Jerk Nation - Chili Lime

Next in the series on Jerk Nation is this Chili Lime beef jerky. See my previous review of their Original Spicy.

Jerk Nation is a brand of Adams Gourmet, Inc. based in Parkland, FL. It's the first "Shake and Season" concept, where the jerky comes with a seasoning packet. You tear open the packet, pour in the amount of seasoning you want, then shake the bag.

The meat has a slight bit of moisture on the surface that allows the seasoning to stick. The jerky was actually manufactured by Magnolia Provision, who makes the Smoky Mountain brand.

Ingredients

Beef jerky: beef, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, teriyaki, onion powder, garlic powder, dark brown sugar, all natural smoke flavor.

Chili lime seasoning: kosher salt, maltodextrin, spices including paprika, sugar, dried lime peel, dried red pepper, dried garlic, dried onion, natural flavor (soy) with extractives of paprika, lime juice powder (lime juice, lime oil), chili powder (chili peppers, spices, salt, garlic powder), corn syrup solids, contains 2% or less of: citric acid, malic acid, calcium silicate (to keep flowing), acetic acid.

Taste

Note: I used 1/2 of the seasoning packet for this review, whereas with the Original Spicy review, I had used the full packet.

The first I taste from the surface of these pieces is a tangy, citrus-like flavor that becomes more defined as a lime flavor. I can kinda taste a weak chili spice. As I continue sucking I get a little saltiness.

The chewing flavor starts with an increased saltiness, and then comes a light natural meat flavor, and a light taste of the worcestershire/soy sauce marinade.

For being marketed as a Chili Lime beef jerky, it has a well-defined and easily noticed lime flavor. It starts out with a nice tanginess that soon becomes more defined as lime. I can also taste the zest of the lime peel.

But the chili flavor is hard to pick up. I can taste it a little, but I think it's overpowered by the other flavors, primarily the stronger lime.

After eating a couple pieces, I poured the rest of the seasoning packet into the bag and completely doused the meat, turning it orange in color. I took another bite and got a stronger tangy lime flavor, and got a little bit more chili flavor. I think for me, Jerk Nation jerky needs to go full seasoning.

Often times jerky labeled, "Chili" is thought of as being hot, but this is not so. There's no heat in this.

The natural meat flavors are there, but are light. You may not notice them at all unless you analyze carefully what you're tasting. Otherwise, the strong tanginess of the lime overshadows.

The level of saltiness in this seems moderate.

Overall, what you're going to notice with this jerky the most is a tanginess from a well-defined lime flavor. The chili powder has a light-to-moderate intensity if you use the full seasoning packet. The meat itself has a light taste of worcestershire and soy sauce.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced thin to medium, in small to medium sized pieces.

This is a dry jerky, with a semi-moist surface feel up until you pour in the seasoning at which it feels dry. The jerky has a soft, flexible feel, and bends easily without much cracking. Tearing pieces apart with my fingers seems easy enough, and chewing-ease seems moderate.

The chewing texture starts out feeling soft and pliable. It's chewy, but I think at the right amount for beef jerky. It seems to chew down to a soft mass in about 15-20 seconds. At that point, it feels just like a piece of steak, perhaps cooked medium or well-done, depending on the pieces.

Several pieces have some significant streaks of fat, unlike with the review sample of the Original Spicy which was more lean. Most of the pieces I could feel a fair amount of stringiness, and several pieces resulted in some unchewable wads of tissues.

In terms of clean eating, I get a good deal of seasoning stuck to my fingers, requiring a licking or wiping before touching my keyboard. I also get some seasoning flying off as I tear these pieces.

The white streaks you see on the one piece is fat that had liquified and cooled, it's tasteless and safe.

I had used only 1/2 the seasoning packet when taking this photo.

Snack Value

Jerk Nation sells this Original Spicy beef jerky from its website at a price of $6.99 for a 4oz package. If you bought 8 packages, the total price comes to $65.42, including $9.50 shipping to Southern California. That works out to a price of $2.04 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.04 price per ounce, I think it offers a great value. I'm getting a good deal of snackability from this, for its good overall flavor, good meat consistency and chewing texture. That $2.04 price per ounce is close to what you'll pay at the grocery store for a Jack Link's or an Oberto jerky, but you'll get better flavor and meat consistency with this.

As a Chili Lime beef jerky, at the same $2.04 price per ounce, it's a good value. I'm getting a lot of tangy lime flavor, though only a light-to-moderate chili flavor. The more seasoning you pour in, the more you'll taste the chili powder.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

This Chili Lime beef jerky from Jerk Nation really woke my senses with this strong tangy lime flavor. At first, I had only poured in the half the seasoning packet and found something light in flavor. But when I poured the rest the seasoning in, and gave it a really good shaking, it gave this jerky plenty of flavor to make it "pop".

The meat consistency is also pretty good. Magnolia Provision seems to do a good job at making a beef jerky that's still soft, but still chewy, and chews like a real piece of steak.

The light natural meat flavor is hard to find once you've poured as much seasoning as I did, but then again the seasoning is quite enjoyable I think. This is one of those jerkies you enjoy for the flavorings than the natural meat flavors.

For my recommended beer pairing, I'd go with a darker lager, or German-style dunkel. Perhaps a Negra Modelo, or a Köstritzer Schwarzbier.

Rating: Best

Buy this online:

• http://www.jerknationonline.com/