Joe's Wicked Good Jerky - Joemama's Hot

Joe's Wicked Good Beef Jerky is a brand owned by Joe's Wicked Good Jerky Corporation, based out of Redding, CA. It was started by the husband and wife duo of Joe Nixt and Traci Nixt, who launched the brand in October 2014.

At the time, Joe had been making his own jerky for over 20 years. He's shared it with friends and co-workers from his contracting business. When Traci lost her secretarial position, the couple decided to make a go at running a jerky company.

This "Joemama's Hot" is described by the company as being made with "fresh jalapenos", and that it's "not too hot, but the sting sneaks up on you".


Ingredients

Beef, Marinade (soy sauce, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, mirin, water, dehydrated garlic, spice, modified corn starch, sunflower oil), Marinade (soy sauce, rehydrated onions, garlic, caramel, vinegar, apple juice concentrate, carrots, cabbage, parsley, turnips, parsnips, natural flavors, spices, citric acid, malic acid), jalapeno, cayenne.

Review

The first flavors I pick up on the palate is a saltiness with a noticeable sweet. I can pick up a light soy sauce along with a light garlic and onion. The chewing brings on a touch more definition of soy sauce along with a subtle jalapeno flavor. There's only a wee bit of heat in the background.

For being named, "Joemama's Hot" and described as having a sting that sneaks up on you, I'm still waiting for the sting. There's a light bit of heat on the back of my tongue that I would rate as "mild medium" on my personal heat scale (level 2 out of 5). In my opinion, it's too weak for something labeled, "Hot". Even though many brands tend to water down their hottest jerky to appeal to a wider customer base, it seems to me that spicy food lovers would find this disappointing, while tame-tongue snackers would never buy something labeled "hot" anyway.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile of this jerky is that of soy sauce boosted with garlic and onion, and dashed with a light sweet. The jalapeno flavor is subtle, but is there if you look for it, while the heat feels too weak for spicy food addicts, but probably OK for those who don't normally eat spicy foods. The natural meat flavor is hardly noticeable.

The meat consistency seems comparable to the large, national brands, but perhaps a little more meaty in texture. I see a few spots of fat here and there, and I can even taste the flavor of fat in the chewing too. It's mostly a dry jerky, and chews more meaty and somewhat steak-like than the company's other varieties.

Verdict

I'm not really sure what demographic of meat snackers this jerky was intended for, because the level of heat is too light for spicy food lovers.

This "Joemama's Hot" from Joe's Wicked Beef Jerky is not actually hot at all. Even though the company admits that this is, "not too hot", it does however claim that the "sting sneaks up on you". Yet, for a spicy food lover like myself, there was no sting to be found even after eating through the entire package. Otherwise on its own merits, this jerky has a snackable flavor, though not as good as the company's other varieties, and in fact seemed somewhat average compared to other national brands of jerky. If anything, it has a good chewing texture and meat consistency.

Rating: Average (3/5)

Buy this online:

• http://www.joeswickedgoodjerky.com/