KP's Beef Jerky - Spicy Onion & Garlic

Last in the series on KP's Beef Jerky is this Spicy Onion & Garlic. See my previous review of their Original and Jalapeno & Lemon.

KP's Beef Jerky is a new brand of jerky that launched earlier this year, distributed by Skyhawk Solutions LTD, based out of Woodbridge, IL. They claim their jerky is made in small batches, and they offer three flavors, this Spicy Onion & Garlic, the Original, and the Jalapeno & Lemon.

The company mentioned to me that this Spicy Onion & Garlic variety is their best seller, and describes it as "The flavor of onion, garlic & the zip of red pepper make this an unmistakable tasty treat."

Ingredients

Beef, onion powder, granulated garlic, spices, corn syrup solids, salt, liquid smoke, vinegar, lemon juice, beef base, worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce, sodium nitrite.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a saucy, spicy, and lightly smoky flavor, with a moderate saltiness.

The chewing flavor bursts with a combination of garlic and onion flavoring along with a light natural meat flavor. The spiciness picks up considerably.

For being marketed as "Spicy Garlic & Onion", it does seem to hold up to that billing quite well. I pick up a good deal of spiciness mostly as heat, along with a faint touch of vinegar. I'd rank the level of heat as "medium (level 3 out of 5). The garlic & onion seasoning is easily noticeable.

The flavor that seems to define this jerky is the garlic & onion seasoning, with a saltiness that seems well-pronounced, along with a moderate serving of heat. The natural meat flavors are noticeable and definitely give you that sense of eating a well-marinated, and well seasoned steak.

The saucy flavor that I've reported in KP's Original and Jalapeno & Lemon varieties are also here in this Spicy Onion & Garlic variety, but not as easily noticeable due to the stronger garlic & onion seasoning, but certainly adds to the overall flavor intensity.

Overall, what you're going to notice in this is a garlic & onion seasoning flavor, a light natural meat flavor, a moderate amount of heat, and a well pronounced saltiness.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced into strips of medium to thick thickness, and in lengths ranging from two to six inches.

This a semi-moist jerky with a semi-moist surface feel. These strips are very flexible, being able to bend back on to themselves without cracking. Biting off chunks is mostly easily, though some might require a little more effort. Chewing is slightly tough, and requires a little effort to get through.

The chewing texture starts out feeling moist and chewy, with some initial chewing resistance. A few labored chews are enough to get this to break down, and it chews down to a soft mass in about 20 seconds. At that point, it feels very much like a real piece of meat, quite steak-like, comparable to one cooked medium-well.

I don't see any visible pieces of fat, and neither any gristle or tendon. I encountered a little bit of stringiness, but not really any unchewable tissues.

In terms of clean eating, I get a light stickiness on my fingers, but not quite enough to require a licking, though I do find myself wiping my fingers on my jeans before touching my keyboard.




Snack Value

KP's Beef Jerky sells this Spicy Onion & Garlic variety from its website at a price of $9.95 for a 4oz package. The shipping is free. If you buy four packages, the website discounts the total price down to $26.30. That works out to a price of $1.64 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $1.64 price per ounce, it seems to offer an excellent value. I get a good deal of snackability for an overall good flavor, good meat consistency, and good chewing texture.

As a Spicy Garlic & Onion variety, at the same $1.64 price per ounce, it's an excellent value. I found a lot of garlic & onion seasoning flavor and a medium level of heat. Compared to other brands of garlic & onion beef jerky, this seems to provide as much as, or more garlic & onion flavor, but priced less.

Rating

I'm giving this a good rating.

This Spicy Onion & Garlic variety from KP's Beef Jerky offers a good deal of garlic & onion seasoning with a medium level of heat, soaked into a light natural meat flavor, with touches of vinegar and smokiness.

Compared to the company's other varieties, I thought this has the most interesting and complex flavor, one that you can analyze and appreciate while sucking on a piece. I liked the medium level of heat, and the good meat consistency, full of meat with little fat or unchewable tissues.

I can see how this is their best selling variety, bursting with flavor, like an intensely marinated and seasoned steak.

For my recommended beer pairing, go with something light and refreshing to counter the strong flavor. Try an Anchor Steam or a Widmer Drifter Pale Ale.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

• http://kpsbeefjerky.com/