Legacy Meats - Teriyaki Beef Jerky

Legacy Meats is a family-run meat-distribution business located in Kersey, Colorado. Ben Elliott, who built a career raising cattle, launched this business in 2012 when the trend for buying locally-sourced foods gained traction. Last year, Ben and wife opened up a store in Kersey.

Legacy Meats supplies grass-fed steaks and chops to local customers, but has built a following across the world. Recently, they added beef jerky to their product line up. You can purchase jerky packages individually, or through their own Jerky subscription program.

This Teriyaki Beef Jerky is described by them as simply, "a traditional and favorite flavor".

Ingredients

Beef, soy sauce, wine, sugar, smoke flavor, lemon and lime juice, garlic, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, pepper, garlic powder, spices, chili powder, salt.

Review

The first flavor that hits my palate is a light salt, followed by a light soy sauce. There's a faint sweet that comes in next, along with a buttery character. The chewing brings on a bit more soy sauce definition along with light seasonings. Following behind is a light natural meat flavor.

For being marketed as, "Teriyaki", it's certainly not an orthodox variety. That is, it has some of the basic characteristics of teriyaki, yet doesn't really taste like teriyaki in the true Japanese-style sense. This has the soy sauce flavor, with only a touch of sweet. It doesn't have the fermented qualities of true teriyaki, nor the pungent ginger contrast.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is soy sauce, with just a touch of sweet, and a light garlic seasoning. There are hints of smoke, as well as a smooth, butter-like character.

The meat consistency looks good. I do see several pieces with significant fat, but they don't seem to get in the way of chewing, though don't add anything to the flavor either. These pieces are dry, yet not tough. They remain chewy, yet still easy enough to get through. They do, however, chew and feel like real pieces of steak, closer to something cooked well-done.

Verdict

This Teriyaki beef jerky from Legacy Meats takes a different approach towards the classic Japanese-style grilled meat, staying true to the soy sauce base, but moving well away from the sweetened, fermented flavor that other teriyaki jerky brands offer. This is largely a soy sauce-forward chew with only a touch of sweet, a hint of smoke, and then some light seasonings. While it's not quite what I would consider "teriyaki", it's definitely an original interpretation. Otherwise, it still offers a nice savory flavor, and a chewy yet easy to manage texture that feels very steak-like.

Rating: Average (3/5)