Billy Franks Beef Jerky - Holy Mother of God

Next up from Billy Franks Beef Jerky is this "Holy Mother of God" variety. See our reviews of other flavors from Billy Franks.

Billy Franks describes this Holy Mother of God beef jerky as, "special spice recipe that includes The Ribman's HOLY MOTHER OF GOD Limited edition 'Holy F**k' sauce. Made especially for Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Street Party 10 year anniversary. Hand cut tasty chunks of fierce hot & spicy meaty goodness. High in protein low in fat. Very addictive & VERY VERY HOT!!!"

Billy Franks beef jerky is a small-batch maker of eclectic beef jerky, based in London, England. The creation of computer programmer, Will Francis Yates, it's all hand made from rare breeds of indigenous cattle such as Red Devons, Angus, Dexters, Herefords, and Galloways from Cornwall and Scotland.

Ingredients

British Beef, Holy Mother of God Holy F**k Sauce (chillies, oil & spices), Vinegar, Ketchup, Soy Sauce, Honey, Liquid Smoke, Lemon Juice, Black Pepper.

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a rich chile pepper flavor, one that is quite hot. There's a light bit of sweet, and a light oily flavor.

The chewing brings in a little bit of natural meat flavor, a bit more of the "Holy F**k Sauce", and touches of lemon juice, and maybe a touch of vinegar.

For being marketed as "Holy Mother of God", and described as containing The Rib Man's "Holy F**k Sauce", as well as, "VERY VERY HOT!!", it seems to hold up. Yes, it's quite hot, and it does have a nice chile pepper flavor. The Holy F**k Sauce is said to be made from Scotch Bonnets and some smaller amounts of Ghost Peppers, and I can taste those flavors in there. The level of heat in this sauce is definitely hot enough to call "Hot", and I imagine that most folks just might blurt out, "Holy F**k!" when trying some of this.

But in comparison to other brands of extremely hot jerky, it sits well below others. Ed's Roadhouse Scorpion Bite Jerky is still the hottest I've had to date. Appalachian Jerky's "Thermonuclear" is also much hotter, as is Mike's Jerky "El Diablo" and Trailhead Beef Jerky's "XXX Naga Jolokia".

And it's not to say that Brits don't appreciate super hot foods the way Americans do, because them blokes are some of the world's best experts on raising chiles and raising Scoville units.

But, I've never had the Holy F**k Sauce, so I can't adequately judge how well this jerky represents that flavor. I can only tell you that this jerky has a lot of chile pepper flavor, and a high level of heat.

Otherwise, the flavors that define this jerky starts largely with the chile pepper flavor, in a very acute and intense amount. There's also a light touch of sweet and that light ketchup flavor that seems to be Billy Franks' signature flavor. I can also pick up a light vinegar in the chewing, and touches of smokiness.

Collectively, the ingredients combine to create a jerky that still seems light on overall flavor, though rich with the chile pepper flavor. The natural meat flavors are more noticeable in this variety from Billy Franks as a result, allowing me to pick up the more faint notes of vinegar, pepper, and smoke.

The level of saltiness in this feels light.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced into small, thin strips of one to four inches in length.

This is a dry jerky with a dry surface feel. Biting off pieces wasn't as tough as the other varieties I reviewed from Billy Franks. I don't know if this is something unique about this flavor, or just something random in the batch of meat.

The chewing texture starts out feeling dry. There's a fair amount of initial chewing resistance, but once it chews down, it breaks down quickly. Once down to a soft mass, it feel very much like a piece of steak, one cooked well-done, and rather dry.

I don't find any bits of fat on these strips, nor any tendon or gristle. I didn't find any stringiness and no unchewable tissues. It's very meaty.

In terms of clean eating, it's very clean, leaving no residue on my fingers and no bits of meat or seasoning falling on my lap or desktop.

Snack Value

Billy Franks sells this Holy Mother of God beef jerky from its website at a price of £3.50 for a 40g bag. By today's currency exchange rates, that works out to $5.37 for approximately a 1.4oz bag. I don't know what the shipping costs are, particularly to the United States, that works out to $3.81 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $3.81 per ounce price, it's a weak value. That's an expensive price, and that's without the shipping price considered. Still, even though it offers a good overall flavor and good meat consistency, I'm not getting that superb of an experience to warrant the expensive price.

As a jerky flavored with "Holy F**k Sauce", at the same $3.81 per ounce price, it's a fair value. I do get a rich chile pepper flavor, and a good deal of heat, which I presume this sauce is full of.

Rating

I'm giving this a good rating.

This Holy Mother of God beef jerky from Billy Franks is said to be marinated with The Rib Man's "Holy F**k Sauce", based primarily on Scotch Bonnet and Ghost peppers. And this jerky is full of the chile pepper flavors, along with a good deal of heat. Don't let the name "Holy Mother of God" scare you though, it's not quite as hot a few other brands I've reviewed, but still hot enough to give you a decent burn.

But aside from that, the other flavors remain light, with a touch of initial sweet and faint ketchup notes, along with a light bit of vinegar. The natural meat flavors come through pretty well, however.

It's a little more tender than the other Billy Franks varieties I reviewed, but still quite dry. The easier chewing is nice, and makes for a more enjoyable snacking experience.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

• http://www.billyfranks.co.uk/