Fusion Jerky - Turkey

Fusion Jerky is a new brand of jerky that has managed to get a lot notice from other big brands in the jerky business. Based out of South San Francisco, CA it's the creation of KaiYen Mai, a mother of two and avid outdoorswoman, who wanted to focus on Asian-style jerky.

"In my home country of Taiwan, jerky is a celebrated delicacy, akin to a fine wine", Mai says in her marketing materials. Fusion Jerky offers beef, turkey, chicken, and pork styles encompassing eight flavors. It's made using US raised animals at their ranch in Scottsbluff, NE. It's marketed as gluten-free, all natural, preservative free, and nitrate free.

These turkey jerky varieties are said to be made from breast meat at the company's own USDA-inspected facility in Scottsbluff, NE.

Rosemary Citrus Turkey Jerky

Ingredients: Turkey breast, sugar, gluten free soy sauce, spices, salt, dehydrated garlic, lemon peel, celery powder, orange peel, dehydrated onion, natural flavorings.

The first flavors to hit the palate is a moderate sweetness and a light bit of the rosemary. The chewing brings in a stronger rosemary note with some natural turkey meat flavor and a light bit of salt. There's also a touch of black pepper noticeable.

For being advertised as "Rosemary Citrus", it doesn't hold up completely. That is, I don't taste any citrus. There's a moderate sweetness, but that's really the sugar ingredient. Otherwise, no sense of orange or lemon, nor anything tangy or fruity. The rosemary, however, is very noticeable.

Otherwise, the taste profile that defines this jerky starts with the sugary sweetness, but paired with the piney, resinous flavor of rosemary. There's a noticeable natural turkey meat flavor, along with light salt, and touches of black pepper. It's mostly a mild jerky, only faintly spicy from the black pepper. The soy sauce is hardly noticeable.

The meat consistency is overall average, starting out feeling somewhat tough, chewy and dry. After some initial labored chewing, it breaks down easily enough, but doesn't feel meaty, more crumbly than anything. It feels mostly all meat, but doesn't really give me the sense of eating real turkey meat.

Verdict: This Rosemary Citrus Turkey Jerky from Fusion Jerky offers a great burst of rosemary seasoning, but fails to deliver any kind of citrus flavor. It's mostly a sweet jerky, with a light natural turkey meat flavor, but other than rosemary it doesn't deliver any other taste excitement. It still seems snackable enough, perhaps a bit too sweet, which may have contributed to its tough, crumbly chewing texture.

Rating: Average

Chili Basil Turkey Jerky

Ingredients: Turkey breast, sugar, gluten free soy sauce, spices, salt, chili pepper, celery powder, dehydrated onion, dehydrated garlic.

The first flavors that hit my palate is a moderate sweetness and basil seasoning. The chewing brings on an increased sweetness, a moderate saltiness, more of the basil, and light amounts of chile pepper flavor. I can also pick up touches of garlic & onion.

For being advertised as "Chili Basil", it holds up well. The basil is well defined in this jerky, noticeable as soon as I put a piece into my mouth. The chile pepper flavor is light, but noticeable in the chewing. The chile pepper heat feels light as well, ranking as Mild-Medium (level 2 out of 5) on my personal heat scale.

Otherwise, the taste profile is defined mostly as a moderate sweetness mixed with a significant basil and a light chile pepper flavor & heat. There's a light saltiness and even lighter amounts of garlic & onion. The natural turkey meat flavors are not as noticeable in this than compared to the company's, "Rosemary Citrus" variety above.

The meat consistency seems a little bit better in this than the Rosemary Citrus. It's softer and easier to chew. It feels a little more meaty than the Rosemary Citrus, but still somewhat crumbly, and perhaps a bit more rubbery. It still does not resemble the chewing texture of turkey breast meat.

Verdict: This Chili Basil Turkey Jerky has a better flavor than its Rosemary Citrus counterpart, tasting more complex and actually living up to its advertised profile. We like the rich basil flavor of this jerky, but wished there was more chile pepper flavor and heat, and not so sweet. There's also a little less natural turkey meat flavor in this. Even though it's a little more tender than the Rosemary Citrus, it still doesn't resemble the chewing texture of turkey, feeling chewy, crumbly and rubbery.

Rating: Average