Monday, May 9, 2016

Little Bit Jerky - Flaming Bit

little bit jerky
Little Bit Jerky is a new brand that launched in February 2016, by Robert Helmcamp and Teresa Helmcamp, based out of Wichita Falls, TX.

Robert is a professional butcher of 22 years, learning the craft the "old school" way, and developed his own seasonings. Little Bit Jerky is made fresh daily from top round, and marinated for 18-24 hours.

This "Flaming Bit" is described by the company as a fajita variety, "has just the right amount of heat to kick the fajita flavor up a notch to perfection."

Ingredients

beef, water, natural hickory wood smoke, vinegar, salt, onion, garlic, black pepper, crushed dark red chili, hydrolyzed soy & corn protein, sugar, molasses, papain, citric acid, smoked paprika, oregano, white pepper, fenugreek, fennel, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, basil, rosemary, celery, thyme, marjoram, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, coriander, jalapeño powder

Review

The first flavors I taste is a salty seasoning blend, with noticeable oregano, chile pepper, black pepper, clove, and thyme. There's a light heat building up. The chewing brings on more of the seasoning blend, ushering in some garlic and onion, but also a soy sauce flavor, and touches of smoke.

For being described as a fajita beef jerky, with the word, "Flaming", it holds up well. It has a pronounced seasoning blend, noticeably complex in flavor, just like what you'd expect in beef fajitas or Tex Mex cuisine. It has some heat too, enough to notice right away, and just enough to generate a tingling on my scalp. I'd rate the heat as "medium" on my personal heat scale (level 3 out of 5).

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is that of a salty, complex seasoning blend, with a savory soy sauce to balance it out. There's a natural meat flavor that sits behind it, tasting like a well-done cooked steak.

The meat consistency looks really good, mostly all meat, sliced into slabs of medium thickness. It's dry, but flexible, and manages to tear apart with light effort. The chewing starts out quite chewy and eventually softens up enough to feel like a well-done cooked steak.

Verdict

This "Flaming Bit" from Little Bit Jerky delivers a bold taste for folks who want a full flavor assault on their tongues. Think of spicy fajitas, or Tex-Mex cooking, but turn it up a notch because this is Texas-made jerky. I like the smoke flavor that lingers in the background, recreating the sizzling strips of beef on a plate of fajitas. I also like the natural meat flavors and the steak-like chewing texture. The higher saltiness in this jerky tends to overwhelm me, however, requiring swigs of water in between swallows.

Rating: Good (4/5)


flaming beef jerky

flaming beef jerky

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