Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Little Bit Jerky - Spiked Cocoa Bit

little bit jerky
Little Bit Jerky has a couple new flavors out, including this "Spiked Cocoa Bit".

The "Little Bit Jerky" brand launched in February 2016, by Robert Helmcamp and Teresa Helmcamp, based out of Wichita Falls, TX.

Robert is a professional butcher of 22 years, learning the craft the "old school" way, and developed his own seasonings. Little Bit Jerky is made fresh daily from top round, and marinated for 18-24 hours.

This "Spiked Cocoa Bit" is described by the company as being, "marinated in chocolate and a little jalapeno", going on to say that it gives you a sweet and spicy taste.

Ingredients

Beef, water, natural hickory wood smoke, vinegar, salt, caramel color, molasses, papain, citric acid, black pepper, fructose corn syrup, coca sugar, mono and diglycerides, xanthan, artificial flavor, paprika, chili pepper, onion powder, mustard, jalapeno.

Review

The first flavors I taste is a light smokiness with some seasoned salt. I can pick up the chili pepper and paprika. A light bit of heat starts to build. The chewing brings on some vinegar and natural meat flavors. Meanwhile, the salt picks up, as does the heat.

For having been marinated in chocolate and jalapeno, it seems to hold up. I do taste overtones of chocolate in this, more as cacao rather than a milk chocolate bar. It's comparable to the chocolate one might taste in Mole Sauce. The jalapeno is more prominent, creating a light flavor but a more noticeable heat. I'd rate the heat as "medium" (level 3 out of 5) on my personal heat scale.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is a salty, seasoning blend of paprika, onion, jalapeno, and chili pepper, flanked with light tangy vinegar, and a woody smoke flavor. Think of it more as a salty, spicy mole sauce marinade.

The meat consistency looks really good, mostly all meat, sliced into slabs of medium thickness. I found a fair amount of stringiness in the chewing. It's dry, but flexible, and manages to tear apart with light effort. The chewing starts out quite chewy and eventually softens up enough to feel like a well-done cooked steak.

Verdict

This Spiked Cocoa Bit from Little Bit Jerky is reminds me of strips of beef marinaded in mole sauce, but a little more heavy on the jalapeno flavor and heat, and a little smoky from the hickory wood and paprika. It's truly a Tex-Mex fusion of smoked beef jerky with south-of-the-border flavors. It's not chocolatey sweet, but more like uses cacao. While this jerky tends to be salty, I still like the smoky profile, the jalapeno and tangy vinegar, and the steak-like chewing. This jerky offers some good complexity for aficionados that want intellectual snacking.

Rating: Best



cocoa beef jerky

spiked cocoa jerky

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