Monday, December 6, 2021

Jeff's Famous Jerky - Smoked Paprika Steak Tapas

jeffs famous jerky
Jeff's Famous Jerky recently released this new flavor, Smoked Paprika Steak Tapas. Based out of Mission Viejo, CA, Jeff's Famous Jerky is a brand owned by Jeff's Famous Foods, Inc.

The company started up in 2010 when Jeff Richards decided to make a business from his favorite snack food, jerky. Since the 1970s, Richards has been making his own jerky, getting better year after year, similar to like a 40-year old bourbon. Professionally, Richards has spent his career in the restaurant business and also coaches entrepreneurs through a consulting business.

This Smoked Paprika Steak Tapas is made using "super premium authentic smoked paprika imported from Spain" according to Jeff himself.

Ingredients

Beef, soy sauce, brown sugar, fresh garlic, worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, sweet smoked paprika, lime juice, black pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper

Review

The first flavor that hits right away is a light paprika, along with some sweet and a touch of salt. The chewing brings on a bit more paprika, along with the natural meat flavors. There's a vinegar tanginess that comes in, along with hints of worcestershire, while a faint spiciness becomes noticeable.

For being named, "Smoked Paprika Steak Tapas", there's certainly a noticeable paprika profile to this, and it's smokiness is noticeable right away. It's not a wood smoke flavor, but that familiar dried, roasted sweet pepper character. The paprika itself is not spicy, but there's a wee bit of heat from the cayenne, though still weak enough to call this "mild" on our heat scale (level 1/5)

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is a tangy vinegar-focused marinade with a noticeable worcestershire, and seasoned primarily with paprika and touches of sweet and cayenne pepper. The vinegar has that grape-like musty quality that balsamic is known for, and actually combines really well with worcestershire to create a lively, yet earthy marinade.

The meat consistency is excellent. This is a semi-moist, and tender jerky cut from what appears to be beef brisket. The initial bite is soft yet meaty, and once chewed down it feels almost like filet-mignon cooked medium rare. I didn't find any stringiness or unchewable tissues.

Verdict

This Smoked Paprika Steak Tapas variety from Jeff's Famous Jerky brings out the full flavor of paprika through it's dried, smoked sweet pepper profile. It actually gives this jerky a more European character, perhaps more closer to Hungarian, or even Turkish cuisine. The marinade of balsamic vinegar and worcestershire actually creates the perfect supporting base by creating a flavor both tangy yet earthy, and still somewhat savory. But, layering all that on top of soft, semi-moist strips of beef, is the coup d'état invades the senses and starts a revolution. If there's ever a jerky that begs for a wash of red wine, it's these strips of paprika dusted beef, for its earthy, smoky profile.

Rating: Best (5/5)

Buy this online:

smoked paprika beef jerky

paprika beef jerky




1 comment:

  1. Thanks as always for your comprehensive review, Steve. This may be a seasonal flavor, so get some quick while you can!

    ReplyDelete