Country Archer Jerky - Sriracha

Country Archer Jerky is a well known brand in the meat snack industry, going back to 1977 when it became the private labeler for hundreds of brands over the decades. Now based in San Bernardino, CA, the company is leveraging its own brand and pushing its own line of jerky into stores across the country.

As the jerky market has migrated towards preservative-free, natural ingredients, so has Country Archer. The company claims it's jerky is handcrafted, made in small batches, using all natural ingredients.

This Sriracha flavor is described as a being, "infused what that very same one-of-a-kind Sriracha magic", going on to say that the famous Thai pepper sauce has become a taste sensation in the condiment world.

Ingredients

Beef, brown sugar, Huy Fong Sriracha Sauce, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, pineapple juice

Review

The first flavor that comes to my palate is a light, yet sweetened, Sriracha flavor. There's a bit of saltiness too. The chewing brings on some of the pineapple juice, and touches of soy sauce. There's a light heat building up.

For being marketed as a "Sriracha" beef jerky, it seems to fit the billing. I do taste the unmistable flavor of Sriracha sauce, particularly the brand made by Hung Fong Foods (the rooster on the bottle). It has the famous, garlic, chile pepper flavor, but not an overwhelming flavor, yet significant enough to warrant the labeling.

Otherwise, the flavor profile of this jerky is largely the Sriracha sauce, but sweetened up considerably, and with a light pineapple juice, and shades of soy sauce. The level of heat in this jerky feels to be at a medium level on my personal heat scale (level 3 out of 5).

The chewing feels chewy, comparable to the company's Original, which is actually on par with most national jerky brands. Once you chew through it takes on a meaty texture, but not like a piece of steak. It's maybe a tad gummy, with just a little bit of fat visible, and nothing stringy encountered.

Verdict

This Sriracha beef jerky from Country Archer does a good job of giving you the garlic, chile pepper sauce made famous by Huy Fong Foods. It's enough of a flavor to be unmistakable, but not overpowering. It's not quite as hot as regular Sriracha sauce, nor as pungent, but in fact much more sweet due to the additional of brown sugar, and even has overtones of pineapple juice and soy sauce. Yet, I find this offering from Country Archer to be the most snackable I've found yet from the company, and I think will be a hit among Sriracha sauce fanatics. There's still a gummy quality to the chewing, perhaps due to the heavy sweet, and it doesn't exactly chew like real steak, nor offering any kind of natural meat flavor. But on the other hand, I found it quite snackable.

Rating: Good