Gentlemen's Beef Jerky - B.B.Q.

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 light sweet, yet advances to a subtle barbecue sauce with a faint smoke. There's a light spicy, peppery seasoning that comes in. The chewing brings on more of a thick saucy texture, with a light tomatoey tang. The natural meats flavors come in. The black pepper becomes more noticeable, while hints of coriander seed linger in the background.

For being labeled, "B.B.Q." it does deliver a barbecue sauce and seasoning weighted towards a tomatoey base with a light peppery spice. It's not quite the big bold flavor that Texas-style barbecues are known for, nor is it a thick sweet that Kansas City-styles are associated with. This is perhaps more of a barbecue-seasoned jerky with a light tomato flavor, and a bit of a sweet.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is black pepper seasoning with a light tomato-sauce base, a light sweet, and touches of other spices including coriander seed. The natural meat flavors come through well in the chewing, having a light buttery character.

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 B.B.Q. variety from Gentlemen's Beef Jerky has more of a barbecue seasoning profile than a thick sweet & sticky sauce. It has a light tomato-sauce flavor, but adds in a variety of seasonings, namely black pepper and coriander seed. It's really a barbecue style all its own, not really falling into any of the dominant styles like Texas, Kansas City, Carolina, Georgia, etc. It's really the natural meat flavors that shine through, and for that matter you could think of the barbecue flavors as being just a compliment to an otherwise, buttery meat flavor. The initial dry crunch of these pieces creates some nice snackability before softening down a steak-like texture.

Rating: Good (4/5)