Beef Jerky Reviews

Klemke's Sausage Haus is a local favorite among residents of Slaton, TX. Founded by Rod and Judy Klemke in 1993, much of their business lies in meat processing for hunters and farmers, but their jerky and sausage have grown in demand throughout West Texas.

Rod's grandfather came from Germany. As a child, he grew up in the meat business, learning how to skin and prepare meat. In 1987, he started Slaton Packing Company, and then in 1993 launched Klemke's Sausage Haus. In 2006, he bought a second packing plant in Wolfforth. The couple also run a Barbecue restaurant in Slaton.

Klemke's offers four varieties of beef jerky, their Original, a Teriyaki, a Jalapeno, and a Blazin' Hot (which we don't have for review). They also offer two varieties of turkey jerky which we'll review later, as well as a Pork Jerky.

Original

Ingredients: Beef, water, salt, flavorings, monosodium glutamate, sugar, sodium nitrite. Sprayed with potassium sorbate.

The first flavor to hit the tongue is a light saltiness. The chewing, however, brings on a good saltiness, a noticeable black pepper, and touches of sweet. There's a light natural meat flavor.

The flavors that seem to define this jerky is largely combination of salt and and a spicy black pepper. After that, the natural meat flavors make a noticeable showing, mostly towards the end of chewing. Then there's faint bits of other seasonings, perhaps garlic, and very faint touches of sweet. Overall, it's an old fashioned jerky flavor, offering up the classic flavor combination of salt and pepper with touches of seasonings.

The meat consistency is very lean, and it chews like real strips of steak. It's quite dry, and quite chewy, however. Otherwise, not stringiness and no unchewable tissues.

Rating:

Good

Jalapeno

Ingredients: Beef, water, salt, jalapeno pepper flakes, flavoring, monosodium glutamate, sugar, maple sugar, sodium nitrite. Sprayed with potassium sorbate.

The first flavor I pick up is a light jalapeno flavor, and touches of salt. The chewing brings on more jalapeno pepper definition, and a little bit more salt. There's perhaps a touch of sweet and I think faint bits of garlic. The natural meat flavors are identifiable towards the end.

What largely defines this jerky is a light but noticeable jalapeno pepper flavor and a moderate level of salt. This is far less salty than the Original, and no black pepper that I can taste. Despite being made with jalapeno peppers, it isn't hot. In fact, it's less spicy than the Original. Overall, I'd consider this mild.

The meat consistency is very lean, and it chews like real strips of steak. It's quite dry, and quite chewy, however. Otherwise, not stringiness and no unchewable tissues.

Rating:

Good

Teriyaki

Ingredients: Beef, water, sugar, worcestershire sauce solids, honey powder, salt, spices, vinegar, black pepper, natural smoke flavor, onion powder, celery, spice extractives, sodium nitrite. Sprayed with potassium sorbate

A light smokiness hits the tongue first, followed by faint touches of sweet and salty. The chewing brings in a bit more saltiness, along with light amounts of seasonings, perhaps most notably a garlic and onion.

Being labeled, "Teriyaki", this has no teriyaki flavor that I can identify. It's actually more of an old fashioned beef jerky taste, largely from a saltiness, with a touch of smoke flavor, and some lighter amounts of seasonings, like garlic & onion. I can faintly taste the worcestershire.

The meat consistency feels a bit more pliable compared to the Original and Jalapeno, but still overall dry and chewy. It's not quite the steak-like chewing of the Original and Jalapeno, and I feel some stringiness.

Rating:

Fair

Verdict: Overall, Klemke's Sausage Haus seems to have a better beef jerky with its Original and Jalapeno varieties. I think I gravitate towards the Jalapeno for its chile pepper flavor and light saltiness. They're still rather simple in flavor, and I would have liked to taste some smoke flavor. Otherwise, they offer excellent meat consistency and good chewing textures, creating overall excellent snacking. The Teriyaki, however, didn't taste like teriyaki at all. It was more of an old fashioned, American-style flavor, and a little less steak-like chewing. Even at that, I didn't find the Teriyaki all that interesting.

Buy this online:

http://klemkessausagehaus.com/

Grassroots Jerky is a new brand in the world of gourmet jerky, launched by brothers Ryan Turri and Eric Turri, based out of San Francisco, CA.

Both were working in the financial services industry, working for such big wigs as Credit Suisse, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, and Bank of America. Somewhere along the way, brother Ryan wanted a more "meaningful life" and decided that dehydrating slices of meat would show him the way. At first he tried buying out an existing jerky brand, but ended up launching his own brand instead.

Grassroots Jerky describes its journey as an "uncompromising evolution", from using ranchers practicing ethical, sustainable farming, to creating a jerky free of hormones, antibiotics, unnatural ingredients, soy and gluten. They also claim their beef is "vegetarian fed", as opposed to meat-fed beef.

Ingredients

Vegetarian fed beef, water, organic agave nectar, sea salt, granulated garlic, onion powder, spices, celery powder.

Review

The first flavors to hit the tongue is a saucy, seasoned flavor, almost comparable to worcestershire, but not quite as tangy. The chewing reveals a well-defined, aged natural meat flavor. There's a taste of garlic in this, along with a light degree of black pepper. Overall, it manages to create savory character without the soy sauce and MSG, and makes this jerky taste much like a seasoned steak.

Otherwise, the flavors that seems to define this jerky is largely a seasoned, grilled steak, marinated in a light salt brine. It has a lot of natural meat flavors, tasting similar to dry-aged beef. The use of onion and celery powder is noticeable in light amounts. There's a saucy quality to it, similar to au jus sauce, but lighter.

In terms of spiciness, it has a light level of heat, mostly from black pepper and celery, which is probably not noticeable to spicy food lovers, but certainly something that tame tongues might find intolerable. I'd rate is as mild-medium on my personal heat scale (level 2 out of 5).

The meat consistency is mostly lean with a few small streaks of fat. I didn't encounter any stringiness or unchewable tissues. For the most part, it's easy to eat, though some pieces were tough. It's largely a dry jerky, with a slight bit of moisture felt on the surface. It tends to chew dry, still somewhat steak-like, but dry like it was cooked well-done.

Verdict: Grassroots Jerky manages to create a good overall flavor, reminiscent of a light au jus sauce, seasoned with garlic, onion, and black pepper, but dishing out a fair amount of natural meat flavors too. It ends up having a flavor like seasoned, grilled steak cooked well done. It has a good meat consistency, and good chewing texture, though tends to feel dry.

Rating:

Good

Buy this online:

http://grassrootsjerky.com/

Two Brothers Jerky is a brand of jerky originally launched by two brothers who had been separated at birth, and raised by two different families. When they finally reunited in 2010, they did what most reunited brothers do, celebrate with jerky.

Based out of Columbia, SC, brothers Paul Brock and Eddie Wales, started Two Brothers Jerky in 2013 using Paul's secret recipes. Both brothers, coincidentally, attended the same state colleges, and each ran successful restaurants. The jerky is made by the brothers at Eddie's restaurant, Motor Supply Company Bistro in Columbia.

This Bull City Original is said to capture the vibrancy and smoky flavors associated with Paul's hometown of Durham, NC. They go on to claim it to be a perfect balance of beef, soy, garlic, lime and a touch of red pepper.

Ingredients

Beef, soy sauce, spices.

Review

A strong soy sauce flavor comes in right away, along with a rich smoky flavor. The chewing brings in more soy sauce definition, with touches of tangy lime. A wee bit of heat from the red pepper is noticeable. The garlic is also noticeable in touches.

For being described as "vibrant" and "smoky", it certainly is. The lime ingredient creates a nice tanginess that livens up the chewing, while the smokiness creates a nice flavor that draws you into another bite.

Overall, the flavors that define this jerky is largely the soy sauce and smokiness. It's a soy sauced jerky with a good smoky character. The tangy lime chewing, the bits of red pepper and garlic seasoning, are just there to add interest. It's actually bursting with flavor, and the aroma alone creates a lot of anticipation.

As far as that red pepper goes, there's only a subtle amount of heat. I'd rank it on my personal heat scale as mild-medium (level 2 out of 5). The saltiness can be intense, however, and it can make that red pepper feel hotter than it really is.

The meat consistency seems excellent. Mostly all meat with only small streaks of fat noticeable. I found no stringiness or unchewable tissues. It's quite soft actually, even though it's rather dry to the touch. It doesn't feel rubbery or gummy at all, it's more dry and woody, but soft and flexible. Overall, chewing varies from easy to moderate, and feels like pieces of real steak.

Verdict: This Bull City Original from Two Brothers Jerky created a lot of snackability for me, particularly with its large, bursting flavor, and rich smokiness. While it's largely a soy sauced jerky, it still manages to create some good interest with the red pepper, garlic, and lime tanginess. The meat consistency is a big winner, being easy to eat, chewing like real steak, and offering nothing but meat.

Rating:

Good

Buy this online:

http://twobrothersjerky.com/

Announcement welcomed as positive step for animal welfare

Lawless Jerky announced it has partnered with Harris-Robinette Beef, a multi-generational Pinetops, N.C. family farm that raises all of its cattle exclusively on pasture. The Humane Society of the United States welcomed the announcement as a positive step for animal welfare.

Unlike at Harris-Robinette, most cattle used for beef production spend much of their lives in feedlots and fed very high rations of corn, which is both detrimental to their welfare and more taxing on the planet. The HSUS welcomes Lawless Jerky’s decision and encourages other similar companies to switch from factory farm products to foods from farms and ranches that adhere to higher animal welfare standards.

Matt Tolnick, owner of Lawless Jerky, said: “Many mass-market jerky companies are moving to 'all-natural' with no clear definition or product standards. Unlike the commodity beef used in most jerky production, Harris-Robinette’s cows graze solely on grass. Cows are happier, healthier and their beef is more sustainable when we allow them to grow and mature as they’ve evolved to.”

In New Jersey, the debate over the treatment of farm animals is a high-profile public policy issue, with lawmakers considering A 2500, a bill to protect pigs from factory farming abuses. The bill has been passed through the state senate 32-1 and now awaits action in the state assembly.

The HSUS advocates compassionate eating – or the Three Rs: “reducing” or “replacing” consumption of animal products, and “refining” our diets by choosing products from sources that adhere to higher animal welfare standards. The HSUS supports those farmers and ranchers who give proper care to their animals, act in accordance with the basic ethic of compassion to sentient creatures under their control and practice and promote humane and environmentally sustainable agriculture.

Visit Lawless Jerky at: http://www.lawlessjerky.com

Klemke's Sausage Haus is a local favorite among residents of Slaton, TX. Founded by Rod and Judy Klemke in 1993, much of their business lies in meat processing for hunters and farmers, but their jerky and sausage have grown in demand throughout West Texas.

Rod's grandfather came from Germany. As a child, he grew up in the meat business, learning how to skin and prepare meat. In 1987, he started Slaton Packing Company, and then in 1993 launched Klemke's Sausage Haus. In 2006, he bought a second packing plant in Wolfforth. The couple also run a Barbecue restaurant in Slaton.

Klemke's offers two varieties of turkey jerky, their Original, and a Honey. They also have four varieties of beef jerky, as well as a pork jerky.

Original

Ingredients: Turkey, water, salt, flavorings, monosodium glutamate, sugar, sodium nitrite. Sprayed with potassium sorbate.

A very faint saltiness first hits the tongue, followed by touches of natural turkey meat flavor. The chewing brings in a little more saltiness, along with some black pepper. The natural turkey meat flavors has little more definition. I can also detect touches of garlic.

Compared to the company's Original beef jerky, this turkey jerky is much like the same, except it tastes like turkey. It's mostly a saltiness with black pepper that I taste, and the black pepper can be quite spicy. It's not mild by any means, and folks who can't tolerate spicy foods will find this overwhelming. I also pick up what tastes like bursts of garlic here and there.

The meat consistency looks to be very lean. This jerky is very dry, and quite chewy. Some of it is tough. Once it's chewed down, it feels crumbly, and not at all like turkey meat.

Rating:

Average

Honey

Ingredients: Turkey, water, honey, salt, flavorings, monosodium glutamate, sugar, maple sugar, sodium nitrite. Sprayed with potassium sorbate

Just a wee bit of saltiness is the only thing that hits the tongue when I put a piece into my mouth. But as soon the chewing commences, I get more salt, some black pepper, a faint bit of sweet, and some light natural turkey meat flavor.

Considering this jerky is labeled, "Honey Turkey Jerky", it doesn't really taste like honey. I don't really taste much sweetness at all, aside from a faint bit. I don't taste any of the maple sugar, either. It is, however, a touch more sweet than the company's Original turkey jerky, but not really enough to warrant the description, "Honey" in my opinion.

The meat consistency feels less dry than the Original turkey jerky, feeling just a bit more moist. Overall, it's still a dry jerky, however. The chewing feels more meaty, less crumbly, than the Original.

Rating:

Average

Verdict: These two turkey jerky varieties offered by Klemke's Sausage Haus seem to generate a satisfying amount of snackability through an old fashioned flavor that relies on salt and black pepper. The Original seems to throw in some garlic, whereas the Honey seems to throw in a touch more sweet. The Original felt rather dry, and had a crumbly chewing, not feeling any like chewing turkey. The Honey, on the other hand, had more of a turkey meat chewing, but didn't taste at all like honey, and was only lightly sweet at best. The two seemed to be snackable enough, but otherwise don't seem to go above and beyond.

Buy this online:

http://klemkessausagehaus.com/

Two Brothers Jerky is a brand of jerky originally launched by two brothers who had been separated at birth, and raised by two different families. When they finally reunited in 2010, they did what most reunited brothers do, celebrate with jerky.

Based out of Columbia, SC, brothers Paul Brock and Eddie Wales, started Two Brothers Jerky in 2013 using Paul's secret recipes. Both brothers, coincidentally, attended the same state colleges, and each ran successful restaurants. The jerky is made by the brothers at Eddie's restaurant, Motor Supply Company Bistro in Columbia.

This Famously Hot is said to give out the kick of a spicy summer in Columbia, SC. The company claims the first bite delivers a deep intensity of crushed red peppers, citrus and garlic with a slow building heat.

Ingredients

Beef, soy sauce, spices.

Review

A rich soy sauce flavor comes in right away mixed with a red chile flavor and a rich smokiness. The chewing brings in more soy sauce definition, with touches of tangy lime. The heat from the red chiles ramps up. The garlic is also noticeable in touches.

For being labeled as "Famously Hot", it seems to stand up well. I do get a fair amount of heat from the red chiles. It's not too terribly hot as far as spicy food lovers will say, but when combined with the flavors of red chiles, I think it does pretty well. On my personal heat scale, I'd rate this "medium" (level 3 out of 5).

Overall, the flavors that define this jerky is largely the soy sauce and smokiness. The red chile flavor comes in at a good level, but it's still sits behind the soy sauce and smokiness. The tangy lime chewing and the bit of garlic adds some extra color to the overall taste.

The natural meat flavors are not well noticed, largely due to the heavier soy sauce and smokiness.

The meat consistency seems excellent. Mostly all meat with only small streaks of fat noticeable. I found no stringiness or unchewable tissues. It's quite soft actually, even though it's rather dry to the touch. It doesn't feel rubbery or gummy at all, it's more dry and woody, but soft and flexible. Overall, chewing varies from easy to moderate, and feels like pieces of real steak.

Verdict: This Famously Hot from Two Brothers Jerky dishes out a fair amount of heat for just enough burn, but not too so much that it causes a slow-down of snacking. The increase of red chile pepper flavor over the company's Bull City Original generates more interest for me, adding another dimension to an already intense flavor. It was already a big flavor with its strong soy sauce and seasonings, but now with a lot more heat, and some red chile flavor, it's perfect for folks who need their tongues attacked. The meat consistency is a big winner, being easy to eat, chewing like real steak, and offering nothing but meat.

Rating:

Best

Buy this online:

http://twobrothersjerky.com/

Red Truck Beef Jerky is a brand of Red Truck Beef Jerky, LLC, based out of St. Petersburg, FL. According to the company, they've been doing business for over 15 years.

Red Truck says their jerky is made from 100% Grade A sliced shoulder beef from USA cattle, naturally seasoned with, "a touch of nature's honey and dried slowly". The company currently ships their jerky to Cracker Barrel, MAPCO Express, Lowes Foods, Schnucks Markets, Western Convenience Stores, and Green Top Sporting Goods. They also claim their jerky to be gluten-free.

The company offers three flavors, Original, Teriyaki, and Peppered. We only have the first two for review.

Ingredients

100% American raised grade A shoulder whole muscle beef, brown sugar, water, salt, apple juice, honey, lemon juice, spices, soy sauce, black pepper, liquid smoke, sodium nitrite

Review

The first flavors to come through is a heavy sweet with a saltiness mixed in. I also pick up a light black pepper and garlic too. The chewing brings in a light bit of the natural meat flavor, with a touch of honey flavor.

There's actually a light tanginess in the chewing from the apple and lemon juice. There's even a faint onion flavor, though it's not specifically included in the ingredients.

Overall, the flavors that define this jerky starts with the heavy sweetness and a moderate saltiness. But it's colored with a variety of seasonings, namely black pepper, garlic, onion, and honey. But it adds in a light tangy chewing from the apple and lemon juice. It's a very flavorful jerky, that makes me think of a multitude of colors. It's also mild, and perfect for folks with tender tongues.

The meat consistency looks to be mostly all meat. I see only small streaks of fat, but otherwise felt no gristle, stringiness, or unchewable tissues. It's quite tender and soft, and easy to chew. The chewing texture has a meaty resemblance, though not exactly like steak. It tends have a light rubber/plastic character from the heavy sweet. Overall, it's still a meatier chew than a Jack Links, but not quite like steak as with many finer gourmet varieties.

Verdict: This Original variety from Red Truck Beef Jerky has a well-balanced taste that packs in a wide assortment of flavors. It's quite flavorful, but not too intense. I'm actually very impressed with the flavor, and find it quite addicting. It has enough flavor complexity to entertain the jerky afficionado, while satisfying the general bulk of meat snackers out there. I found the chewing texture lacking, though still better than most major brands. But I like the flavor enough to overlook that one area.

Rating:

Best

Buy this online:

http://redtruckbeefjerky.com/

Pure Provisions is a brand of jerky that launched in 2013. It was founded by three college buddies, Matthew Gosselin, John Padlo, and Greg Stahl, who call Portola Valley, CA their company headquarters.

The company was conceived when the three guys did a road trip from San Francisco to Boston, hopping from one national park after another and spending their nights in tents. They became accustomed to jerky for its long shelf life, easy packing, and high protein. So, they agreed to start a company focused on jerky for active outdoorsmen.

This Orange Ginger Turkey Jerky is their debut flavor. They describe as "Subtly flavored with the tang of orange and ginger", and as "a new twist on an old classic".

Ingredients

Turkey breast, gluten free soy sauce, brown cane sugar, water, orange juice, granulated garlic, ginger

Review

The first flavor I taste is a moderate sweetness and a light saltiness. The chewing brings on hints of ginger and a touch of soy sauce. There's a fair amount of natural turkey meat flavor in the chewing, with more towards the end.

For being labeled "Orange Ginger", it doesn't hold up well. I get a touch of the ginger, but none of the orange. If anything, there's a faint tanginess, but it doesn't register with any orange, citrus flavor.

Instead, the flavors that define this jerky is largely a moderate sweetness and light soy sauce flavor. A touch of ginger lingers in the background, while the fair amount of natural turkey meat flavor is noticeable. It's very mild flavored, suitable for all taste tolerances.

The meat consistency looks to be pure meat, with no tendon, fat, or unchewable tissues felt. It's quite flexible with a rubbery, plastic-like feel. It's soft, tender, and easy to eat. The chewing texture feels mushy and slightly gummy, not at all like eating real turkey breast meat.

Verdict: This Orange Ginger Turkey Jerky from Pure Provisions doesn't really have any orange flavor, though offers a touch of ginger in the background. Otherwise, it's a simple, but clean tasting jerky with largely a sweetened soy sauce flavor, with the taste of turkey breast meat. For those reasons, it doesn't really rise above the other turkey jerky brands I've reviewed. It has that mushy, gummy chewing character like most sweetened, easy-to-chew jerky brands have, but it has all meat and no fat.

Considering Pure Provisions wants to be a snack for active outdoors-people, it's target market is probably not going to be concerned about awesome flavor, and more about high protein, all natural ingredients, and light packing. It does pretty well there.

Rating:

Average

Buy this online:

http://pureprovisions.com/

Mantell's Cowboy Caviar is a line of beef jerky produced by Mantell's Cowboy Creations of Bowie, TX. Mantell is better known as "Cowboy Johnny Mantell", or, "The Pride of Montague County", of professional wrestling fame, and currently runs wrestling training and seminars at his "Mantell's Corral".

The Mantell's Cowboy Creations brand produces all natural and farm fresh foods from Mantell's own ranch, including farm fresh eggs, fresh produce, and special order dog treats. He currently sells his products at Bowie's Farmers Market, wrestling shows, as well as through his website.

Mantell's Cowboy Caviar is a thin sliced, dry jerky made from 100% beef rump roast. According to Mantell, he originally made this jerky thin so that his dad could eat it with false teeth.

Ingredients

Beef (bottom roasts, roast tips), marinade (soy, worcestershire, brown sugar, garlic, Tabasco, liquid smoke), seasonings (salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, paprika, celery salt, parsley)

Review

The first flavor I pick up is the soy sauce and smokiness. The seasonings come in soon after, mainly a garlic with pepper and cayenne. The chewing brings on more of the soy sauce, but there's a light worcestershire noticeable too. The seasonings become more intense and more complex.

The saltiness intensifies through the chewing, becoming quite strong. It tends to overshadow the other seasonings and marinades. The natural meat flavors are barely noticeable through the other ingredients, but they offer up the flavor of deli-sliced roast beef.

As far as spiciness goes, there's a lot of seasoning intensity, but mostly as salt and soy sauce. But as far as heat is concerned, it's mild.

Overall, the flavors that define this jerky is largely a strong saltiness with a soy sauce flavor, and a noticeable smokiness. There's just touches of garlic, pepper, cayenne, and celery salt that help variate the seasoning.

The meat consistency is thin slices of dry meat. It has a light crunchiness to it, but is still overall chewy, not crumbly, and easy to eat. Once chewed down soft, it feels like real pieces of steak cooked well-done. The meat is well marbleized, and there's some light stringiness, but otherwise free of gristle or other unchewable tissues.

Verdict: Mantell's Cowboy Caviar generates a good deal of snackability for its ease of eating, that slight crunchiness, and steak-like chewing texture. The flavor is quite intense, mostly as salt and soy sauce, with a moderate smokiness, and you'll want something to drink to relieve the scorch. I personally find it too salty for my liking, but I really enjoy the meat consistency and chewing. It actually has a great flavor below that salt, mixes of garlic, celery, cayenne, smoke and worcestesrhire, but I'm having trouble enjoying it because my tongue is picking up too much of the salt.

Rating:

Good

Buy this online:

http://www.mantellscowboycreations.com/

Two Brothers Jerky is a brand of jerky originally launched by two brothers who had been separated at birth, and raised by two different families. When they finally reunited in 2010, they did what most reunited brothers do, celebrate with jerky.

Based out of Columbia, SC, brothers Paul Brock and Eddie Wales, started Two Brothers Jerky in 2013 using Paul's secret recipes. Both brothers, coincidentally, attended the same state colleges, and each ran successful restaurants. The jerky is made by the brothers at Eddie's restaurant, Motor Supply Company Bistro in Columbia.

This Sweet Ninja Teriyaki is said to be a "sweet flavor that hails from faraway shores". The company claims, "fresh ginger is the star ingredient along with brown sugar and soy in this sweet and tangy jerky which will have the whole family clamoring for more."

Ingredients

Beef, soy sauce, fresh ginger, spices.

Review

The first flavors to hit the palate is a light sweetness, with a noticeable ginger coming in later. The chewing brings on a lighter level of soy sauce than with the company's Bull City Original and Famously Hot.

For being labeled, "Sweet Ninja Teriyaki", it has something of a teriyaki flavor, but not quite the Japanese-style teriyaki that I've come to know as a Japanese-American. I can't really pick up the fermented character that usually comes with either sake or mirin wine. I do, however, get a tangy chewing, probably from the lime. But this jerky does have the "sweet" part, though not the heavy sweet that's often associated with most teriyaki.

This jerky is much more mild in terms of spiciness, and it tastes a lot less salty.

The natural meat flavors are not well noticed, largely due to the heavier soy sauce and smokiness.

The meat consistency seems excellent. Mostly all meat with only small streaks of fat noticeable. I found no stringiness or unchewable tissues. It's quite soft actually, even though it's rather dry to the touch. It doesn't feel rubbery or gummy at all, it's more dry and woody, but soft and flexible. Overall, chewing varies from easy to moderate, and feels like pieces of real steak.

Verdict: This Sweet Ninja Teriyaki beef jerky from Two Brothers Jerky has a different take on teriyaki compared to traditional Japanese-style teriyaki. It's not quite as sweet, and instead of the fermented character from sake or mirin wine, it generates a tanginess from lime. It still seems to work, but I keep wanting to taste the sake/mirin wine instead. Just as with the company's other varities, the meat consistency is a big winner, being easy to eat, chewing like real steak, and offering nothing but meat.

Rating:

Good

Buy this online:

http://twobrothersjerky.com/

Bayou Blend Meat Snacks is a brand of beef jerky based out of Napoleonville, LA. The company was started by Milton Hock in January 2013.

Hock had been making jerky for some 20 years before launching Bayou Blend. He started the business after seeing an opportunity to offer meat snacks with more unique cajun-style flavor than competing brands.

This Luziana Bonfire is claimed to be similar to the Melange Original we reviewed last month, but adding a touch of "bite" to the back end.

Ingredients

Beef, water, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, flavorings, crab boil, red pepper, liquid smoke, onion powder, crab boil liquid, hot sauce.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a salty seasoning flavor comprising of a multitude of spices.

The chewing brings in the same but in more definition, very rich in spice blend, think of oregano, thyme, garlic, onion, basil, et al. There's also that faint bit of citrus I found in the Melange Original. I can also pick up a moderate level of heat.

For being marketed as "Luziana Bonfire", specifically something spicy, it seems to hold up. It definitely has a spicy kick both in terms of heat as well as spice variety. It's quite complex in spicy flavors but it also warms up the blood a little, indicative of chile peppers.

But it doesn't really come across as being too hot. In fact, it seems to have a similar heat level as the Melange Original, perhaps at a "Medium" level (level 3 out of 5) on my personal heat scale. Where this Luziana Bonfire variety differs from the Melange Original, it's that it has more of the hot sauce flavor.

Otherwise, that flavors that seem to define this jerky starts primarily with the complex seasoning blend. It packs a punch of spice flavors along with the red pepper and heat that it could only be described as "cajun". The saucy blend of worcestershire, soy sauce, and teriyaki presents itself as a nice saucy base. There's also that subtle bit of citrus, a little bit of a tangy chew, and light touches of sweet to round out the flavors.

The ingredients coalesce very well to create an addicting flavor that livens up the senses, gets the heart pumping, makes you reach for more.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced thin, and in small bite sized pieces, as well as a good deal of small bits.

This is a dry jerky with a lightly oily surface feel. They have a pliable, soft plastic-like flexibility. Chewing seems to be chewy, but not tough, still somewhat easy.

The chewing texture starts out feeling like soft, pliable plastic with a fair amount of chewing resistance. A few chews into it, and it just starts to break down, and takes on a more meaty resemblance. Once it chews down to a soft mass, it feel much more like a piece of steak cooked well-done.

I don't find any bits or streaks of fat on this jerky, not did I find any gristle or tendon. Because these pieces are cut into small and very small pieces, I don't really pick up any stringiness and found no unchewable wads of tissue.

In terms of clean eating, it's mostly clean with a light bit sticky-oily residue on my fingertips, not enough to require a licking and wiping before touching the keyboard.

Snack Value

Bayou Blend sells this File Gumbo beef jerky from its website at a price of $3.99 per 1.75oz package. If you buy 10 packages, the total comes to $43.49, with sales tax added. That works out to $2.49 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.49 per ounce price, it's a good value. I'm getting a lot of really good flavor, with a characteristic bayou/cajun seasoning, good meat consistency and chewing. Compared to other jerky brands found in stores, it's priced a higher, but well worth the cost.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

This Luziana Bonfire beef jerky from Bayou Blend has a very bold, complex seasoning flavor much like with the company's Melange Original. But it goes on to add even more of the hot sauce and red pepper flavor, making this more tangy, but also giving you more of an endorphin rush from the chile pepper.

It's like a jerky that knocks out the classic cajun experience you tend to expect when you buy something labeled, "Bayou".

The meat consistency seemed great despite having a bunch of tiny bits that make it cumbersome gathering up enough to produce a decent amount of chew. It's not tough to chew, but moderately easy and feels like real steak once its chewed down soft.

I still wasn't able to get much of the natural meat flavors in this, but I felt the extra hot sauce and red pepper in this was enough to wake up the senses and get the heart pumping, for an exciting, enjoying snack.

Rating:

Best

Visit Bayou Blend online:

http://bayousnacks.com/

Ingredients

100% American raised grade A shoulder whole muscle beef, brown sugar, teriyaki sauce, honey, vinegar, water, pineapple juice, salt, garlic, onion, black pepper, smoke flavoring, cure, sodium erythorbate

Review

The first flavors I pick up is the teriyaki sauce, with its very signature thick sweet, fermented character and ginger spice. A bit of the honey is detectable too. The chewing brings on a more defined teriyaki flavor, with a little of the garlic & onion, and bits of black pepper.

Like with the Original variety, there's also a bit of tanginess in the chew, this one perhaps from the vinegar and pineapple. The natural meat flavors are not quite noticeable in this, probably due to the heavier marinade and seasonings. It's also quite mild, suitable for most tolerances.

For being labeled, "Teriyaki", it does a pretty good job of representing. I get a flavor that's very uniquely teriyaki in the Japanese sense. It has a thick sweetness with a soy sauce flavor, but with the fermented character and the ginger spice.

Otherwise, the flavors that define this jerky largely starts with that Japanese-style teriyaki flavor, but seasoned with splashes of garlic, onion, black pepper, and the light tangy chewing.

The meat consistency reveals a little more streaks of fat than compared to the company's Original variety. I still didn't encounter any stringiness or unchewable tissues, hwoever. The chewing texture is much the same, a meaty resemblance, though not exactly like steak. It tends have a light rubber/plastic character from the heavy sweet. Overall, it's still a meatier chew than a Jack Links, but not quite like steak as with many finer gourmet varieties.

Verdict: This Teriyaki variety from Red Truck Beef Jerky does a good job of dishing out a Japanese-style teriyaki flavor and putting it front and center. But it goes on to give you some extra seasonings of garlic, onion, and black pepper, along with a nice tangy chew. I found it very flavorful, very snackable, and hard to resist. Like with the Original variety, I found the chewing texture lacking a little, slightly rubbery/plastic-like, though still better than most major brands. But I like the flavor enough to overlook that one area.

Rating:

Best

Buy this online:

http://redtruckbeefjerky.com/

One the newest jerky brands on the market is Chef Craig's Beef Jerky. A product of CJM Products, it's based out of West Kingston, RI.

It's the idea of Craig Mitchell, who a few years ago, had sent me samples of his own homemade jerky, with the intent of launching a business someday. Mitchell received his Culinary Arts degree from Johnson & Wales University, and has been cooking professionally since 1978.

As of this review, the only flavor Chef Craig's offers is this Original.

Ingredients

Beef, brown sugar, soy sauce, hot sauce, liquid smoke, browning sauce, worcestershire sauce, black pepper, steak seasoning, red pepper, lemon pepper, garlic, onion, chili powder, chipotle chile pepper.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a saucy sweetness with some smokiness mixed in. It's almost like a sweet & smoky combination of worcestershire, soy sauce, and au jus (think French Dip). A light burn begins building.

The chewing flavor brings in a natural meat flavor, but with some citrus-like tanginess. The burn continues to build up.

For being the company's Original flavor, it's anything but plain. In fact, it's very flavorful, with a well-seasoned marinade that tastes much different than many other brands. The tanginess in the chewing livens up the snacking, while the natural meat flavor satisfies the carnivore in me.

It also has a moderate level of heat in this, something I'd rate on my personal heat scale as "medium" (level 3 out of 5). But I don't really taste much of the chile pepper flavor, perhaps just a faint bit reaching through the heavier saucey-seasoned marinade.

The flavor of this jerky seems to build up higher as the chewing goes on. When I put a piece into my mouth, the flavor starts out low and gradually increases with each chew. You could suck on a piece without chewing, and almost get the same effect. There's enough flavor in these meat slices that you can get a lot of it without chewing.

The level of saltiness in this feels moderate, maybe a touch above.

Overall, what you're going to get is a well-seasoned marinade with a very saucy flavor, much like a trio of worcestershire, soy sauce, and french dip au jus, along with a noticeable natural meat flavor, a nice tanginess in the chewing, and moderate amount of heat.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced into bite-sized pieces of medium thickness. There's a fair amount of smaller sized bits too.

This is a dry jerky with a slightly sticky surface feel. These pieces have a good deal of flexibility, and seem slightly rubbery.

The chewing texture starts out with that slight rubbery feel, and offers a light bit of chewing resistance. A few chews into it and it starts to soften. It begins to take on a very meaty resemblance, and by the time its chewed down to a soft mass, it feels very much like a piece of steak cooked medium-well.

I don't see much fat on these pieces and found no gristle or tendon. I don't encounter any stringiness, but felt a few pieces of unchewable tissues. It's mostly all meaty.

In terms of clean eating, it's mostly clean. My fingertips do collect a light bit of stickiness, but not enough to require a licking or wiping before touching my keyboard.

Snack Value

Chef Craig's Beef Jerky sells this Original variety from its website at a price of $28.00 for package of 10 (each package is 1.75oz). Shipping is $5.95. That works out to a price of $1.94 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $1.94 per ounce price, it's a good value. I'm getting a great overall flavor, with a good meat consistency and good chewing texture. Compared to major brands of jerky sold in stores, it's priced about the same, but provides much better flavor and a little better chewing.

Rating

This Original beef jerky from Chef's Craig's tastes far from ordinary, packing in a lot of good flavors. It has a very tasty marinade, more like a combination of worcestershire, soy sauce, and french dip au jus, but with a good deal of sweet and smokiness mixed in.

But then it adds a nice natural meat flavor with a citrus tanginess. Throw in a touch of chile pepper flavor and a moderate level of heat, and it creates a very impressive flavor profile, and not overly salty

The meat consistency is overall good. It starts out with a light rubbery feel, but manages to chew down to a steak-like texture. It's very meaty with little to no stringiness or unchewable tissues. Collecting together the tiny bits of meat can provide something of a hindrance, but overall not that bad.

For me, it was the impressive flavor that opened my eyes and made me think, "Wow, this is great!"

My recommended beer pairing for this, go with a porter, such as the Sierra Nevada Porter, or the Stone Smoked Porter.

Rating:

Best

Buy this online:

http://www.chefcraigsbeefjerky.com/

KO Jerky is a new brand of jerky based out of Madera, CA. Describing itself as the "Best BJ Ever!", it's the product of Randall and Michelle Kelch.

The startup business prides itself on making 100% homemade beef jerky right from the Kelch's home. They use no preservatives, no additives. Vacuumed sealed within minutes of being dehydrated, KO Jerky claims to offer the freshest jerky anyone will ever eat.

Currently, they offer two flavors, this Original and Peppered.

Original

Ingredients: Beef, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, black pepper, various spices.

The first flavor that hits the tongue is a light mixture of soy sauce and worcestershire. The chewing flavor brings on a bit of the same flavors, but the natural meat flavors too. There's also noticeable levels of seasonings coming through, mostly a garlic and something like thyme, perhaps oregano, but also some cayenne.

Overall, the flavors that define this jerky is largely the mixture of soy sauce and worcestershire, in a lighter volume, the natural meat flavors, and then the swashes of seasonings, mostly garlic, cayenne, and a couple other mysterious ingredients. Together they combine to create an overall flavorful jerky, with a decent level of flavor complexity, but doesn't overwhelm the palate. It allows a fair amount of the natural meat flavors to come through.

The level of saltiness feels light. It's a mild jerky in terms of heat or spiciness.

The meat consistency looks to be very lean with no visible signs of fat. I didn't encounter any stringiness or unchewable tissues. It's a dry jerky with a dry surface touch, and feels somewhat stiff despite being sliced thin. Overall, it's rather chewy, while a few of the pieces felt tough. The chewing feels mostly like pieces of steak, cooked well done.

Peppered

Ingredients: Beef, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, black pepper, various spices.

It's a light mixture of soy sauce and worcestershire I taste right away. I can pick up little bit of the black pepper. The chewing brings on a more rich sauciness, but also more of the black pepper. I can also pick up a light amounts of the garlic. I don't get that bit of cayenne that I tasted in the Original.

Overall, the flavors that define this jerky is the saucy combination of soy sauce and worcestershire, in light amounts, with a good deal of black pepper. The garlic lingers in the background while a light natural meat flavor carries on. Together, it creates a jerky with a little more flavor intensity than the Original, perhaps because of the stronger black pepper, while still allowing a noticeable natural meat flavor to show through.

The level of saltiness feels a touch higher than the Original. There's enough black pepper in this that it creates a low level of heat (level 2 out of 5) on my personal heat scale.

The meat consistency is also very lean with no visible signs of fat, and no stringiness or unchewable tissues. It feels very meaty, and chews like real pieces of steak. It's a dry jerky with dry surface touch, and is rather chewy. Some pieces are actually tough.

Verdict

KO Jerky makes for a very snackable jerky thanks to its careful balance of marinade and seasonings, dishing out enough flavor without overwhelming you. The meat consistency is overall good, but tends to be tough. Most pieces are tolerable, but at times it gets tiring. The best pieces offering a little bit of crunchiness, but give way easily and chew down soft. The worst pieces are hard, chewy, and tire out the jaw muscles.

Between the Original and Peppered, I like the Original better for it's balance between marinade, seasonings, and natural meat flavors. The Peppered has good black pepper flavor, but tends to overshadow the other ingredients.

Rating:

Good

Buy this online:

http://kojerky.net/

Two Brothers Jerky is a brand of jerky originally launched by two brothers who had been separated at birth, and raised by two different families. When they finally reunited in 2010, they did what most reunited brothers do, celebrate with jerky.

Based out of Columbia, SC, brothers Paul Brock and Eddie Wales, started Two Brothers Jerky in 2013 using Paul's secret recipes. Both brothers, coincidentally, attended the same state colleges, and each ran successful restaurants. The jerky is made by the brothers at Eddie's restaurant, Motor Supply Company Bistro in Columbia.

This Cackalacky is made using the famous sauce of the same name. It's a special edition jerky, not part of the company's main varities. Cackalacky is a brand of sweet & spicy sauce made from sweet potatoes, and has become popular in the Carolinas.

Ingredients

Beef, soy sauce, spices.

Review

Not ever having had Cackalacky sauce, it's hard to say how much of this jerky tastes like Cackalacky. But suffice it to say, this has a different flavor than the other jerky varieties offered by Two Brothers. If you were to start out with their Bull City Original, but throw in some vinegar, some onions, and maybe some oregano or thyme, you might get a clearer picture.

Another way to look at it is their Bull City Original, with its strong soy sauce profile, but with some Carolina-style BBQ sauce added into the marinade.

For the most part, the flavors that define this jerky is largely the soy sauce and vinegar. When you combine that vinegar with the seasonings and spices it almost resembles a Cajun or Creole style flavor. I think the Carolina-style BBQ sauce is a better description, considering the vinegar.

I don't really find anything spicy in this in terms of heat, it's quite mild. But the strength of the soy sauce, vinegar, and seasonings, will still require a palate of some greater tolerance. It's not hot, but definitely is bold.

The meat consistency seems excellent. Mostly all meat with only small streaks of fat noticeable. I found no stringiness or unchewable tissues. It's quite soft actually, even though it's rather dry to the touch. It doesn't feel rubbery or gummy at all, it's more dry and woody, but soft and flexible. Overall, chewing varies from easy to moderate, and feels like pieces of real steak.

Verdict: This Cackalacky beef jerky from Two Brothers Jerky makes for an intellectual chew, being that it made me think and analyze what I was tasting, and then try to associate it into words that others could understand. But the stronger vinegar in this pushed the already-strong flavor to an even stronger intensity that wore me out. It's still good meat consistency, however. It's easy to eat, chewing like real steak, and offering nothing but meat.

Rating:

Good

Buy this online:

http://twobrothersjerky.com/

Sriracha Style Black Pepper is the newest bacon jerky creation from the folks at Jeff's Famous Jerky. Read our previous reviews of Jeff's Famous Jerky.

Jeff's Famous Jerky officially opened for business in 2010 and is owned and operated by Jeff's Famous Foods, Inc., led by founder Jeff Richards and CFO Mike Aggarwal, out of Mission Viejo, CA. The company offers eleven flavors of jerky and four flavors of bacon jerky, along with one chicken jerky variety.

This Sriracha Style Black Pepper is described on the packaging as "Honey glazed sweet heat decadence" and is the first jerky from Jeff's Famous to include the popular asian-style hot sauce.

Ingredients

Bacon, brown sugar, soy sauce, Sriracha Sauce, honey, chili sauce, black pepper.

Review

The first flavors to hit the palate is a strong sweet along with the natural flavors of bacon. A light bit of the Sriracha starts coming in along with a faint spicy tingle. The chewing brings on more of the bacon flavor goodness while the black pepper starts to make itself known.

For being named "Sriracha Style Black Pepper", it seems to fit the billing pretty well. I get a light Sriracha flavor, just enough to influence the overall taste and add its touch of chiles, garlic, and heat. Meanwhile, the black pepper is much more pronounced and seems to generate the most flavor of all the ingredients.

Otherwise, the flavors that define this jerky starts with the heavy sweetness and the natural flavor of smoked bacon, but eventually gives way to the sharp, pungent spice of black pepper. The Sriracha is more like a light swash, adding a little bit of Asian influence over an already heavy, classic American flavor.

As far as heat is concerned, I'd rate this as "medium" on my personal heat scale (level 3 out of 5). The black pepper is actually more intense than the Sriracha.

Together, the ingredients combine really well to give off the sense of eating candied bacon boosted with spices and heat. It's like dousing your bacon with maple syrup and then loading it up with black pepper and garlic-hot sauce. I actually think this would be great chopping up and mixing into salads.

The meat consistency feels like bacon cooked well, to the point of being crispy without being burnt. The heavy sweetness softens the crisp, adds a little chewiness, but still chews like crisp bacon. Otherwise, it's like eating real bacon, with the same thickness, same length, and same meat-to-fat ratio.

Verdict: This Sriracha Style Black Pepper Bacon Jerky from Jeff's Famous Jerky is like buying a package of pre-cooked bacon, with the same great taste, but loaded up with sweet, black pepper, and swashes of Sriracha Sauce. It's brimming with flavor, and I found it quite addicting, though I'm already big fan of Sriracha-anything. It's so good, you wouldn't want to nom it down, but take small bites and savor it with a favorite beer or wine.

Rating:

Best

Buy this online:

http://www.jeffsfamousjerky.com/

Next in the series on Lawless Jerky is this Aloha 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. But today, Lawless Jerky has grown into a thriving business and Tolnick has moved full steam ahead with it, producing his jerky in a USDA inspected facility.

This Aloha 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 "Aloha 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 Aloha 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 "Aloha 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 Aloha 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/

Astig Beef Jerky is a brand founded in August 2012 by Michael J Robin based out of Thousand Oaks, CA. We had review two of their flavors over a year ago, and recently they sent in this third flavor.

Making the claim that it's the first beef jerky company made with traditional Filipino recipes sold in the United States, Astig Beef Jerky is made with USDA approved grain fed beef. The name "Astig" is a Tagalog word meaning "cool", "badass" or "kickass".

This Tocino variety is actually the mild version of its Spicy Tocino that I reviewed earlier. It's described the company as "Traditional Philippine Tocino, with a light touch of spice", taking the traditional tocino style cooking, and moving it into beef jerky form.

Ingredients

Beef, brown sugar, pineapple juice, hot & spicy banana sauce, lemon lime soda, soy sauce, garlic, pepper.

Review

The first thing I taste is a strong sweetness with blend of pineapple juice and the banana sauce. The chewing brings on more of the same flavors, perhaps in greater definition. Faint bits of soy sauce and garlic is noticeable.

Not being familiar with tocino or Filipino cuisine, it's hard to evaluate how much like actual tocino-style cooking this resembles. However, this does have a very unique taste that resembles much of the South Pacific style flavors that I've experienced before. It's has that strong fruit influence, more of the tropical variety, and that strong sweetness.

In comparison to the company's "Spicy Tocino" variety I reviewed before, this is certainly mild, offering no spice that I can discern.

Otherwise, the flavors that seem to define this jerky is largely a strong sweetness with a combination of pineapple juice and banana sauce. It's a tropical style fruit influence that seems to take this jerky over, but throws in a light touch of soy sauce and a touch of salt. There's a touch of tanginess in the chewing.

The natural meat flavors are difficult to pick up, creating a light taste.

The meat consistency feels overall tender and moist, but chews a little more dry. It starts off with some chewing resistance, somewhat chewy, but eventually works down to a soft, meaty texture. It's not steak-like however. It's generally easy to chew. I do see bits of fat here and there, and I did encounter some stringiness in the chewing. It's still rather tolerable, however.

Verdict: This Tocino style beef jerky from Astig Jerky offers up a very unique flavor you won't get from any other jerky brand in the United States. It's a mild flavor suitable for all spice tolerances, doling out a tropical fruit blend of pineapple and banana, with a good deal of sweetness, but mixes in a light dose of soy sauce and salt. Unlike its Spicy Tocino brethren, which I didn't find spicy at all, this actually lives up to its billing, and thus I felt is more worthy of a higher rating.

Rating:

Good

Buy this online:

http://www.astigjerky.com/

Pap's Beef Jerky, who is one of our sponsors, introduced a revised line of jerky, with a new line of recipes. See our previous reviews of their jerky.

Four new varieties now anchor their beef jerky lineup, Mild, Hot, Blazin Cajun, and Pitmasters BBQ. Pitmasters BBQ is the only variety carrying over from the previous lineup. The words "Thin Cut" now grace Pap's beef jerky packaging, which is considerably more thin than their previous cut.

Pap's Beef Jerky originally grew from Pap's Genuine Beef Sticks. Pap's is a creation of Rick Waldon, based out of Junction City, KY. Pap's Beef Jerky is made using USDA inspected beef in a USDA inspected facility.

Ingredients

Beef, soy sauce, water, teriyaki sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder, worcestershire sauce, smoke flavor added.

Review

The first flavor to hit the palate is a strong blend of seasonings, notably a garlic & onion, but also cayenne and touches of vinegar. The soy sauce is not front and center as it is in the company's Mild and Hot varieties, but it's still there in the background.

Going into the chewing, I can pick up touches of natural meat flavor, with a good deal of saltiness and touches of sweet. I can also detect a little oregano.

For being marketed as "Blazin Cajun", it seems to hold up well. I get a strong and complex seasoning blend that combines some cayenne, and even a bit of the vinegary hot sauce, much like what I get from other foods marked as "cajun" or "bayou". It's not really that hot, as suggested by the name "Blazin", it's more bold than anything. But I would rate this as mild-medium on my personal heat scale (level 2 out of 5).

Otherwise, the flavor that seems to define this jerky is that seasoning blend, largely anchored by a salty, garlic & onion flavor, with cayenne and touches of hot sauce and oregano. There's bits of sweet in this, along with shades of soy sauce, and a light natural meat flavor.

The meat consistency is very meaty. I find very few stinginess, very little fat, or other unchewable tissies. It's chewy, but still manages to be easy to eat. Once chewed down, it feels just eating a piece of steak, like something cooked well.

Verdict: This Blazin Cajun variety from Pap's Beef Jerky does a great job representing the flavors of the Bayou. It's not overly hot, though still generates a light heat. It bursts with flavor as soon as you piece into your mouth, and keeps you wanting to shovel more in. It ends up reminding me of a well-seasoned, well-marinated steak cooked on the grill. The thin cut, Kentucky style beef jerky creates some added snackability for its ease of eating, along with the smaller, bite-sized pieces.

Rating:

Best

Buy this online:

http://papsbeefsticks.com/

Savage Jerky Co. is a new brand of jerky produced by Brad and Michelle Summey out of Washington DC. We previously reviewed their jerky under the name "Brave Jerky" while they were still in fundraising mode.

We're re-reviewing the jerky based on the new name and packaging, and since their jerky is now shipping, we can assign ratings.

Savage Jerky is based on a unique Cuban marinade recipe that mixes together garlic, lime, and cilantro. Currently, they are shipping four varieties, Mojo, Mojo Jalerrano, Mojo Habanero, and Ghost Pepper Buffalo.

Mojo

Ingredients: Beef, lime juice, water, orange juice, lemon juice, molasses, sea salt, brown sugar, garlic, onion, black pepper, powdered garlic, cilantro, coriander, oregano.

There's an immediate hit of oregano with a tangy lemon, lime, and coriander that soon follows. The chewing brings on a light sweet, along with a light black pepper, and touches of garlic.

The flavors that seem to define this jerky starts with the oregano, but the lemon, lime, and coriander takes over and creates the dominant taste profile. A flavor resembling vinegar is noticeable, along with the black pepper. It's a bit spicy in terms of heat, I think due to the black pepper. I'd rate this mild-medium (level 2 out of 5) on my personal heat scale.

It's a very intense flavored jerky where the seasonings really define the taste. Imagine a lot of lemon and lime citrus, along with the pungent coriander and oregano, with a bit of sweet and a lot of tang. Unlike most other brands of jerky that rely on savory base of soy sauce and/or worcestershire, this jerky uses the seasonings and citrus as its base. It reminds me eating carne asada but with more citrus intensity.

The meat consistency seems good, mostly all meat, though I do encounter a fair amount of stringiness, some of which mats down into unchewable wads. But otherwise, it's quite tender and soft, and has a very meaty chewing texture, somewhat steak-like.

Rating:

Best

Mojo Jalerrano

Ingredients: Beef, lime juice, water, orange juice, lemon juice, molasses, sea salt, brown sugar, garlic, onion, black pepper, powdered garlic, cilantro, coriander, oregano, cayenne pepper, jalapeno pepper, paprika, chipotle morita powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, tumeric

The first flavors to come is a light sweet, followed by blends of chile peppers, a touch of cumin, and the citrusy lime. The heat starts to build up quick. The chewing brings on more of the chile pepper, particularly the jalapeno and cayenne. There's some lighter oregano and coriander going on.

The flavors that define this jerky is largely the chile pepper flavors with the lemon and lime citrus behind it. Behind that is the sweet, oregano, and coriander. The ingredients combine really well in this jerky, giving off a lot of the natural chile pepper flavors and heat, but supplementing them with tasty flavors of citrus, spice, and sweet.

It's quite a bit more hot. On my personal heat scale, I'd rate this as medium-hot (level 4 out of 5).

Like with the Mojo, the meat consistency is mostly good with some stringiness. I found these piece a little more chewy than the Mojo, a little more gummy, but still having a meaty-texture.

Rating:

Best

Mojo Habanero

Ingredients: Beef, lime juice, water, orange juice, lemon juice, molasses, sea salt, brown sugar, garlic, onion, black pepper, powdered garlic, cilantro, coriander, oregano, cayenne pepper, habanero pepper, paprika, chipotle morita powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, tumeric.

The flavor of habanero chiles comes on right away in this, followed by a light sweet, and touches of oregano and coriander. The habanero heat ramps up quickly. I can also pick up the lemon and lime citrus. There's a bit of black pepper noticeable too, along with hints of cumin.

The taste profile is largely defined by the natural hababero chile flavor, with the lighter lemon, lime citrus and sweet. The oregano, coriander and black pepper are noticeable in smaller amounts. This Mojo Habanero is much like the Mojo Jalerrano, but with the more distinguishable habanero chile flavor. It's also more hot, registering on my personal heat scale as "hot" (level 5 out of 5).

The meat consistency is also much like the Mojo Jalerrano, chewy but still overall easy to eat, with meaty, though not quite steak-like, chewing texture.

Rating:

Best

Ghost Pepper Buffalo

Ingredients: Beef, hot sauce, brown sugar, cider vinegar, black pepper, sea salt, chipotle chili pepper, habanero powder, ghost pepper, lime juice, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, molasses, garlic powder, chipotle morita powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, tumeric.

This is not buffalo jerky, but buffalo wing sauce flavored.

The first flavor is a chile pepper flavor, much like habanero or ghost pepper, along with the hot sauce. The hot sauce is comparable to a classic buffalo wing sauce. There's a moderate sweetness, touches of cumin and black pepper, and light smokiness. The heat builds up quickly.

The primary taste profile is that of buffalo wing sauce but bolstered with a strong chile pepper flavor, comparable to habanero or ghost pepper. It's sweetened up, and touched with some smokiness, cumin, and black pepper, and perhaps light amounts of citrus tang. It actually generates a lot of good flavor. If you like buffalo wing sauce, but want it more hot, with a strong dose of natural chile pepper flavor, this stuff is it.

It's quite hot, registering on my personal heat scale at "hot" (level 5 out of 5), but I think the Mojo Habanero is actually a touch more hot than this.

The meat also seems a little more tender and moist than the Mojo Jalerrano and Mojo Habanero, but still has a meaty chew.

Rating:

Best

Buy this online:

http://savagejerkyco.com/

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