Grill Your Ass Off Jerky - Salt & Pepper

Grill Your Ass Off is a line of jerky and seasonings that launched in 2016 by Army Veterans, Jason Murff, based out of Hutto, TX. Murff had actually started with a line of seasonings and just now expanded into jerky.

The idea for his brand stems back into his Army days when he developed seasonings for his brothers in arms. After the service, he went into college to sharpen his business skills and went on to launch his new brand. Murff donates a portion of his proceeds to charities that benefit military and first responders.

This Salt & Pepper beef jerky is described by Murff as, "Simply beef, salt, and pepper", going on to say that it's his only jerky not marinated in soy sauce.

Ingredients

Beef, water, salt, black pepper, salt cure (93.75% salt and 6.25% sodium nitrite)

Review

The first flavor that hits my tongue is a light salt. A faint meat flavor starts to come in. The chewing increases the natural meat flavor, comparable to that "buttery" flavor I found in their Original variety. Light levels of black pepper wallow in the background.

For being marketed as "Salt & Pepper", it has a moderate-to-high saltiness that can creep up on you over several pieces. The black pepper plays backup, offering a light spice that remains behind the scenes. It's not a freshly cracked flavor, but a peppery spice much like you'd get out of table shaker.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is a moderately salted, lightly peppered, natural meat flavor. It takes on a slightly cured meat palate, but having that buttery character.

These are very thin sliced slabs that feel dry, and are quite chewy. There's touches of crunch to these in the initial chews. They eventually chew down into more meaty and steak-like than with GYAO's other jerky varieties. I do see a fair amount of fat streaks in these slices, but because they are quite dry, they add nothing to the chewing, nor to the flavor.

Verdict

This Salt & Pepper beef jerky from Grill Your Ass Off is surprisingly good despite its minimal ingredients. At just beef, salt, and pepper, with no soy sauce or sugar, it's a welcome throwback to simple recipes that don't compromise flavor. The meat in these thin sliced slabs have a buttery flavor that make them irresistible. Dried crisp, these pieces have a crunch in the initial chews that make them more snackable, yet still chew down into something steak-like. Taste-wise, the salty profile with the light black pepper is creates a lot of flavor on their own. But it's really the buttery, natural meat flavor and the thin, crunchy chewing that makes this jerky a winner.

Rating: Best (5/5)