Jerky John's - Pacific Teriyaki

Next in the series on Jerky John's is this Pacific Teriyaki beef jerky. See last week's review of their American Original.

Jerky John's is a brand of Jerky John's, Inc. based out of Huntington Beach, CA. Launched in 2009 by John Keller, a former Army paratrooper, the brand markets itself as being the healthiest beef jerky. It boasts one of the lowest, if not the lowest sodium content, and about 40% lower cholesterol. It's also about 50% lower in calories than other brands.

Keller started making beef jerky in 1994 to supplement his paratrooping activities.

Ingredients

Beef top round, Yoshida's Teriyaki Sauce, Kikkoman's Teriyaki Sauce, Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce, brown sugar, granulated garlic, liquid smoke, prague powder (sodium nitrite).

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a fair amount of sweetness, and then moments later some light teriyaki flavor starts coming through.

The chewing flavor starts with a more defined teriyaki sauce flavor, a bit more sweet, a little bit of garlic, and a little bit of saltiness.

For being marketed as a teriyaki beef jerky, I do taste a good deal of teriyaki flavor. It seems to have all the qualities of a true teriyaki sauce, including the heavy sweetness, a soy sauce flavor, a light tanginess, and a light pungent contrast. And the teriyaki sauce does seem to have the dominant flavor of this jerky.

The worcestershire sauce listed in the ingredients is not easily identified on its own, though the garlic seems to be noticeable in light amounts.

The natural meat flavors are not as noticeable in this compared to the company's American Original where I could taste a light amount of it.

Also compared to the American Original, this Pacific Teriyaki doesn't have the strong tanginess, but only a lighter, weaker tanginess. However, this teriyaki seems to produce a weak spicy burn in the back of my mouth.

The level of saltiness in this feels to be at a low level.

Overall, what you're going to notice in this is a sweet, teriyaki sauce flavor, a little bit of garlic, and a low level of saltiness.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced thin, and in small to medium sized slabs.

This is a dry jerky having a sticky, semi-moist surface feel. These pieces are very flexible, able to bend back on itself without cracking open. Ease of tearing and chewing is varied, with some pieces being moderately tender and easy, while others being more stiff and tough.

The chewing texture starts out feeling semi-moist, but chewy. The easier pieces seem to chew down with little resistance, while the tougher pieces put up a lot of resistance and required more effort. Once chewed down to a soft mass, it has a meaty, steak-like feel, but still rather chewy.

Some pieces have some visible streaks of fat, while others do not. I don't see any gristle or tendon, but when tearing these pieces apart, a lot of stringiness is visible, and noticeable in the chewing.

In terms of clean eating, my fingers end up with a fine sticky film, but still dry enough to type on my keyboard. I don't see much fragment of meat falling off as I tear pieces apart.




Snack Value

Jerky John's sells this Pacific Teriyaki through Amazon.com at a price of $25.96 for four 4oz packages. Shipping costs of $4.99 brings the total to $30.95. That works out to a price of $1.93 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $1.93 per ounce price, this offers a decent value. I'm getting a fair amount of snackability for an overall good flavor, and decent meat consistency. Compared to the major brands of jerky found in grocery stores, this is priced about the same, and is a little bit better.

As a teriyaki beef jerky, at the same $1.93 per ounce price, this is a good value. I'm getting a lot of sweet, teriyaki sauce flavor, and a flavor that seems reminiscent of true teriyaki sauce, instead of the sugar and soy sauce that larger brands utilize.

Rating

I'm giving this a good rating.

This Pacific Teriyaki variety from Jerky John's delivers a lot of sweet, teriyaki sauce flavor, and a teriyaki flavor that seems a little bit better than what you'll get from the major brands. And even though this jerky has one of the most lowest sodium-contents I've seen thus far, it doesn't taste under-salted. It's still a light salty flavor, but still just enough to satisfy jerky snackers.

In comparison to other teriyaki jerky brands I've evaluated, this does seem to be better than average, but not by leaps and bounds. I think it's a good teriyaki flavor overall, but doesn't give me the "wow factor". I still liked the stronger tangy chewing I got from the company's American Original variety.

The meat consistency seems a little bit better than the American Original, but only because it was varied, with some pieces being softer and easier, but others still being tougher.

A good beer pairing for this would be a simple IPA which should contrast the heavier sweetness in this jerky, while the stronger hops will help bring out the teriyaki flavor. Try the Stone IPA or the Sierra Nevada Torpedo.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

• http://www.amazon.com/Jerky-Johns-4oz-Pacific-Teriyaki