Fatman's Beef Jerky - Smoky Chipotle, Part 2

A couple of months ago, I wrote a review for Fatman's Beef Jerky - Smoky Chipotle. That particular variety was actually still in its testing phase. Since then the folks at Fatmans have come up with a final recipe and sent me a sample package. So in response, I'm putting out this "Part 2" review.

In that first review, I gave a "good" rating, but mostly on the strength of the jerky's base flavor and meat consistency. I didn't find it all tasting like chipotle. Chipotle is just smoked jalapenos, and has a distinct taste and aroma, which I didn't really find in that jerky.

I'm not exactly sure how this final recipe is different from the earlier test recipe, so it's all still a mystery. But having tried all of Fatman's varieties, I've come to enjoy it for its strong natural meat flavors and fresh taste. The question now, will this final recipe taste any more like chipotle?

Ingredients

Beef, water, soy sauce, liquid smoke, chipotle seasoning, black pepper, salt.

Taste

The first taste I pick up from the surface is a slight salty taste, followed by a good deal of meat aroma. Going into the chew, the natural meat flavors come out more, and I can pick up a faint bit of the soy sauce.

Right off the bat, I'll tell you that I don't really find the unique taste of chipotle. I do, however, get a slight spicy burn in the back of my tongue. In the first review, I did report getting a spicy burn, but I can't honestly remember how intense it was. I called it as mild-medium in that review, and in this second review I call it mild-medium again.

This jerky, however, still has a lot of taste packed into it. It's largely dominated by its natural meat flavors. It's got a strong meat flavor, that I can only compare to the center portion of prime rib, a very "clean" meat taste. And for being without any added preservatives, it's got a fresh taste.

The salty flavor is perhaps the second most dominant component. With some chewing, I can extract some juices and get the soy sauce flavor. While the saltiness is clearly a dominating taste, I still don't find it at the level of "too salty".

The black pepper listed in the ingredients doesn't really make itself known, but perhaps sits in the background with a slight aftertaste.

Overall, this is a jerky for those who like to get a taste of real meat. It also throws in some spicy burn, not much though, and then season it up with some salt and soy sauce.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be slices of whole meat, sliced thin, and in small, medium, and large sizes.

It's a dry jerky, being dry enough, and thin enough, that if I were to bend it, it'd start cracking and breaking. In fact, it's brittle enough that it provides some crunchiness when I chew. And that also makes it very easy to break apart into small pieces, and is also easy to chew.

This smoky chipotle variety, like all the other Fatman's varieties, provides a chewing experience like that of a real steak once a piece hydrates in my mouth.

It's also a very clean jerky, leaving no residue on my fingers, only a spattering of black pepper on my shirt. And it's quite lean; I found no pieces of fat, tendon, or gristle.




Product Value

Fatman's sells all of their jerky varieties at a price of $7.99 for a four ounce package. That works out to $2.00 per ounce, putting this on the border between expensive and average.

For general jerky snacking purposes, it's a good value because it's very snackable with its strong meat flavor, and strong flavor overall, plus its excellent meat consistency. I find myself wanting to reach for more and more.

As a smoky chipotle variety, it's a weak value because I still don't find any chipotle taste. I do get a spicy burn in my mouth, but I can't find anything that resembles chipotle.

Rating

I'm giving this a good rating.

Just as in the first review, this jerky is quite good on its own merits with its strong meat flavor, strong seasonings and marinade, and excellent meat consistency. It also throws in some of that spicy burn for those who enjoy feeling a bit of tingling on their scalp.

But I couldn't taste something that told me this had chipotle seasoning on it. That's the only thing that kept me from giving it a best rating. Otherwise, I'd still recommend this to any beef jerky aficionado.

Being that this jerky has a thin, crunchy nature to it, I think it would pair up really well with a can of creamy chipotle dip. This jerky bites off easily enough, that it'd be like eating potato chips, except you have real beef here. Maybe Fatman's could offer up a line of beef jerky dips?

For a good companion beer, I'd recommend something fruity, maybe a Blue Moon Apricot Ale, or a cherry lambic.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

• http://www.fatmansbeefjerky.com