Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Dried and True Beef Jerky - Spicy Teriyaki

dried and true beef jerky
Dried and True is a brand that I covered a couple of years ago with their Sriracha Lima and Korean BBQ varieties. Recently, they sent me packages of their Original, Chile Limon, and Spicy Teriyaki.

Founded in Venice CA in 2012, by a local named Matt Lauster, Dried and True Beef Jerky sought to change to people's taste buds and perception of what beef jerky could taste like. After refining his product by selling at local farmer's markets and the LA food festival scene, Matt claims that so many customers have proclaimed, "This is the best jerky I've ever eaten!". He uses exclusively from California raised beef without chemical preservatives, nitrates/nitrites, MSG or high fructose corn syrup.

This "Spicy Teriyaki" variety is described by the company as a "one-two combo of sweet and heat", claiming to be made with pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, but "kicked up with ginger and fresh jalapeños for just a little bite". It's a brisket cut and sliced against the grain to yield a tender chew and texture.

Ingredients: Beef, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, pineapple juice, hot sauce, fresh jalapenos, garlic powder, lemon juice, black pepper, organic worcestershire sauce, ginger.

Review


The first flavor to hit my palate is a thick sweetness and a distinct pineapple. There's a light bit of heat building up. The chewing brings on more of the pineapple, while I can I taste the jalapeno flavors coming in. There's also a light natural meat flavor noticeable towards the end of chewing.

For being marketed as "Spicy Teriyaki", it seems to fit the billing. It's definitely spicy, primarily through the jalapeno flavor and heat. The teriyaki is hard to identify through the stronger sweet and pineapple flavors, but hints of it show up in the chewing.

Otherwise, the flavor that defines this jerky overall is a thick sweetness and pineapple. The pineapple is not tart as one would expect; it's dull, but clearly a pineapple flavor. The jalapenos kick in a light bit of its flavor, but a lot of its heat. After that, it's touches of teriyaki sauce, and a light amounts of natural meat flavor towards the end.

The level of heat feels to be at a moderate, or slightly above, level. On my personal heat scale, I'd rate it as "medium" (level 3 out of 5).

The meat consistency feels comparable to the company's "Original" that I reviewed recently, but more tender and moist. This still feels rather mushy, or perhaps gummy with the higher sugar concentration, but yet it still gives off a more meaty feel. Overall, it gives me a better sense of eating real meat.

Verdict


This Spicy Teriyaki from Dried and True is a little more strong on the spicy and less so on the teriyaki. But overall, I still found it very enjoyable with its distinct pineapple flavor and the taste of fresh jalapenos. If you like sweet and heat, you're going to get lots of it in this. The teriyaki flavor is hard to identify, however. The chewing is soft, moist, though somewhat mushy or gummy. It still gave off a meaty feel, and overall didn't impede in the enjoyment.

Rating: Good


dried and true beef jerky

dried and true beef jerky

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