People's Choice Jerky - Orange Honey Teriyaki

People's Choice Beef Jerky makes a flavor, "Orange Honey Teriyaki".

People's Choice Beef Jerky is a brand of Peoples Sausage Company, Inc. based out of Los Angeles, CA. It's a family-run business that's been around since 1929. See our previous reviews of their jerky.

This Orange Honey Teriyaki is part of the company's "Tasting Kitchen" series, which is a line of jerky that mixes bold, eclectic ingredients, with the old fashioned style of making jerky. People's Choice says that this variety "...introduces a ping of sweetness and citrus from the honey and orange flavor... ...slowly brings through the more savory aspects of the Teriyaki sauce such as the spices and soy sauce. A subtle touch of ginger lingers in the mouth."

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Alien Fresh Jerky - Sweet & Spicy Premium

Alien Fresh Jerky is a brand that you might be familiar with if you've driven along Interstate 15 between Baker, CA and Las Vegas, NV. There are billboards along the desert highway with its alien cowboy brand, beckoning you to stop in Baker to buy some meat snacks.

To best of my knowledge, you can only buy this from their tiny store in Baker, or buy it online.

The Alien Fresh Brand comes in two series, the "regular" series of flavors, and then the "premium" series. The difference is that the premium line is made from beef brisket, while the regular is made from some other cut of beef. This Sweet & Spicy variety is apparently their top seller in the premium series.


Taste

The ingredients list shows the following: beef brisket, red chile, fructose, vinegar, orange peel, water, orange juice, garlic onion, spices, pectin, salt, cracked pepper, cayenne, paprika, ground oregano, thyme and spices. To their credit, they've used no artificial flavorings and preservatives.

The main thing I taste is sweet and spicy. The red chile flavor comes through very well, as does the cayenne and paprika, as well as the sweetness. I can also taste a slight orange in this. When Alien Fresh Jerky says this is "sweet & spicy" they really mean it.

The "hot" factor in this is exactly that "hot". Eating some pieces, I'm breaking a sweat and feeling the tingling in my scalp, and I can feel my tongue burning.

There is still some natural beef flavors that come through despite the thick flavoring. You won't notice it if you chew it and swallow right away. You have to chew it slightly, keep it in your mouth for about 10-15 seconds and extract the juices.

Meat Consistency

The package says this is made from beef brisket, and it appears to be so.

Each piece is soft and moist.

The meat is sticky due to its thick sweetness. Each piece I pick up I end up licking the stickiness from my fingers. But it's not so sticky like syrup. I actually find it enjoyable.

This jerky is sliced thin, and is not chewy, and very easy to tear apart. It still feels like beef when I chew it.

There is some marbling of fat, which I'd expect to find in beef brisket.

Rating

I'm giving this a "best" rating.

It's got everything a jerky lover can ask for, tons of taste, soft and moist, easy to eat, no artificial flavorings and preservatives, still retains some natural beef flavors, offers some fat marblization, makes you keep reaching for more, and offers a fresh taste that lives up to its name.

I tried to find something wrong with this brand and variety and couldn't do it. I can't even say that it's too salty, which many brands often are.

More importantly, you're getting a sweet & spicy variety that actually lives up to that claim; something you don't always get from other brands.

Rating: Best (5/5)

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The Jerky Hut - Peppered Beef Jerky

The Jerky Hut is a brand of Whiskey Hill Smokehouse, LLC based out of Hubbard, OR. The brand which is often seen at boat shows, gun shows, car shows, and trade shows of every kind, was started over 30 years ago.

Much of its jerky is sold through independent "retail licensees", who are the folks running the booths at the shows. It's parent company, Whiskey Hill Smokehouse, runs its own USDA inspected facility.

This Peppered Beef Jerky variety is marketed as having a "spicy heat range due to plenty of fresh Cracked Black Pepper", going on to say that it's "spicy but not hot".

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Jerky by Art - Green Chile

Jerky by Art was established by Arthur Sandoval in 2004, based out of Albuquerque, NM.

As an iron worker, Art started making carne seca (Mexican-style jerky) at home for his own pleasure. He would take some to work and sell it to co-workers. He was selling so much of it, that he bought more dehydrators. Before he knew it, he was producing jerky all day and night. And thus became, Jerky by Art.

This Green Chile variety is another favorite among the company's customers.

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Bayou Blend - Melange Original

Bayou Blend Meat Snacks is a brand of beef jerky based out of Napoleonville, LA. The company was started by Milton Hock in January 2013.

Hock had been making jerky for some 20 years before launching Bayou Blend. He started the business after seeing an opportunity to offer meat snacks with more unique cajun-style flavor than competing brands.

This Mèlange Original is claimed to be dried but not smoked. The packaging is branded with the phrase, "Cajun don't have to mean hot!!". Hock says that the seasoning blend is a mixture of several different seasonings used in South Louisiana cooking on a daily basis.

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Gentlemen's Beef Jerky - B.B.Q.

Gentlemen's Beef Jerky is a new brand launched by Chef Shehu Fitzgerald, based out of Staten Island, NY. Chef Shehu gained famed after winning it all on Season Seven of Food Network, "Chopped". He went on to compete on "Chopped Champs" and on ABC's, "The Taste".

The celebrated culinary master spent over 20 years at high profile restaurants including the Ritz Carlton, the Marriott Marquis and Essex House. He is currently banquet chef at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua in Hawaii. He earned a culinary degree at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, and received certifications from The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, Calif. and Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies, United Kingdom.

This new line of jerky is an extension of his line of spice blends he started in 2014.

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