4 Seasons Jerky - Sweet Mesquite Habanero

4 Seasons Jerky is a new brand that hit the market late in 2016. Launched by a guy named, "Thom", short for Thomas, the company is based out of Highland, CA. Thom is an avid outdoorsman, and is outside all year-round, hiking, boating, snowboarding, to name a few.

4 Seasons Jerky uses lean round or flank cuts of meat, marinated for 24 hours.

This Sweet Mesquite Habanero Beef Jerky is described by the company simply as, "The fiery spice of Habanero Peppers mingled with sweet mesquite flavorings combines with lean cuts of beef to form a taste of backyard BBQ right inside a bag!"


Ingredients

Beef, sweet mesquite seasoning, black pepper, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, smoke liquid, garlic powder, onion powder, habaneros, red crush pepper, other spices.

Review

The first flavors that hit my palate is the habanero chile flavor, with a light sweet. There's touches of salt, garlic, black pepper, and onion seasoning. The chewing brings on more of the habanero flavor, along with a fair amount of heat. The salt and seasonings come in more, along with a faint smokiness, and a light natural meat flavor.

The level of heat rates on my heat scale as "mild-medium" (level 2 out of 5), but if you happen to chew into a piece of dried habanero, it shoots up to "medium-hot" (level 4 out of 5).

For being marketed as "Sweet Mesquite Habanero" it holds up well. It has enough sweet to qualify the name without going heavy and sticky. The mesquite flavor is noticeable in the background, but not overbearing. The habanero flavor is more front and center, while the habanero heat makes its presence felt without its signature seething burn.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is a light natural meat flavor with a light mesquite in the background. The habanero flavor is noticeable front and center, with touches of sweet. The salt, black pepper, garlic, and onion linger lightly.

The meat consistency is overall good. The meat is dry and chewy, and tends to work the jaw muscles. However, it's sliced thin enough to mitigate any meticulous mandibular drudgery. The chewing feels meaty, almost steak-like, or something along the lines of deli-sliced roast beef.

Verdict

This Sweet Mesquite Habanero Beef Jerky from 4 Seasons goes Tex-Mex with its combination of smoky mesquite and dried chunks of fiery habanero, and punches out plenty of that Lone Star State flavor to make an armadillo dance the two-step. But other than that, this jerky tended to go through ups and downs of habanero experience based on whether you bit into a dried chile pepper or not. On top of that, the chewing tended to labor the jaw muscles more than what bursts of habanero flavor I could get. Otherwise, it still generates a good flavor, and is still more snackable than the national brands.

Rating: Good (4/5)