Uncle Bo's Beef Jerky - Simply Sweet

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 Simply Sweet is described by Uncle Bo as, "A bit more brown sugar creates a slightly sweeter version of the Classic Original".


Ingredients

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

Review

The first thing I taste is a moderate sweetness. A bit of salt comes in, and then a seafood character follows, likely the oyster extract. The chewing brings on the natural meat flavors.

For being described as a sweeter version of the company's Classic Original, it's pretty accurate. It certainly is sweet, though not over the top sweet, just more sweet than what you might expect from a regular, usual piece of jerky. And it's also very comparable to the company's Classic Original variety that we reviewed the other day.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is a sweet and salty, lightly seasoned marinade with a noticeable shell fish flavor lying underneath. The natural meat flavors come through just enough to add an extra dimension.

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 Simply Sweet from Uncle Bo's Beef Jerky delivers on it's promises of dishing out a more sweetened version of the company's Classic Original jerky. The sweetness makes itself known up front and continues throughout the chewing, without the gummy chewing texture that other sweetened jerky brands tend to fall trap to. The boosted sweet actually helps balance out the saltiness of the Classic Original, though this still has a noticeable salt profile. The way Uncle Bo's slices this jerky gives it an excellent chewing experience that boosts the snackability.

Rating: Good (4/5)