Friday, July 20, 2012

Final Frontier Jerky

final frontier jerky
Final Frontier Jerky, which is a black peppered beef jerky, is part of the family of jerky products sold by BeefJerky.com. I've reviewed other varieties from them under the "Settlers Jerky" brand (see reviews here).

BeefJerky.com, which is owned and operated by Gregory Nemitz, has been selling jerky online since 1995. Nemitz had been making jerky for family and friends several years before he launching his business. In addition to beef jerky, he also sells salmon jerky and trout jerky.

Final Frontier Jerky got its name because it was selected by NASA for consumption in outer space and aboard the International Space Station (see full story). I guess you could say it's the only jerky that's out of this world.


Ingredients

Beef, soy sauce, wine, black pepper, natural smoke flavoring, garlic.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a moderate saltiness and smoky flavor. With some continued sucking, I can pick up a light black pepper flavor and a hint of garlic.

The chewing flavor starts with some of the soy sauce. The black pepper seasoning picks up some more, and there's a light bit of natural meat flavor.

Considering this is intended to be the company's black peppered jerky, it certainly holds up as one. There's a liberal dosing of cracked black pepper bits all over these pieces, and they give off a sharp, spicy black pepper flavor. In fact there's so much of that flavor, it creates a fair amount of heat, and after eating several pieces my mouth becomes scorched.

As for the flavors that define this jerky most of all, it's certainly the black pepper, but the soy sauce comes in at a close second. Those two combine to create the primary flavor profile. The saltiness of the soy sauce goes without saying, but there's also a light smokiness, and a touch of garlic.

The natural meat flavors are noticeable, but can be tough to find due the much stronger combination of black pepper and soy sauce. It becomes more noticeable in the latter part of once the stronger flavors wore off a bit.

The level of saltiness feel high in intensity.

Overall, it's a strong combination of black pepper and soy sauce, creating an explosion of spicy and salty flavors.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced into slabs of medium to large sizes.

This is a dry jerky with a dry surface feel. For the most part, slabs are very flexible. Tearing off a piece can require some effort, though still easy overall, while chewing seems moderate in ease.

The chewing texture starts off feeling dry, though pliable and flexible. There's a a fair amount of initial chewing resistance, and the first several chews can require some work. Once it chews down, it starts to feel very meaty, practically like a steak cooked medium-well, and becomes more soft and tender.

I don't see much fat on these slabs, perhaps just some small streaks here and there. I do, however, see some streaks of dried gristle running though several slabs. Some are too tough to gnaw through. There's also a fair amount of stringiness.

In terms of clean eating, my fingertips don't pick up any residue, however I find a lot of black pepper bits all over my lap and desk. It seems tearing off pieces causes the bits to fly off.

black pepper beef jerky
peppered beef jerky
Snack Value

BeefJerky.com sells this Final Frontier Jerky at a price of $19.18 for an 8oz package. Shipping is free. They'll also discount that price if you buy two or more packages. Two packages works out to a price of $1.91 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $1.91 per ounce price, it's a fair value. I find the flavor to be fair or average, while the meat consistency is average and the chewing texture better. Compared to major brands of jerky sold in grocery stores, it's seem to offer the same value.

As a black peppered jerky, at the same $1.91 per ounce price, it's a good value. I'm getting a lot of black pepper flavor and a lot of cracked black pepper bits, perhaps more than what most major brands offer.

Rating

final frontier jerky nutrition
I'm giving this an average rating.

This Final Frontier Jerky from BeefJerky.com is a black peppered beef jerky that punches out a lot of cracked black pepper flavor but mixes in a good deal of soy sauce flavor too. In fact, the black pepper can become quite intense, and the saltiness feels high too.

Even though there's a little bit of smokiness and a touch of garlic, it isn't enough to balance out what is largely a black pepper & soy sauce flavor, which I don't find above average at all.  If I could pick up more of the natural meat flavors, perhaps the flavor would rate better.

The meat consistency is average, being a little tough in some places, stringy in others, and I don't like the streaks of gristle. Still, it's actually not bad, but not impressive. The chewing texture is good, however, feeling and chewing like real steak.

The bits of black pepper getting all over my lap and desk was problematic for me. I had to be more cautious about tearing off pieces which took a little bit away from the overall snacking enjoyment. It wouldn't be an issue at all if you're eating this outdoors.

My recommended beer pairing, go with a brown ale or lager, such as the Moose Drool Brown Ale or the Samuel Adams Boston Lager.

Rating: Average

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1 comment:

  1. Thank You for your reviews, I found your site on Google Plus. I'll tell my friends about you.

    ReplyDelete