Monday, January 9, 2023

Gentlemen's Beef Jerky - Sweet Chili

gentlemens beef jerky
Gentlemen's Beef Jerky is a new brand launched by Chef Shehu Fitzgerald, based out of Staten Island, NY. Chef Shehu gained famed after winning it all on Season Seven of Food Network, "Chopped". He went on to compete on "Chopped Champs" and on ABC's, "The Taste".

The celebrated culinary master spent over 20 years at high profile restaurants including the Ritz Carlton, the Marriott Marquis and Essex House. He is currently banquet chef at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua in Hawaii. He earned a culinary degree at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, and received certifications from The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, Calif. and Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies, United Kingdom.

This new line of jerky is an extension of his line of spice blends he started in 2014.

Ingredients

None provided

Review

The first flavors I pick up is a good deal of sweet. There's a cayenne and/or red chile pepper flavor that comes in quickly. The chewing brings on more of the cayenne/chile pepper, while a light salt shows up. The natural meat flavors are noticeable towards the end.

For being labeled, "Sweet Chili" it certainly delivers. It's quite sweet for one, but the chili is also right there. I get a red chile pepper flavor, similar to the flakes you spread on a pizza, but also a light cayenne. The level of heat is nominal, and rates a "mild medium" on our heat scale.

Overall, the primary taste profile is a dominant sweet, almost a candied flavor, with a well-defined red chile pepper, a light salt and the natural meat flavors at the end.

The meat consistency seems excellent. It's actually dry, but not chewy at all It's very easy to bite into and in fact it feels very light, almost "flakey" like a pie crust, yet it seems to mesh together like a real steak. There's a nice "crunch" in the first couple chews before it comes together into something meaty. I spot light amounts of fat, but no stringiness.

Verdict

This Sweet Chili variety from Gentlemen's Beef Jerky delivers a lot of chile pepper flavor, yet only a mild-medium heat, making it quite tolerable for most audiences. It has a lot of sweetness, and almost tastes candied. Overall, it's more of a simple flavor than compared to the brand's Cracked Pepper variety I reviewed previously. The meat consistency, however, is excellent. I love the light crunch, the meaty almost steak-like texture, and the easy chewing. Think of this as a sweet & spicy variety, but with a good deal of chile pepper flavor.

Rating: Best (5/5)


sweet chili beef jerky
sweet chili beef jerky

3 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. It's only available through Chef Shehu's Instagram account, you must send him a direct message: https://www.instagram.com/shehufitzgerald/

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  2. Thx...I got some and it's very good if not a bit spendy. Can you suggest a jerky that is texturally similar?

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