Krave Pork Jerky

Krave offers two varieties of Pork Jerky, Black Cherry Barbecue and Grilled Sweet Teriyaki. See our previous reviews of Krave Jerky.

Krave Beef Jerky is a brand owned by Krave Pure Foods, Inc. based out of Sonoma, CA. It started in 2011 by Jon Sebastiani, who got started in the food business working on his family's winery in Sonoma.

The company claims the Black Cherry Barbecue infuses tender slices of pork with their sweet and peppery, Sonoma-style, black cherry barbecue sauce. Meanwhile, their Grilled Sweet Teriyaki is soaked in a smoky teriyaki soy marinade, with a touch of sweetness, creating a savory profile without excess salt.

Ingredients

Black Cherry Barbecue: Pork, evaporated cane syrup, water, tomato paste, honey, cherries, sea salt, red wine vinegar, natural black cherry syrup, molasses, spices, citric acid, celery juice powder.

Grilled Sweet Teriyaki: Pork, evaporate cane syrup, water, low sodium gluten free soy sauce, soybean oil, rice wine, spices, celery juice powder.

Grilled Sweet Teriyaki

There's an initial sweet that hits right away, but soon followed by an oily flavor. The flavor of grilled pork comes in next with a light saltiness.

For being marketed as "Grilled Sweet Teriyaki", it has the grilled sweet flavor, but not so much with the teriyaki flavor. I get the flavor and aroma of grilled pork cutlets slathered with a sweet glaze. But the teriyaki flavor doesn't really come through well. If anything, there's a light saltiness, but not really the soy sauce flavor, nor the fermented character of teriyaki, or even the ginger.

Otherwise, the flavors that define this jerky is largely the grilled sweet flavor. It's lightly smoky, but mostly sweet, with the natural flavor of pork.

Black Cherry Barbecue

There's a fruity tanginess that hits right away, but soon brings in a savory barbecue flavor. The sweetness is not as heavy as the Grilled Sweet Teriyaki, but there's still a light smokiness. I can also pick up bits of garlic and onion.

For being labeled, "Black Berry Barbecue", it seems to hold up well. I get both a good deal of tangy, fruity cherry flavor along with a good deal of savory, sweet barbecue.

Otherwise, the flavors that define this jerky is the tangy cherry, combined with a sweet, seasoned barbecue sauce. There's touches of smokiness, garlic, onion, and a light bit of natural meat flavor.

Meat Consistency

The Grilled Sweet Teriyaki tends to be more dry and chewy, while the Black Cherry Barbecue is more soft and tender. Both are free of any visible fat, and I found nothing unchewable or stringy. The Black Cherry Barbecue has a more meaty chew, while the Grilled Sweet Teriyaki feels more gummy.

Verdict: The Black Cherry Barbecue seems to have the better flavor over the Grilled Sweet Teriyaki. However, the Black Cherry Barbecue might taste more spicy to people with mild palates. The Grilled Sweet Teriyaki is much more sweet, and might be better suited for kids, while Black Cherry Barbecue is more complex in flavor. I'd rate the Black Cherry Barbecue a "Best", with the Grilled Sweet Teriyaki as "Average". Both average out to "Good".

Rating: Good

Grilled Sweet Teriyaki

Black Cherry Barbecue