Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Dole Plantation Brand Hickory Smoked Jerky

dole smoked jerkyA 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.

chopped and formed jerky

hickory smoked jerky
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

dole smoked jerky nutritionI'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

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