Dried and True Beef Jerky - Sriracha Lime

Next in the series on Dried and True Beef Jerky is this Sriracha Lime variety. See our other reviews of Dried and True Beef Jerky.

Dried and True is a brand of all natural, artisan beef jerky based in Venice, CA. The brand was launched in August 2012 by Matt Lauster. The brand has managed to create a following around Venice, selling out at local farmer's markets and specialty stores.

This Sriracha Lime is made from Lauster's homemade Sriracha sauce made and boosted with Thai chiles, fresh garlic, and a tangy citrus finish of lime.

Ingredients

Beef, water, sriracha, reduced sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, salt, pepper.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a sweetness, plus a chile pepper flavor. Almost as quickly is a strong lime flavor and a light saltiness. There's a light garlic flavor too.

The chewing flavor brings in a more tangy and more well-defined lime, while the chile pepper builds up a nice burn. I can also pick up a light natural meat flavor in there.

For being labeled as "Sriracha Lime", it seems to hold up well. I do identify a sriracha-like flavor, mostly the combination of chile pepper flavor and garlic. But the lime is very well noticeable, more than the sriracha.

Otherwise, the flavors that define this jerky more than any other starts with the lime, being quite dominant. The sweetness is next strongest. The sriracha flavor follows that, showing up mostly as the chile pepper flavor with a lighter garlic. Finally, the natural meat flavor making a light appearance.

The level of burn in this ranks on my personal heat scale as medium (level 3 out of 5). At first, it feels like it's going to build up quickly to a higher degree, but it doesn't seem to, just staying at medium.

Overall, this jerky is very flavorful, with a complex assortment anchored by a very tangy lime flavor, some sweetness, and the sriracha.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced thin to medium thickness and in bite-sized pieces.

This is a dry jerky with a slightly moist surface feel, retaining a soft flexible consistency. Chewing seems moderately easy, somewhat chewy.

The chewing texture starts out feeling chewy, with some soft, plastic resistance. A few chews into it and I get some meaty resemblance. Further along it starts to feel like real meat, and by the time its chewed down to a soft mass, it feels eating real pieces of steak, cooked well-done.

I see a few small bits of fat on some pieces, but no gristle or tendon. There's no stringiness thanks to the small, bite sized pieces.

In terms of clean eating, it's very clean. I find no residue on my fingers.

Snack Value

Dried and True sells this Sriracha Lime beef jerky from its website at a price of $15.99 for a 4oz package. If you bought 4 of these packages, shipping to Southern California comes out to $5.95. That works out to a price of $4.00 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $4.00 per ounce price, it's a fair value. Even though I'm getting a great flavor, good meat consistency and chewing, that price is very high even compared to other gourmet brands, though it does have a great flavor.

As a Sriracha Lime beef jerky, at the same $4.00 per ounce price, it's a decent value. Considering you're not going to find many brands of jerky promising this flavor combination, and considering it actually does deliver, you may consider that high price per ounce to be worth it.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

This Sriracha Lime beef jerky from Dried and True seems to do a good job of delivering on its marketed flavor, offering a very tangy lime flavor against a spicy sriracha with a light garlic touch. There's a bit of sweet to temper the tangy lime along with a light natural meat flavor.

What I really liked about this jerky is how well the lime and chile pepper flavors punched me in the face as soon as I popped a piece into my mouth. This is a jerky that attacks your taste buds from the get go and keeps a stranglehold on your tongue until you've swallowed it down. Add to that the light endorphin rush created by the medium level of heat, and you have a jerky that creates a lot of "wow factor".

The bite sized pieces helps create some extra snackability, while the overall good meat consistency creates a chewy, but very steak-like chewing experience.

Rating: Best

Buy this online:

• http://driedandtruebeefjerky.com/