Mountain Man Kippered Beef Steak - Spicy

Mountain Man is a brand of Old Trapper Smoked Products, Inc., based out of Forest Grove, OR. The brand has been around since 1986.

I found this package at a Grocery Outlet in San Diego, CA. Grocery Outlet is primarily a liquidator that buys up overstock and unsold inventory. This particular package still has another 19 months to go before it's "Sell by" date.

Otherwise, the parent company, doesn't really have a website for its Mountain Man line of meat snacks, and the label itself doesn't make any marketing claims aside from being, "Spicy" and "Kippered".


Ingredients

Beef, brown sugar, water, salt, flavorings, beef stock, vinegar, hydrolyzed corn protein, sodium nitrite.

Review

The first flavors I pick up are a light sweet followed by the red chile pepper flakes. The chewing brings on some salt along with touches of savory and tanginess. There's a light "beefy" flavor in the latter part of chewing.

Considering it's claims of being, "Spicy", it definitely does have a spiciness from the red chile pepper flakes, but somewhere between light and moderate. I can taste the red chile pepper flakes more than I can feel its heat. I'd rate it at "mild medium" (level 2 out of 5) on our heat scale.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is that of sweet and salty, with the flavor of red chile pepper flakes. There's touches of tanginess plus a savory character. The only natural meat flavors is a "beefy" quality in the background.

This is a chopped and formed product, which for me is not what I think of as "kippered". This is certainly more thick than most brands of chopped and formed jerky, and is more easy to chew, which is what kippered meat snacks tend to be, but I'm used to seeing whole muscle in a kippered product. This chews a little more like real meat than compared to the company's "Peppered" variety I reviewed earlier, but still not quite like steak.

Verdict

This Spicy variety from Mountain Man Kippered Beef Steak delivers on its claims with a low to moderate spiciness and flavor from the red chile pepper flakes. Otherwise, the jerky itself is rather ordinary, and doesn't really offer any kind of taste interest. It's largely a familiar sweet, salty, and savory trio with very little meat flavors. While the package also claims, "Kippered" on the label, this is not really the kippered beef snack I'm used to seeing in other brands, this is chopped and formed, and not at all the traditional practice of fresh filets soaking in brine and seasonings, that I'm used to seeing.

Overall, it's most redeeming qualities are the thick pieces of easy chewing and the red chile pepper flavor, but otherwise, it's rather lackluster jerky in both taste and texture.

Rating: Average (3/5)