Firecreek Jerky - Original

Firecreek Jerky is a brand launched by Ryan Hansen based out of Jerseyville, IL. He got it off the ground in February 2016.

Hansen has been making "small batch" jerky from his family's meat business for the past three years. He makes jerky using USDA Choice Angus Beef. Since then, he's secured a deal with USDA inspected co-packer and is now relaunching the brand.

According to Firecreek Jerky, this Original is marketed as, "...an authentic, beef taste with perfect hints of salt, onion and garlic flavor profiles". It's also labeled as, "all natural" and "minimally processed".


Ingredients

Beef, water, salt, celery juice powder, spices, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder.

Review

The first thing that hits my tongue is a light salt, with touches of garlic seasoning. The chewing brings on more of the seasoning, but mixed with onion and shades of black pepper. There's a light natural meat flavor that comes in late.

For being described as an "authentic beef taste with perfect hints of salt, onion, garlic", yes I can definitely see that in this. But it's more so with the salt, onion, and garlic. The beef taste is there, but it's hard to describe it as authentic. It doesn't have a grilled steak flavor, nor a roasted beef flavor. It's more close to the flavor of stew beef, marinated in beef broth.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is that of a moderately salted seasoning, weighted towards garlic and onion with touches of black pepper. The salt seems to have the most influence, while the beef has the least. It's quite mild in spice.

The meat consistency seems overall good. It's tender, easy to chew, quite flexible in handling. The pieces break down quickly in the chewing, almost crumbly. They don't really feel like pieces of steak, but do offer something "meaty". I didn't encounter any stringiness, nor fat, or other unchewable matter.

Verdict

This Original from Firecreek Jerky offers up a satisfying flavor, but it's not anything new or unique compared to the hundreds of other brands we've reviewed. It's a very familiar recipe that delivers a good deal savory taste over a light natural meat flavor. But otherwise, I'm left struggling to find something particularly good about this jerky. There really isn't much that's new, different, or goes outside the box.

Rating: Average (3/5)