Ed's Roadhouse Jerky - Hong Kong Steak

The newest flavor from Ed's Roadhouse Jerky is this Hong Kong Steak beef jerky. See our reviews of Ed's other jerky varieties.

Ed's Roadhouse Jerky is run by Ed and Mary Herman of Wellington, FL. The two specialize in combining the decadence of sweet with the fiery burn of heat, and have earned top ratings for many of their jerky varieties.

This Hong Kong Steak variety is described by Ed's Roadhouse as, "A traditional soft spiced Asian Beef Jerky, with a very unique flavor." Ed explained that this is a recipe he had been using on grilled steaks for years, saying its very rich in flavor.

Ingredients

Angus beef, garlic, ginger, salt, sugar, water, soy bean, wheat, peppers, contains shell fish & natural flavoring spices.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a lot of sweetness, with a light soy sauce flavor. I'm picking up a saucy flavor, perhaps having something to do with that shell fish ingredient, perhaps along the lines of clam juice or oyster, but subtle.

The chewing brings in a marbleized, natural meat flavor while that saucy flavor gets a little bit more strong.

For being labeled, "Hong Kong Steak", I suppose it holds up. First of all, I can't seem to find anything that identified what "Hong Kong" style steak is supposed to taste like. Having done some Googling for "Hong Kong Steak", I'm finding a wide variety of ingredients, and nothing really in common aside from soy sauce and some type of oil (sesame, chili, or peanut). Some recipes add shell fish, others don't.

Otherwise, the flavors that seem to define this jerky overall is the combination of sweet and soy sauce, and the marbleized natural meat flavor. That saucy, shell-fish flavor I mentioned above creates the next most noticeable component, but it's subtle. After that there's light notes of ginger and red pepper.

This jerky doesn't seem to have a well-defined Asian flavor compared to Ed's Roadhouse's other Asian varieties. It actually tastes more American, like a mild barbecue. It's largely the saucy, shell-fish ingredient that seems to separate this from his other jerky products, yet it's only a light difference.

In terms of heat, it's very low. I'd rank this on my personal heat scale as mild-medium (level 2 out of 5).

Overall, this Hong Kong Steak jerky goes more mild than Ed's Roadhouse's other fiery flavors, but still generates a low heat with bits of ginger, garlic, and chile pepper flavors. It largely defines itself by a subtle saucy clam/oyster juice flavor with touches of heat.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced thin and cut into bite sized pieces.

This is a semi-moist jerky, with a sticky, semi-moist surface feel. Chewing is overall easy.

The chewing texture starts out with some initial chewing resistance, and after a few chews, starts to feel like real meat rather quickly. The layer of sweetness on these pieces tends seems to retain some moisture, making this feel moist and tender. Once chewed down to a soft mass, it feels just like eating a soft piece of steak.

I see small bits and streaks of fat on several pieces, within the range I've come to expect with Ed's Roadhouse. They add a touch of the fatty, beefy flavor, that makes it taste more like marbleized steak. I don't see any gristle or tendon, and encountered no stringiness in the chewing.

In terms of clean eating, this is somewhat clean, leaving a little bit of sticky residue on my fingers, often requiring a licking and wiping before touching the keyboard.

Snack Value

Ed's Roadhouse Jerky sells this Hong Kong Steak 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 good 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 value.

As for being marketed as "Hong Kong Steak" flavored beef jerky, it's a good value as well. It's hard to define what Hong Kong Steak means, so it's hard to compare. I don't necessarily see this as having an Asian flavor, if that means anything. But otherwise, the subtle clam/oyster flavor along with the light seasonings and chile pepper flavor, are enough to create something tasty.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

This Hong Kong Steak jerky from Ed's Roadhouse is a more mild deviation from the company's reputation of sweet & fiery flavors. It's marked mainly by a subtle clam/oyster juice, just barely enough to alter the soy sauce marinade, but enhanced with light ginger, garlic, and chile pepper seasonings.

It's actually closer to Ed's base jerky flavor, but clearly adds a twist along with a light zing. It still has that great marbleized meat flavor, the tender, easy chewing, and bite sized pieces that allows Ed's Roadhouse to score really well here at Best Beef Jerky.

For those who've been wanting an introduction to Ed's Roadhouse Jerky, but have felt cautious against their reputation for fiery hot jerky, this is a great way get into their line of snacks. You get a light bit of heat, some bold seasonings, and an interesting clam/oyster influence that seems to work well without tasting fishy.

Rating: Best

Buy this online:

• http://www.edsroadhousejerky.com/