Monday, January 18, 2016

Chudabeef Jerky Strips - Hawaiian

chudabeef jerky strips
Chudabeef Jerky Strips is a brand launched by Kevin Casey based out of Long Beach, CA. The brand has been in business since 2014, and at the beginning of 2015 had just completed a successful Kickstarter campaign.

Kevin is an active hiker and had been making his own jerky for his trips through the wilderness. His friends loved it so much, they offered to pay him for some. That got him interested in starting his own jerky business.

This Hawaiian is described the company as being marinated with fresh Pineapple and Orange Juice to, "...create the sweetest flavor we have to offer". It goes on to suggest that if you have a candy addiction, that this Hawaiian variety will satify your sweet tooth.


Ingredients

Beef, tamari soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, sweetened rice vinegar, orange juice, sesame oil, garlic powder, green onion, dried chili pepper, ginger, natural flavor

Review

The first thing I taste on the palate is a sweetness with some tang, and a light salt. The chewing brings on a tangy vinegar, with touches of orange, maybe bits of pineapple, along with a garlic and onion seasoning. There's a faint natural meat flavor towards the end.

For being dubbed, "Hawaiian" and described as being sweet enough to satisfy a candy addiction, it's hard to say if this holds up. There certainly is a sweetness in there, but it's not heavy. I'd say the vinegar is strong enough to create a balance of sweet, tangy, and pungent. Think of something along the lines of mandarin orange vinegarette salad dressing, where the vinegar has a light citrusy orange and a little bit of sweet. I don't think this will satisfy a sweet tooth, but I think I still taste hints of Hawaiian style cuisine in here.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is that of a tangy vinegar flavor, with a swash of citrusy orange for a lightly fruity character. There's some noticeable sweet in this, not a lot, and then some identifiable garlic and onion seasoning. Overall, it's a very mild tasting jerky, suitable for all snackers.

The meat consistency seem pretty good. I find mostly all meat with no visible signs of fat, though I experienced some stringiness. It's quite soft to chew, more so than you might expect. It has a very meaty chewing texture, though a little bit rubbery.

Verdict

This Hawaiian variety from Chudabeef Jerky Strips offers a fruity orange character, perhaps something you might find in Hawaiian style cuisine. It's not the heavily sweet, pineapple-laced style I tend to associate with the Hawaiian Islands, but it still seems to impart some of those themes. Otherwise, it's actually quite tasty, and quite a unique flavor I don't often find in competing jerky brands. I actually like tangy vinegar flavor, with a touch of citrus. It's not as sweet as the company would have you believe, but still quite satisfying in its own right. The soy sauce doesn't identify itself very well, thus I don't pick up much savory, which leaves this jerky tasting light and airy. Aside from the lightly rubbery chew, it's overall satisfying, just not in a sweet way.

Rating: Good


hawaiian jerky

hawaiian jerky strips

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