Little Bit Jerky - Spicy Asian Bit

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 "Spicy Asian Bit" is described by the company as having an Asian Stir Fry taste, with a "blend of Chinese spices and just the right amount of wasabi".perfection."

Ingredients

Beef, water, natural hickory wood smoke, vinegar, chili pepper, salt onion, garlic, black pepper, crused dark red chile, hydrolyzed soy & corn protein, sugar, molasses, papain, citric acid, artificial color, wheat, soybean, cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise, white pepper, horseradish, mustard.

Review

The first flavors I taste is a complex seasoning blend, marked by chile pepper, salt, and perhaps clove. There's some heat building up. The chewing brings on some additional seasoning flavors, very much like Thai or Vietnamese style cuisine, along with some natural meat flavors.

For being named, "Spicy Asian Bit", and described like asian stir fry, I find that it actually does like it claims. It's not so much Japanese or Chinese, but more like Vietnamese or Thai. It's spicy too, mostly from the red chile pepper, effecting a rank of "medium-hot" on my personal heat scale (level 4 out of 5). The wasabi is hard to find, however.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is that of salty, Asian style seasoning blend laid over a soy sauce base. The fennel and star anise comes in noticeably here and there, but the clove tends to remain constant. There's a touch of sweet as well.

The meat consistency looks really good, mostly all meat, sliced into slabs of medium thickness. I found a fair amount of stringiness in the chewing. 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 Spicy Asian Bit from Little Bit Jerky lives up to its claims with a Asian style flavor more comparable to Thai or Vietnamese cuisine. The addition of clove, fennel, and star anise really makes this taste unique, and drives a good deal of heat as well. It's quite salty for my preference, and perhaps the higher level makes the spice feel hotter than it really is. But like everything in Texas, this has a big flavor, despite the little name. Otherwise, it's a great jerky for spicy food addicts who love a more exotic, Asian-style flavor.

Rating: Good (4/5)