Uncle Bo's Beef Jerky - Hawaiian

Uncle Bo's Beef Jerky is a brand started by Tim Benton (AKA Uncle Bo), based out of Winter Springs, FL. Benton describes himself as a "native (hillbilly) from West Virginia and a pioneer at heart".

He started making jerky in 1998 after a friend bought him a dehydrator as a gift. After six months of experimenting, he came up with the recipe for his business. Since then, he's made jerky for friends and sold it locally. Last October, Benton launched a Kickstarter campaign to go USDA approved.

This Hawaiian is described by Uncle Bo as, "My Classic Original with added brown sugar, honey, pineapple and shredded coconut.".


Ingredients

Beef, water, sugar, salt, lemon juice, sesame oil, oyster extract, concentrated smoke, ginger, garlic, honey, pineapple juice and coconut

Review

The first thing I taste is a light sweet, but also a stale, musty coconut. The chewing brings on a natural meat flavor, along with a light savory, salt.

For being billed as, "Hawaiian", and with honey, pineapple, and shredded coconut", it stands up somewhat. I don't actually get a flavor that I would associate as Hawaiian. It's sweet, but not really all that fruity or tangy when you consider the pineapple ingredient. In fact, I don't pick up the pineapple at all. I do pick up the coconut flavor, but I'm mixed on this. For one, the coconut first imparts a stale, musty flavor off the surface, but eventually does give off its classic nutty flavor in the chewing.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is the stale, musty flavor, with a light sweet, and a light savory salt.

The meat consistency is excellent. These are thin-sliced strips cut against the grain, still chewy enough to be jerky, but yet easy enough to snack on without tiring the jaws. They start out chewy, but chew down to something more steak-like. It's a dry jerky, but doesn't chew tough nor crispy. I do see bits of fat here and there, but not too much, encountered only light stringiness.

Verdict

This Hawaiian style jerky from Uncle Bo's just didn't give me that Hawaiian flavor or feel. When I think of Hawaiian, I think of tangy fruit flavors, mixed with a heavily sweet teriyaki and seasoned with ginger. This has the sweet, just nothing tangy and fruity. The coconut is a neat idea, however the shreds give off a stale, musty flavor reminiscent of mold. There needs to be a better way to preserve its sweet nutty character. I imagine this jerky tastes awesome when fresh out of the dehydrator, but after it has sat in a bag for a couple months, the coconut somehow loses all that freshness. Otherwise, the chewing and meat consistency are this jerky's saving grace, still offering a meaty, steak-like feel, though a little more dry and tough.

Rating: Fair (2/5)