Legacy Meats - Sweet & Smokey

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 Sweet & Smokey Beef Jerky is described by them as, "...uses a mix of 'Awesome Cinnamon' and Chipotle flavoring.".

Ingredients

Beef, soy sauce, sugar, artificial flavor, lemon and lime juice, garlic, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, cinnamon, chipotle.

Review

The first flavor that hits my palate is a light smoke followed by a light soy sauce and a trace of sweet. There's a faint garlic and chipotle that trickles in. The chewing brings on some of the natural meat flavors, while hints of cinnamon can be identified.

For being labeled as "Sweet & Smokey", both are light but still noticeable. The sweet doesn't really strike you, it instead takes a back seat yet continues to help color the overall flavor. The smoke is perhaps the first noticeable flavor, but eventually allows the other ingredients to come through. Together, there's enough of the duo to deliver this jerky's marketed flavor.

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is soy sauce but boosted with a light cinnamon and smokey chipotle, a touch of sweet, traces of seasonings, all over a light natural meat flavor. Despite the use of hot sauce, cayenne, and chili pepper, there's zero heat to this.

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 Sweet & Smokey beef jerky from Legacy Meats has a pleasant chipotle smokiness over a light sweet, yet remains mild in spice. It's largely a soy sauce-forward chew but boosted with a touch of cinnamon and smoked pepper over a light natural meat flavor. It even has a subtle chewing-tobacco flavor, perhaps suitable for dudes trying to wean off the dip. There's still a lingering natural meat flavor that helps keep this meaty and beefy in profile. The chewing is great; chewy yet tender, dry yet soft, with a genuine steak-like texture. While I did find these slices salty, and beckoning a cold refreshing drink, it's very much a cowboy-style jerky for its strong flavor and a meaty representation of the Colorado Front Range.

Rating: Average (4/5)