Smokey's Beef Jerky - Teriyaki Nuggets

Smokey's Beef Jerky is a little jerky business in Big Bear Lake, CA, located right on Big Bear Lake Blvd inside a little house. They also sell candies and coffee blends.

All their jerky is presented inside a display case, it's not sealed in plastic bags like so much other jerky is. But that only means you have to eat it right away, or otherwise it dries out and loses its freshness. They don't use any preservatives and is made 100% all natural ingredients.

"Teriyaki Nuggets" is apparently Smokey's best selling product.

Taste

Because I don't have a package label, I can't give you an ingredients list.

Mostly what I taste right away is a thick sweet teriyaki flavor. There does appear to be some natural beef flavor, but not very strong. Some pieces have a stronger beef taste than others. It's also rather salty.

It's possible I may be tasting some soy sauce back there.

There is also some smokey flavor.

Meat Consistency

These are made with real chunks of beef, and cut into bite-sized pieces.

The pieces I have here for review are mostly dry. The thick teriyaki basting makes this wet on the outside. Some pieces were rather tough, but being bite-sized, you don't have to bother tearing them apart. I did, however, find some pieces more easier to chew than others.

I found some small chunks of fat on one piece, and another piece had some chewy tendon in it, but small.

Product Value

I paid $16.50 for 8 ounces of mixed variety. That works out to $2.06 per ounce, putting this into the expensive category. Note that the company's website shows a price of $15.00 for 8 ounces, which would put it at $1.88 per ounce, just barely into the "average" ballpark.

As bite-sized beef jerky chunks, I think this has some good value. I prefer to grab ahold a larger piece and tear off a bite, because I like that natural instinct of ripping apart flesh. However, the thick teriyaki covering might make that a sticky affair. If you like teriyaki, this definitely offers plenty of good value.

But for the higher price point, I keep expecting something better in this variety. It's rather dry, and some pieces are tough. And all it seems to offer in taste, is the teriyaki flavor.

It does seem to offer some snackability though.





Rating

I'm giving this variety an "average" rating.

First, I don't care much for salty jerky. I understand that salt is a primary ingredient in jerky, but I've had plenty of jerky wasn't this salty. Some of the nuggets are rather dry and tough.

While the teriyaki flavor is good, I keep wanting that additional contrast flavor. Perhaps some black pepper, or maybe some ginger, something to give it a "bite" against the sweet teriyaki.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

• Smokey's Beef Jerky