Poor-Man's Jerky - Hawaiian Heatwave

Poor-Man's Jerky is owned by Mike Stringfield, based out of Wellsville, KS. A landscaper by day, and jerky chef at all other times.

The company makes both whole-muscle jerky, such as this Hawaiian Heatwave, along with chopped and formed jerky that we reviewed previously. Poor-Man's Jerky doesn't have its own website; all sales comes from local street festivals and county fairs, as well as through Facebook.

This "Hawaiian Heatwave" variety doesn't come with any other description or claims.

Ingredients

Beef eye round ground, pineapple juice, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, hot sauce, hickory smoke, brown sugar, ginger, spices, habanero

Review

The first flavors I pick up on the tongue are shades of worcestershire and teriyaki sauce, along with a lightly noticeable pineapple. The heat starts to come in. The chewing brings on faint traces of chile pepper flavor and ginger, while the heat continues to build.

For being named, "Hawaiian Heatwave", it seems to hold up. I do taste light touch of pineapple, weaker amounts of sweet and teriyaki. But I also get a good deal of heat, and touches of chile pepper flavor. I'd rate the heat as "medium hot" on my personal heat scale (level 4 out of 5).

Otherwise, the primary taste profile is a saucy blend of worcestershire and teriyaki with pineapple overtones, spiced up with some heat and touches of chile pepper flavor.

The meat consistency is excellent. Very lean strips of whole muscle beef with little fat to speak of. The strips are mostly tender and slightly moist, but in some cases can be a little chewy. The texture is excellent, chewing down into something that feels like real steak.

Verdict

This Hawaiian Heatwave variety from Poor-Man's Jerky offers up an excellent meat consistency and chewing texture through its thick strips of pure beef. It's a great jerky for folks who like the heat because it dishes out enough for a good burn without an intense scalding. The flavor is not quite as "Hawaiian" as I would like, though I think it still does the job. I think it should have a thicker sweetness, with stronger fruit flavors, perhaps adding mango, and putting more emphasis on the teriyaki instead of worcestershire. But on its own merits, it's still snackable, and still wins points on its excellent meat consistency and chewing.

Rating: Good