Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Long Beach Jerky Co. - Buffalo Wing

buffalo wing jerky
Long Beach Jerky Co. was founded in June 2013 by Alex Naticchioni and Richie Beckman, based out of Long Beach, CA.

It's roots goes back to Alex's grandfather "gramps", who was a beef jerky hobbyist. Gramps would make jerky each year during the Christmas season and stuff stockings with it. As Alex got older, he started helping Gramps make jerky and eventually learned the whole recipe and process. He teamed up with his friend Richie and the two started Long Beach Jerky Co.

Made from brisket meat, this "Buffalo Wing" variety is described by the company as, "Our original buffalo chicken wing recipe that was too good not to turn into jerky. The perfect couch snack with a kick. Paired best with football and beer." Steven Tyler of Aerosmith actually gave an endorsement of this jerky.

Ingredients

Beef, Frank's Red Hot, soy sauce, cayenne, black pepper, Lawry's season salt, onion, cornstarch, garlic, tricalcium phosphate (prevents caking), natural flavor, paprika, oleoresin (for color), garlic powder, rosemary

Taste

The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a hot sauce flavor with a well-pronounced vinegar component. It has a noticeable garlic taste, and I can even taste some of the soy sauce in this too.

The chewing brings in much of the same flavors. The black pepper is a little more noticeable after a few pieces. There's also more of a seasoning flavor in this rather than a straight-up Frank's Red Hot flavor.

For being marketed as "Buffalo Wing", it certainly holds up to that description. It definitely has the classic buffalo wing sauce flavor to it, but it's not purely that flavor. Imagine taking a 50/50 mix of hot sauce and soy sauce, and then adding some seasonings to it, primarily garlic, onion, and black pepper. You get all the savory character from the soy sauce, but the classic buffalo wing sauce from the Frank's Red Hot.

Otherwise, the flavor that seems to define this jerky than any other is the Frank's Red Hot with its associated vinegar. But as you chew a piece down, you can tell the soy sauce plays a significant role, and then realize there's a good deal of garlic, onion and black pepper in this too.

The natural meat flavors are only faintly noticeable through all the layers of flavorings.

As for heat, there's a light amount of burn. I'd rate it as "mild medium" on my personal heat scale (level 2 out of 5), but if you're not used to spicy foods, it might not agree with your palate.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be cuts of whole meat, advertised as beef brisket, sliced thick into medium sized pieces.

It's largely a dry jerky with a faintly moist surface feel. They maintain a good deal of flexibility. Biting off pieces can require a little twisting and pulling, though most are actually easy enough that it's not an issue. Chewing is "tough" overall, but not that bad.

The chewing texture starts out feeling stiff and dry, though retaining a slight moist character. The initial chewing is laborious but gets easier as you go along, and takes on a meaty character. By the time it's chewed down to a soft mass, it feels like real meat. Some pieces have some significant streaks of fat that make it feel more mushy.

Because of all the flavorings caked up on these pieces, it's hard to notice any fat. However, I did chew into some pieces where I could feel fat. I haven't encountered any gristle or tendon, however. There is some stringiness, which seems to be the norm with brisket-based jerky, though it tends to be more minimal with this sample.

As for clean eating, it's mostly clean. My fingers don't pick up much residue, though there is a fair amount of seasoning falling off as I bite off pieces.

buffalo wing jerky

buffalo wing beef jerky

Snack Value

Long Beach Jerky Co. sells this Buffalo Wing variety from its website at a price of $6.00 for a 2.5oz package. They actually sell a variety bundle where you get three packages of jerky, one of each their flavors, for $14.00. Add to that flat rate shipping of $5.05, and it works out to $2.54 per ounce.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $2.54 per ounce price, it's a decent value. Compared to other brands of jerky sold in stores, it's priced higher, but it seems to offer better flavor. Chewing seems to be more tough than the average lot of jerky brands, and it can chew rather dry too.

For being marketed as a "Buffalo Wing" beef jerky, at the same $2.54 per ounce price, it's a good value. It definitely delivers on that flavor, but gives you a more savory character with the soy sauce and seasonings.

Rating

I'm giving this jerky a good rating.

This Buffalo Wing variety from Long Beach Jerky Co. dishes out the well-known and loved flavor of buffalo wing sauce, but tempered and mixed with the classic jerky seasonings of soy sauce, garlic, onion, and black pepper. What you get is the spicy, vinegar of Frank's Red Hot sauce, the savory marinade of soy sauce, and the famous one-two-three punch of garlic, onion, and black pepper.

Overall, I found the flavor of this jerky to be awesome. I love the balance between the hot sauce, soy sauce, and spices. However, I found the chew a little on the dry side and tough side. Moreover, I wasn't able to get much of the natural meat flavors.

Still, it's an excellent jerky that's sure to please. It would work really well on a party-platter, as a replacement for actual buffalo wings, being that there are no bones to set aside and fingers to wipe up. Pair this with a craft pilsner beer.

Rating: Good

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