Monday, June 9, 2008

Oh Boy! Oberto - Johnny's Jamaica Me Sweet Hot & Crazy

Oh Boy! Oberto - Johnny's Jamaica Me Sweet Hot & CrazyWhile I'm trying to get away from beef jerky infused with sodium nitrite, I happened to see this "special edition" Oh Boy! Oberto variety called, "Johnny's Jamaica Me Sweet & Hot Crazy", which is flavored with the seasoning brand of the same name.

Since I've never tried that brand of seasoning, I can't really attest to how similarly it tastes, or how much of it is in there. All I can do is evaluate it for what it is.

I'm kind of glad to see more of these special edition beef jerkies crossed with famous flavors. I recently did a review of Jim Beam Beef Jerky, and Jack Link's already has several of their own, including the KC Masterpiece, and the A1 Steak Sauce.

Ingredients

Beef, dextrose, brown sugar, corn syrup solids, sugar, salt, Johnny's Hot & Crazy seasoning (spices, garlic, onion, paprika, citric acid, lemon oil), flavorings, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite.

Taste

Probably the first thing I detect is a bit of sweetness, but probably not much different than the sweetness you often get from an Oh Boy! Oberto brand of jerky. After the sweetness, I start feeling a little bit of the "hot" from the Johnny's seasoning. I don't taste much in the way of pepper or chili, I can't really tell where the spiciness comes from, all I know is that there is a slight burning on my tongue.

I don't know if that's a reflection of Johnny's seasoning, or if that's a reflection of what Oh Boy! Oberto has done with it. While this jerky variety definitely tastes different than the company's original variety, it doesn't really stand out that much from a lot of other sweet & spicy jerkies that I've had. I wouldn't normally be this picky about it, except for the fact that this is a "special edition", crossed with a famous seasoning brand.

As far as the meat flavors go, I do taste some natural meat flavors, but not a whole lot. There are some pieces with some more fat than others, and the fat gives me more of a "beefy" taste.

Otherwise, it still tastes pretty good, and has some good snackability, and is a flavor that I haven't had yet. It's not very sweet and hot, just slightly. This stuff is clearly on the salty side, however.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be real cuts of meat, sliced in average thickness, and in small to medium pieces.

They're mostly dry, with some pieces being somewhat soft, and others somewhat hard. Half of the pieces require some effort to tear apart and chew, while the other half is a little more easier to deal with.

I don't see much in the way of tendon or gristle. I did find one piece with a small piece of tendon, though. A few of the pieces had some noticeable chunks of fat.

Overall, this is a typical bag of Oh Boy! Oberto jerky, offering some "fair" beef jerky experience.

Oh Boy! Oberto - Johnny's Jamaica Me Sweet Hot & Crazy

Oh Boy! Oberto - Johnny's Jamaica Me Sweet Hot & Crazy

Product Value

I paid $5.99 for this 4oz bag at an Albertson's store in Menifee, CA, which works out to $1.50 per ounce, putting this in the average price range.

I think this offers some good value. It has a good taste overall, and is a mix of moderately-tough and moderately-easy to eat, and most of all offers some good snackability. In terms of how well it represents the Johnny's Jamaica Me Sweet Hot & Crazy seasoning, I'd have to say it does offer a clear differentiation from the Oberto's original variety. But I can't say that it offers a ton of Johnny's seasoning blend.

Rating

Oh Boy! Oberto - Johnny's Jamaica Me Sweet Hot & CrazyI'm giving this an "average" rating.

Look at it this way, if you strip out the Johnny's seasoning blend, what you have is a typical Oh Boy! Oberto jerky, nothing great, but nothing bad. Adding the Johnny's seasoning blend is a great idea, but I just don't taste a lot of it. When I see a jerky variety touting itself as "sweet and hot", then I expect to get a lot of sweet and hot. I just don't get much of that in this variety.

Rating: Average

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2 comments:

  1. I love this flavor of jerky. Unfortunately when we came back to the NW I find Costco is no longer selling it. Sure hope this doesn't mean an end to this great product.

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