Uncle Bo's Beef Jerky - Holy Hot Habanero

Uncle Bo's Beef Jerky is a brand started by Tim Benton (AKA Uncle Bo), based out of Winter Springs, FL. Benton describes himself as a "native (hillbilly) from West Virginia and a pioneer at heart".

He started making jerky in 1998 after a friend bought him a dehydrator as a gift. After six months of experimenting, he came up with the recipe for his business. Since then, he's made jerky for friends and sold it locally. Last October, Benton launched a Kickstarter campaign to go USDA approved.

This "Holy Hot Habanero" is described by Uncle Bo as being, "Not has hot as it sounds", but also, "Made with twice as many whole Habaneros, this one has fuller flavor profile with a lot more heat.."


Ingredients

Beef, water, sugar, salt, lemon juice, sesame oil, oyster extract, concentrated smoke, ginger, garlic, habanero pepper

Review

The first thing I taste is a light sweet, followed by a light salt. There's a faint bit of heat building in the background. The chewing delivers a nice natural meat flavor.

For being named, "Holy Hot Habanero", it doesn't hold up. That is, it's not really not "hot". Yes, there is a noticeable amount of heat in the background, but too low for me to exclaim, "Holy Hot!" and much too low for something marketed with the word, "Habanero". The level of heat is something better associated with jalapeno, or perhaps roasted Hatch green chiles. It rates on our heat scale as "Medium" (level 3 out of 5). I also don't get enough habanero flavor, considering the company says it's made with, "twice as many whole Habaneros".

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is a light sweet and light salt, over a touch of seafood and some natural meat flavors. It's comparable to the company, "Sweet-n-Spicy", but with less sweet.

The meat consistency is excellent. These are thin-sliced strips cut against the grain, still chewy enough to be jerky, but yet easy enough to snack on without tiring the jaws. They start out chewy, but chew down to something more steak-like. It's a dry jerky, but doesn't chew tough nor crispy. I do see bits of fat here and there, but not too much, encountered only light stringiness.

Verdict

This "Holy Hot Habanero" doesn't really deliver enough heat to warrant the "Habanero" namesake. If you consider that only habanero chile lovers would dare buy something labeled, "Holy Hot", the intended audience for this jerky is not going to get the sweat-inducing burn they hope for. However, on its own merits, it's still delivers a moderate heat, though very little of the habanero's natural flavor. What you're mostly going to get is company's base marinade, with its signature seafood overtones, and it's excellent meat consistency and chewing texture. But because it doesn't back up it's labeling of being "Holy Hot", I'm deducting a star from the rating.

Rating: Average (3/5)