought two of these packages, it would work out to a price of $2.25 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.25 price per ounce, this seems to offer a decent value. I do get a satisfying flavor overall, enough to create some snackability. The meat consistency is decent, while the chewing texture is good overall.

As a "Cajun" variety, at the same $2.25 per ounce price, it's a good value. I do get identify a Cajun-style seasoning along with a medium level of burn.

Rating

I'm giving this an average rating.

This Cajun variety from JW's Jerky serves up a seasoning blend that seems to resemble something Cajun, and even goes on to give you a decent amount of heat. It's packed with flavor, and provides a little bit of natural meat flavor.

Aside from that, it's actually very much like the company's Medium variety I reviewed previously, except with some Cajun flavorings. I found the overall flavor to be mostly soy sauce, and quite salty at that. It has a good chewing texture, and overall a decent meat consistency, though I often ended up with small wads of unchewable tissues.

The first few bites are actually quite tasty, and I like that light bit of sweet mixed in. But after that, the saltiness became too much and wore me out. The medium level of heat also seemed to exacerbate the salt scorching. Otherwise, I think it's actually a little bit better than the major brands of jerky, particularly in the Cajun category. But compared to the 200+ brands of jerky I've reviewed, it still seems to sit in the 3-star rating.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/JWs-Jerky/216323411784746

Jeff's Famous Jerky - Habanero Heatwave

2012-04-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

The newest flavor from Jeff's Famous Jerky is this Habanero Heatwave. Marketed with phrases like, "Extra hot & spicy", and "Serious heat... and packed with flavor", it's thus far the strongest contender in tongue-burning category, at least within the company.

Since I first reviewed Jeff's Famous Jerky in May 2010, the brand has expanded into 22 states with Hawaii coming soon. They're also celebrating their 2nd anniversary this May with a "Free Jerky for a Year Giveaway", the winner gets three bags of jerky every month for a year. More details here.

And if you don't win, you can always get in on Jeff's, "Jerky Every Month Club", for $24.95 a month, where you get four bags per month, shipping included.

Ingredients

Beef, brown sugar, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, chili sauce, balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, habanero powder, caynenne pepper, liquid smoke, spices.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a light sweetness, followed by some seasoning, and then a light chile pepper flavor. The burn starts slow and increases gradually. I can also pick up a light tanginess.

The chewing flavor starts with a slightly increased sweetness, followed by more of a chile sauce flavor. I can pick up some of the vinegar ingredients, while the light tanginess continues. There's also a faint natural meat flavor.

For being labeled, "Habanero Heatwave", it seems to hold up somewhat. I don't taste any of the signature habanero chile flavors, but I do pick up some general chile pepper flavors initially, which then progresses into a chile sauce flavor. The level of heat doesn't exactly reflect the intense burn that habanero peppers are famous for. I'd rank it as "medium hot" on my personal heat scale. But overall, if you enjoy decent burn on the tongue, a little bit of sweat breaking on the forehead, and fair amount of chile flavors, this seems to do well.

Otherwise, the flavors that seem to define this jerky overall is a fair amount of sweetness, a chile sauce/pepper, a light vinegar, and some tanginess. There's some seasoning flavors sitting towards the back that tend to come out later in the chewing, mostly as garlic. I can also pick some traces of natural meat flavor, particular towards the latter part of chewing.

The level of saltiness in this feels to be moderate, despite the low sodium content.

Overall, it's quite what I've come to expect from Jeff's Famous Jerky, brimming with flavor, and well rounded with the sweet, heat, tangy, salty, and savory.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced into strips of medium thickness, and in lengths of about four to five inches.

This is a semi-moist jerky with a semi-moist surface feel. The strips feel very pliable, quite tender and soft and are very flexible.

The chewing texture starts out feeling tender, soft, and moist. There's no chewing resistance. It chews down to a soft mass quite easily. At that point, it feels like chewing real meat, similar to a well-marbleized piece of rib-eye cooked medium.

I don't see any pieces of fat or gristle on these strips, but there's some visible stringiness which reduces down to a small wad of unchewable tissue.

As for clean eating, my fingertips picks up a light film of stickiness, but not enough to warrant a licking or wiping before touching the keyboard.

Snack Value

Jeff's Famous Jerky sells this Habanero Heatwave from its website at a price of $39.95 for six 3oz packages. With shipping of $6.50 to Southern California, that comes to a price of $2.58 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.58 per ounce price, it's a good value. I'm getting an excellent flavor with a good meat consistency and a soft, moist, steak-like chewing texture. Compared to major brands of jerky sold in grocery stores, it's considerably higher priced, but I'm getting far more snackability.

As a habanero jerky, at the same $2.58 per ounce price, it's a fair value. I don't really pick up any of the distinctive habanero flavors, and it's not quite as hot as I would expect from something labeled, "Habanero Heatwave", but it still packs some good chile pepper and chile sauce flavors, and it still produces a good deal of heat.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

This Habanero Heatwave variety from Jeff's Famous Jerky packs a lot of intense flavor, just as the package states. It's a well-rounded flavor where I can easily pick up the sweet, the heat, the salty, the savory, and some tanginess. It has a nice chile pepper sauce flavor in the chewing, bolstered with a light touch of vinegar. There's even a little bit of the natural meat flavors noticeable towards the latter part of chewing. It's a nice variety of flavors with the volume control turned way up.

I didn't feel that this represented the "Habanero Heatwave" namesake that well. I don't taste the signature habanero chile flavor, and it's not quite as hot as I'd expect a habanero food product to be. Albeit, I've enjoyed many habanero sauces in my time, and have built up a good tolerance for the heat, I think this could stand to be hotter, considering the only people likely to buy something labeled, "Extra hot & spicy", are hot food fanatics. However, I'm still able to pick up some chile pepper flavors of some kind, perhaps from the cayenne and chili sauce ingredients, and it's still packs a enough heat to make it enjoyable for chile-heads, and enough to produce a beading of sweat of my scalp.

And the meat consistency is remarkable, being quite tender, soft and semi-moist, producing bursts of flavors with each chew. It's soft and tender enough, you could slap these strips of meat between two pieces of bread and have a jerky sandwich. It's like strips of roasted, marinated beef brisket from a bag.

My recommended beer pairing for this, go with something lighter flavored, and refreshing to counter the heat, try a St. Peter's Cream Ale or a Hale's Cream Ale.

Rating: Best

Buy this online:

http://www.jeffsfamousjerky.com/

Lawless Jerky - Japanese Curry

2012-04-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

Lawless Jerky is a new brand of jerky created by Matthew Tolnick of Santa Monica, CA. During the day, he's a licensed attorney, driving fancy BMWs, wearing Armani suits, and taking clients out for shabu shabu. But when he's not chasing ambulances, he's slicing meats and stirring marinades in his apartment along Wilshire Ave.

Tolnick has not yet taken his jerky to market, you can't buy it in stores, and he isn't taking orders from the general public. However, his website has an order form, so it seems he's interested in selling you some as long as you give him some feedback.

This Japanese Curry is Tolnick's first perfected flavor, and he often considers it his "Original" flavor. He describes it as "sweet from brown sugar, salty from traditional soy sauce, umami from a proprietary Japanese curry blend, and tender from Asian vinegar".

Ingredients

US Beef, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, proprietary Japanese curry blend.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a light sweetness followed quickly by a light curry flavor and light saltiness.

The chewing flavor starts with some natural meat flavors with a bit more definition from the curry. The light sweetness and saltiness continues. Towards the end, I can pick up a faint signal from the soy sauce.

For being labeled, "Japanese Curry", this definitely has a curry flavor, much like the Japanese style curry that comes in a dehydrated bar. It's a not a strong, overpowering flavor, but enough to be identified and enjoyed. It's not hot or spicy at all, it's quite mild.

Overall, the flavors that seem to define this jerky are the natural meat flavors and the curry blend. The light sweetness and saltiness seem to play supportive roles in rounding out the flavors. The natural meat flavor is like that of a steak cooked well-done.

There's also a slight buttery quality to the curry blend, giving it a smooth, silky flavor.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, cut into chunks mostly of bite-sized pieces.

This is largely a dry jerky with a dry surface feel though some chunks seemed borderline semi-moist. Chewing seems mostly easy, somewhat tender, but some chunks seemed dry and chewy.

The chewing texture starts out with a fair amount of chewing resistance, but very quickly takes on the feel of real meat. By the time it chews down to a soft mass, it feels like eating a piece of steak cooked medium.

I don't see any pieces of fat on these chunks, nor do I see any gristle or tendon, but here and there I did feel some stringiness in the chewing, and I did encounter some unchewable tissues on some chunks.

As for clean eating, it seems quite clean. Despite the dusting of curry blend on these chunks, they don't seem to pick up on my fingertips.

Snack Value

Lawless Jerky has a price of $25.00 for a one pound package. Tolnick doesn't mention shipping prices, but considering the box he sent me had a $6.80 postage label, that would work out to $31.80, or a per ounce price of $1.99.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $1.99 per ounce price, this seems to be a good value. I'm getting a good deal of snackability for its good overall flavor and excellent meat consistency and chewing texture. It's priced similarly as the major brands of jerky found in grocery stores, yet this has a far better flavor and meat consistency.

As a "Japanese Curry" variety of beef jerky, at the same $1.99 per ounce price, it's a good value again. I do pick up a curry flavor in this, along with a lightly sweet and soy sauce flavor to round out the Japanese characteristics.

Rating

I'm giving this a good rating.

This Japanese Curry variety from Lawless Jerky generates a noticeable and tasty curry blend against a lightly sweet and soy sauce marinade, along with a steak-like natural meat flavor.

In comparing the flavors I get from Tolnick's description, I'd have to say most of it seems to be spot on except for the "tender from the Asian vinegar". Yes, some pieces were tender, but not consistent enough. I found just as many that were somewhat tough, requiring a fair amount of effort to chew.

And despite what I thought is a good overall flavor, I would have liked to find a bit more punch to create some "wow" factor, maybe a bit more ginger or perhaps some red pepper.

But I really enjoyed the meatiness of these chunks and the great natural meat flavor. The seasonings and marinade did not overshadow the meat flavors but instead complimented it well.

As for the beer pairing, Tolnick suggests the Hitachino Nest White Ale, but I like something more malty to go with the natural meat flavors, and would recommend something more dark such as a Newcastle Brown Ale, or a Gordon Biersch Marzen.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

http://lawlessjerky.com/

PA Dutch Style Beef Jerky - Peppered

2012-04-06T19:52:00.001-07:00

PA Dutch Style Beef Jerky is the name Lisa Heinemann uses when marketing her own homemade beef jerky on eBay. "I didn't give my jerky a brand name as of yet", she says. "But you may use my eBay title".

Heinemann has been making jerky since 1992 but just started selling it on eBay last year. It's all made fresh to order, and she offers seven flavors in all. I only have two of her flavors at this time, including this "Peppered" and her "Some Like it Hot".

She describes "Dutch Style" as meaning "slightly sweeter and not as salty as some". Her jerky is all preservative-free and hand-trimmed. Her Hickory and Applejack varieties are real wood smoked over hickory and apple wood chips.

Ingredients

None provided

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a black pepper flavor and a light sweetness. There is a little bit of saltiness coming in soon after.

The chewing flavor starts with a more defined black pepper flavor, and then a slightly increased sweet and salty.

For being marketed as "Peppered", it certainly fits the bill. I taste a good deal of black pepper flavor, but I don't see this as being overwhelming. It has a freshly cracked flavor, and there's plenty of peppercorn bits to be seen. There's even a some of heat in this, what I would rank as being medium on my personal heat scale (level 3 out of 5).

Otherwise, the flavors that seem to define this jerky overall is the combination of black pepper and sweet. Both hit my taste buds immediately and continue to dominate the palate throughout the chewing. The saltiness seems to range between light and moderate.

I don't really pick up any natural meat flavors.

Overall, what you're going to taste in this is a one-two punch of spicy black pepper and decadent sweet, with a light-to-moderate saltiness.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced against the grain into small to medium sized pieces, and sliced medium thick.

It's a dry jerky with a sticky surface feel. They have some flexibility, and will crack open if bent far enough. Biting off chunks seems easy to do, while chewing is a little more chewy.

The chewing texture starts out with a light bit of chewing resistance, but then breaks down into a little bits and chunks. Throughout the chewing, they never mesh together to chew like real meat, and it's chewy enough to tire my jaws fairly quickly. Overall, it's like chewing small chunks of chewy, sticky, gooey meat.

I can spot tiny bits of fat on these pieces, but for the most part it's seems very lean. A couple pieces revealed small streaks of gristle, but I didn't feel them in the chewing. No stringiness that I could find, and nothing unchewable noticed.

In terms of clean eating, my fingers picked a little bit of the stickiness from these pieces, but not enough to warrant a licking and wiping before touching the keyboard.

Snack Value

PA Dutch Style Beef Jerky is sold on eBay at a price of $24.25 for a one pound package. Shipping is free. That works out to a price of $1.52 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $1.52 per ounce price, this is a good value. It's priced considerably less than the major brands of jerky sold in grocery stores, and seems to offer a slightly better snackability in terms of flavor and meat consistency.

As a black peppered beef jerky, at the same $1.52 per ounce price, it's an excellent value. Again, priced considerably less than the major brands of jerky, I found a strong and fresh taste of black pepper on every piece, enough to produce a medium level of heat.

Rating

I'm giving this an average rating.

This Peppered variety from PA Dutch Style Beef Jerky offers a lot of freshly cracked black pepper flavor over a snackable combination of sweet and salty chewing.

While the trio of pepper, sweet, and salty seems to generate a fair amount of snackable flavor, I wasn't able to pick up much else, particularly no natural meat flavors. The meat consistency seems good in that I found very little fat and nothing stringy or unchewable, it still didn't quite feel like I was chewing a real piece of meat. It feel rather gooey and sticky, perhaps due to the layer of sweetness.

However, it's still a worthy buy when you consider the low price point of $24.25 for a whole pound with free shipping. If you're looking for a great value, this seems to offer a better flavor than the low-budget jerky brands, and it's made fresh to order and delivered to your door.

My recommended beer pairing, go with a lighter bodied pale ale, try the Kona Firerock Pale Ale or a Widmer Drifter Pale Ale.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/sarahspatch555/m.html

Dole Plantation Brand Hickory Smoked Jerky

2012-04-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I published a review of Dole Plantation Brand Pineapple Flavored Ham Jerky. Here's their other flavor, Hickory Smoked Jerky.

This product says its made with beef and chicken, with hickory smoke added.

I found this while on vacation in Hawaii at an ABC Store in Honolulu. It's actually the product of Bric-A-Brac, Inc., out of Las Vegas, NV, but manufactured by Monogram Meat Snacks, who makes hundreds of other brands of jerky.

Ingredients

Beef, mechanically separated chicken, water, brown sugar, salt, contains 2% or less of hydrolyzed soy protein, dextrose, natural smoke flavor, soy sauce, spices, flavorings, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a very light smoky flavor, and a light saltiness. There's also a light oily feel.

The chewing flavor starts out with an increased saltiness that gives way to a light soy sauce flavor with a bit of sweetness mixed in. There's a faint spiciness towards the end, perhaps as black pepper.

For being marketed as "Hickory Smoked Jerky", it's hard to say that this stands up to such a billing. I do pick up a very light smokiness, so perhaps it's OK to call this "Hickory Smoked". But I think most jerky lovers won't find much smoky satisfaction in this.

The flavor that seems to dominate this jerky is a soy sauce flavor with a little bit of sweetness mixed in. I don't really pick up much other seasonings, except to say that this tends to have a savory quality. There's a slight touch of spice at the end, which I think is black pepper.

There's a light natural meat flavor in this, but it's hard to use the words "natural meat flavor", considering its a blend of beef and chicken. But for what it is, I can lightly identify the flavor of meat.

The level of saltiness in this seems moderate.

Overall, what you're going to notice in this is a soy sauce flavor, with a bit of sweetness, and a light touch of smokiness, on top of a light natural meat flavor.

Meat Consistency

This is a chopped & formed jerky, pressed into medium sized rectangles, and in medium or thick thicknesses.

It's a semi-moist jerky with a slightly oily surface feel. The pieces have some flexibility, but will crack open if bent all the way back on itself. Biting off chunks is easy, and chewing is very easy.

The chewing texture starts off feeling somewhat spongey, like chewing a sponge that had soaked in oil and decomposed. It chews down to a soft mass very quickly, and that point feels crumbly, never feeling like real meat.

Being chopped and formed, I do feel bits of hard, gristly material, though no bits of bone. For the most part, it feels meaty, it just doesn't chew like meat.

In terms of clean eating, my fingers pick up a light oily residue, enough to want to lick them off and wipe them on my pants before touching the keyboard.

Snack Value

ABC Stores sells this Dole Plantation Brand Hickory Smoked Jerky at locations throughout Hawaii at a price of $9.99 for a 3oz package. That works out to $3.33 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $3.33 per ounce price, it's a poor value. I don't get any snackability due to a bland, uninteresting flavor, and sponge-like chewing.

Rating

I'm giving this a dog treats rating.

This Dole Plantation Brand Hickory Smoked Jerky from Bric-A-Brac, Inc. has mostly a soy sauce flavor, mixed with a little bit of sweet, a touch of hickory smoke, and a faint bite of black pepper. Other than a light bit of meat flavors, this jerky has an uninteresting flavor that doesn't generate any snackability for me.

The chewing is strange, feeling like a sponge that had decomposed after soaking in oil. It doesn't at all chew like jerky or meat and reminds me of such factory oddities as Chicken McNuggets, and Velveeta Cheese.

If there's any positive in this, it seems to be the better tasting jerky of all the other "dog treats" rated jerky I've reviewed.

My recommended beer pairing, go with a Double IPA, like a Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA or the Russian River Pliny the Younger.

Rating: Dog Treats

Where to buy:

ABC Stores throughout Hawaii

Old Kalahari - Voortrekkers Biltong

2012-04-01T03:40:00.000-07:00

Old Kalahari Gourmet, LLC, based in Dallas, TX, is a new business that sells "Voortrekkers Biltong".

The company was launched by Dan Lewin and is still in the stages of setting up its website. Currently, they have this biltong product selling in one store in the Dallas area.

Biltong is a South African-style dried meat, similar to jerky, but different in that it's typically air dried in room temperature for a few days, and cured with salt and vinegar. Biltong is usually seasoned with coriander seed.

Ingredients

Beef, salt, cracked pepper, roasted coriander, vinegar

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is an aged meaty flavor, slightly salty, with a faint bit of coriander and vinegar.

The chewing flavor starts with much of the same, but with a noticeably increased coriander and vinegar. The saltiness is just slightly increased.

As a biltong, it tastes very much like the few other brands of biltong that I've been able to review. But I think this Old Kalahari brand tends to have a bit more natural meat flavor, while the other brands had more of the vinegar & coriander flavor.

The level of saltiness in this noticeably lower than other brands I've reviewed.

As compared to beef jerky, there is a definite and easily noticeable difference in taste. This has the classic, vinegar & coriander seed flavor that most biltong brands have, as well as the aged beef flavor. Jerky typically has the cooked meat flavor, or the slow-cooked & smoked flavor.

The natural meat flavor also resembles something like the dry aged Italian meats (capicola, prosciutto, et al), whereas other biltong brands tend to resemble corned beef with its stronger sodium, vinegar, and coriander.

Some of these strips have noticeable streaks of fat that contributes a light fatty flavor.

The black pepper, mentioned in the ingredients, adds a light bite to the seasoning that I didn't notice right away, but came on after I had eaten several strips.

Overall, what you're going to taste in this is a dry aged natural meat flavor, with a light vinegar, coriander, and salt flavor, along with a hint of black pepper.

Meat Consistency

These are sliced of whole meat, sliced into short, thick, bite-sized strips.

This is a dry biltong with a dry surface feel. The strips have a fair amount of flexibility. Chewing a strip seems mostly easy.

The chewing texture starts with a light bit of initial chewing resistance, but quickly chews down to a soft mass with little effort. These strips are actually quite soft and tender in the middle, while the surface feels dry. Once chewed down to a soft mass, it feels just like a bite of real steak.

I can see small streaks of fat on many of these strips, but they don't interfere with the chewing. I don't pick up any stringiness or other unchewable wads of tissue. It's a very meaty chew.

In terms of clean eating, I don't find any residue on my finger tips, and don't find much of any fragments of seasoning falling off.

Snack Value

Old Kalahari does not have its website up yet, and did not provide me with pricing info.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

This Voortrekkers Biltong from Old Kalahari offers the same great classic flavor of biltong that you'd expect to find from competing brands, but it seems to offer a stronger natural meat flavor, with a lighter flavor of vinegar, salt, and coriander.

For a jerky-snacker like me who loves the flavor of beef, this offering from Old Kalahari is a welcome delight. Think of it as getting a great taste of natural meat flavor, highlighted with touches of salt, vinegar, coriander, and black pepper.

But I especially liked the soft and tender chew of these strips. Each soft bite releases their tantalizing flavor which beckons you to eat another piece.

As for my recommended beer pairing, I'd recommend a belgian, or belgian-style ale. Try the Goose Island Matilda, or the Gouden Carolus.

Rating: Best

How to purchase:

Contact Old Kalahari (973) 978-7419, http://www.oldkalahari.com (website still not online as of this writing.)

Blue Ox Jerky Co - Peppercorn Smoked Beef

2012-03-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

Blue Ox Jerky Co is based out of Troy, MI, having launched in January of 2011. Legend has it that the company was started by Saul Bunyan, lesser known brother of the famous Paul Bunyan. Saul had accidentally set fire to Paul's bovine companion, Babe the Blue Ox, and opted to douse the fire with teriyaki sauce. And hence, a business was born selling jerky.

Blue Ox Jerky Co has since branched out to buffalo, turkey, elk, and venison jerky, as well as sausages, and broadened its customer base beyond lumberjacks, punching gas station jerky brands in the face.

This Peppercorn Smoked Beef is described by the company as being comparable to their "Straight Up Beef Jerky", but with the tonsil-smacking effects of peppercorns.

Ingredients

Beef, dry honey, brown sugar, salt, cracked black pepper, spices, onion, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a light sweetness and fair amount of black pepper flavor. Some saltiness comes in soon after.

The chewing flavor starts with a stronger, spicier, black pepper flavor, and then much of the same sweetness and saltiness.

For being marketed as "Peppercorn Smoked Beef", it's definitely strong on the peppercorn part, having a spicy, sharp peppery flavor that takes over much of my palate. I don't, however, pick up the smokiness as suggested in the name.

Otherwise, it's the cracked black pepper that largely defines the flavor of this jerky. It's quite strong, enough so that it actually deadens some of my taste buds, making it more difficult to pick up the other flavors. It's a good tasting pepper flavor, one that resembles freshly cracked pepper corns, and not at all like the ground pepper that comes out of the shaker bottles. It's just intensely strong.

The only other flavors I seem to be able to detect is a moderate sweetness and light saltiness. I'm not able to pick up any natural meat flavors, and none of the smokiness.

Being there's a strong black pepper flavor, this jerky has quite a bit of spiciness. I'd rate this is as "medium hot" on my personal heat scale, (level 4 out of 5).

Overall, what you're going to taste is an overwhelming black pepper flavor, along with a lesser sweetness and saltiness.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be slices of whole meat, sliced into strips and slabs, medium thickness, in small to medium sized pieces.

This is a dry jerky with a dry surface feel. They have a lot of flexibility, being able to bend all the way back on themselves without cracking. Biting off chunks is fairly easy, while chewing is a little more labored, but still within the easy range.

The chewing texture starts out with some initial chewing resistance, and feels a little rubbery at first, but eventually chews down to a soft mass feeling much like a steak cooked medium.

I don't see any streaks of fat and no streaks of gristle. The chewing did not encounter any stringiness or any unchewable tissues. It's quite meaty.

As for clean eating, it's seems pretty clean. I found no residue on my fingers, although some bits of pepper fell off as I bit off pieces.

Snack Value

Blue Ox Jerky Co sells this Peppercorn Smoked Beef from its website at a price of $24.25 for a one pound package. Shipping costs to Southern California generally comes to about $8.00 according to the company. That works out to a total of $2.02 per ounce. Shipping is free if you purchase more than $75.00.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.02 price per ounce, it's a fair value. I'm getting a low level of snackability due to that overwhelming black pepper flavor, even though it has a good meat consistency and decent chewing texture. Compared to gas station jerky brands, it's priced about the same, and seems to offer the same snackability.

As a Black Pepper beef jerky, at the same $2.02 price per ounce, it's a good value. I'm getting a lot of black pepper flavor, and I mean a lot. And it's a pretty good flavor too, tasting just like freshly cracked black pepper. It may actually be too much black pepper for general audiences, but for those who can't enough black pepper, here's a good one to try.

Rating

I'm giving this an average rating.

This Peppercorn Smoked Beef from Blue Ox Jerky Co packs quite a black pepper punch, but doesn't seem to offer any smoky flavor as the name suggests. The flavor seems quite simple, being about 80% black pepper flavor, 10% sweetness, and 10% saltiness. I wasn't able to find any natural meat flavors or other seasonings and marinades.

It's probably a better jerky for its meat consistency, appearing to be all meat, and very little to no fat, gristle, or stringiness. It has somewhat of a rubbery chew initially, but easily chews down to something more steak-like.

Perhaps if the black pepper was less intense, I might be able to taste more of the meat flavor or other seasonings, but then again, that's perhaps what the company's "Straight Up Beef Jerky" is for. This is a great jerky for people who love cracked black pepper, and want lots of it. And I typically like black peppered jerky, but this is rather beyond my limits.

A good beer pairing for this would be something more sweet and smooth, such as an Imperial Stout, like the Old Rasputin from North Coast Brewing, or the Speedway Stout from Alesmith.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

http://blueoxjerky.com/

Mama Mia's Beef Jerky - Turkey Jerky

2012-03-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

Mama Mia's is a brand of jerky based out of Corona, CA. The business was launched by Mia Styles who's father, an avid meat smoker, showed her how to make jerky.

I had reviewed Mama Mia's a year ago, which at that time, the company offered only one flavor of jerky. Since then, they've introduced this Turkey Jerky, along with a Sweet & Spicy.

When a family friend tasted some of her father's jerky, he wanted to know how he could get more. From there, it spurned Mia into turning her dad's jerky into a business, and thus was born Mama Mia's Beef Jerky.

Ingredients

Turkey, soy sauce, brown sugar, burgundy wine, molasses, liquid smoke, onion, garlic, black pepper, tapatio sauce, sodium nitrite.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a lot of sweetness. It's followed by a light saltiness, and a hints of seasonings.

The chewing flavor starts with much of the same, but with an increased saltiness. The seasonings and marinade gets a little stronger over time. A black pepper flavor comes in towards the end.

For being marketed as "Turkey Jerky", it has a light natural turkey meat flavor, but it seems overwhelmed by the heavier sweetness.

Otherwise, it's the sweetness that seems to define the flavor of this. I get a light saltiness mixed in, and some lightly noticeable black pepper. The other seasonings and marinades are not identifiable on their own, but they do add a little bit of savory.

For the most part, it's a mild tasting jerky, great for folks with sensitive palates, or snackers who love heavily sweetened meat confections.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced into slabs of medium thickness, and in medium sized pieces.

This is a semi-moist jerky with a semi-moist surface feel. The pieces are very flexible. Biting off chunks seems easy to do, while chewing seems easy overall.

The chewing texture starts out feeling tender, moist, with just a light bit of initial chewing resistance. It chews down pretty easily and quickly to a soft mass. At that point, it feels somewhat crumbly, which is on par with most turkey jerky, with a slight resemblance to turkey meat breast meat.

I don't see any bits or streaks of fat on these pieces, but I do find small streaks of gristle but they don't add to the chewiness. Otherwise, this jerky is very meaty.

In terms of clean eating, my fingers pick up a light amount of residue and a faint stickiness, but nothing requiring licking or cleaning.

Snack Value

Mama Mia's sells this Turkey Jerky from its website at a price of $6.00 for a 3oz package. If you bought 10 packages, shipping comes out to $5.00. That works out to a price of $2.17 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.17 per ounce price, it's a weak value. I'm getting a little bit of snackability for an overall acceptable flavor, and good meat consistency. Compared to major brands of jerky found in grocery stores, it seems to have a similar, or slightly less snackability, though a higher price.

As a turkey jerky, at the same $2.17 per ounce price, it's a fair value. I get very little natural turkey meat flavor, though a decent turkey jerky chewing texture.

Rating

I'm giving this an average rating.

This turkey jerky from Mama Mia's is largely a heavily sweetened jerky with a light saltiness and a hint of black pepper. The natural turkey meat flavors are very light, perhaps overshadowed by the heavier sweetness.

The flavor has some snackability, if you like sweet jerky, but as a turkey jerky, you'll get a touch of turkey flavor, and a decent resemblance of turkey jerky chewing.

Otherwise, it's a mild flavored jerky, good for general audiences, and perhaps kids will like it for its dominant sweetness.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

http://mamamiasbeefjerky.com/