Chew On This Jerky - Sweet & Spicy

Chew On This Jerky is a new brand of jerky launched in April 2018 by Eric Bowlus and Grace Bowlus, based out of Corona, CA.

Veteran-owned and operated, the Bowlus' history in craft jerky goes back over 40 years working in the food manufacturing industry. Eric began making jerky as a hobby just within the last five. After a couple of years making dehydrated meats, he decided to turn it into a business.

This Sweet & Spicy variety is described by the company as, "Beef Jerky with a sweet taste, a little hickory, then the heat", going to to say that it's their most popular flavor.

Ingredient

Beef, brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, balsamic vinegar, teriyaki sauce, worcestershire sauce, hickory smoke, lime juice, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, red crushed pepper.

Review

The first flavors that I identify is a natural meat flavor with a fair amount of sweet and a light fruity, tang. The chewing brings on more of the fruit while a light spicy heat starts to build. A light savory marinade sits in the background colored with a hint of garlic and onion.

For being labeled as, "Sweet & Spicy", this jerky dishes up a moderate level of sweet but feels more sweet than it really is due to pronounced fruity flavors. The pineapple is prominent, but there's the citrus lingering in the background too. The spicy part is is there, but toned down. It's more of a combination of black pepper and crushed red pepper, and sits about "mild medium" on our heat scale (level 2 out of 5).

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is a light savory marinade, perhaps close to teriyaki, but fruited up with pineapple and citrus. The natural meat flavors come through fairly well, and are seasoned up with light swashes of black pepper, crushed red pepper, and garlic and onion.

The meat consistency is excellent. These are soft, tender strips of meat that chew easily and burst with flavor. Only small amounts of fat are noted, and little stringiness. Once chewed down, they take on a meaty texture but closer chewing like soft prime rib.

Verdict

This Sweet & Spicy variety from Chew On This Jerky is more of a fruit-forward chew that makes this jerky tastes more sweet than it really is. And that's probably a good thing if your trying to keep your carbs down. It lends itself to a nice tangy chewing, while a light spiciness gives you a little bit of heat from a duo of black pepper and crushed red pepper. The natural meat flavors come through pretty well and gives this jerky more of a meaty, steak flavor. Meanwhile, the soft, tender chewing still retains a steak-like chewing, more closer to prime rib. Overall, a lively flavor that gives you the goodness of beef in both flavor and chew.

Rating: Best (5/5)