Bridgford Beef Jerky - Original

I did a couple reviews of Bridgford Beef Jerky's Teriyaki and Sweet & Hot varieties about two and a half years ago. Recently the company sent me packages of their other varieties for review.

Anaheim, CA-based Bridgford Food Corp. was started in 1932 by Hugh H. Bridgford in San Diego, CA as a meat market. Bridgford expanded the business quickly by distributing his meats into other retail outlets and then distributed meats to hotels, restaurants, and other processors. In addition to their Anaheim factory, they have factories in Dallas, TX, Chicago, IL, and Statesville, NC.

Their beef jerky is made in their Chicago plant, along with many of their shelf-stable meat products. Bridgford's beef jerky is one the top selling brands in the United States, eclipsed only by Oberto and Jack Link's.

Read More

Sweet Baby Ray's Beef Jerky - Original

About two years ago I wrote a review of Sweet Baby Ray's Beef Jerky - Honey Chipotle, but never managed to review their Original variety. The company who makes this jerky, Bridgford Food Corp, recently sent me a sample package.

Sweet Baby Ray's is actually a brand of barbecue sauces and marinades that has been on the market since the 1990s. In addition to extending their brand to beef jerky, they've also extended into potato chips.

This particular original variety is said to be based on Sweet Baby Ray's original barbecue sauce, the same sauce that made Sweet Baby Ray's famous.

Read More

Sweet Baby Ray's Jerky - Honey Chipotle

Sweet Baby Ray's is a brand of BBQ sauces and marinades, and a relatively new one at that, only having been on store shelves since the 1990's. In addition to launching this line of jerky, the brand has also extended its trademark flavors to potato chips too. Their jerky only comes in two varieties, this Honey Chipotle, and an Original.

Bridgford Foods is the actual manufacturer of this jerky, they're one of the top selling brands of jerky worldwide. It actually has the Bridgford logo on the package, but in a smaller size, and off to the left. It's a co-branded product, but because Sweet Baby Ray's has the top billing on this package, I'm filing it under that name.

Sweet Baby Ray's jerky first appeared on store shelves in August of 2007. It appears to be suffering from a lack of distribution. I've only seen this at my local Walgreen's drug store.

Note the stamp at the upper-left of the package that says "Smaller Package - More Beef Jerky". Bridgford Foods is the first mass-market jerky to adopt a "green packaging initiative", by utilizing 42% less plastic. But it's certainly not more jerky. Bridgford went from a 4oz package, to a 3.65oz package, and now to this 3.5oz package.

Ingredients

Beef, water, brown sugar, salt, sugars, Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipotle base, ground mustard, monosodium glutamate, soluable black pepper, spices, granulated garlic, sodium erythorbate, onion powder, sodium nitrite.

Taste

The tastes I pick up from the surface of these pieces is a smoky flavor, followed by a sweet taste, some salty taste, and just wee smidgeon of spicy tingle. In the chewing, the tastes I get is a heavier sweet, a tad more spicy tingle, and hints of natural meat flavors.

First off, I've never had Sweet Baby Ray's sauces, let alone their honey chipotle variety. So, I can't judge how well this jerky mimics the taste of that sauce. But I'll just say right now that I don't taste much honey, or much chipotle. I've had Bridgford's jerky many times, and actually, I don't taste a big difference between this jerky and Bridgford's regular jerky.

However, I will say I do sense a tad more sweet flavor in this jerky compared to Bridgford's regular jerky, and I do pick up a spicy tingle. I don't taste anything resembling the unique flavor of chipotle, but I do get that spiciness. However, it's not that hot. On my hot scale, I'd rate it as a mild-medium.

But overall, this jerky largely tastes like Bridgford's regular jerky, their "original" variety; it's just a bit more sweet, with that bit of spiciness. I'll note that I did find one piece that was much more soft and moist, and provided stronger flavor, and a more intense spiciness.

The level of salt intensity in this is moderate.

Like with all of Bridgford's jerky, there are very little natural meat flavors to enjoy in this. Actually, I don't really taste any during normal snacking. It's only when I suck on a piece for several seconds, and then start chewing, that I can find some of that meat flavor.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be cuts of whole meat, sliced average to thick thickness, and in small to medium sized pieces.

For the most part, this is a dry jerky, with just hints of moisture. It chews fairly easily, maybe a little chewy in some places, and seems to tear apart with the grain pretty easily.

The chewing texture is rather steak-like once it hydrates in my mouth. There is a bit of that "softened" feel to it, but overall I think it has a good chewing texture.

It's a pretty clean eating jerky, leaving no residue on my fingers or meat fragments in my lap. However, there's a about half ounce of crumbled pieces in the bottom of the bag.

I don't really see any sizeable amounts of fat, and no chewy connective tissue.





Snacking Value

I paid $5.29 for this 3.5 ounce package at a Walgreen's drug store in Menifee, CA. That works out to a price of $1.51 per ounce, putting this in the average price range.

For general jerky snacking purposes, it's a good value. I do find a good deal of snackability in this. It has a good deal of flavor intensity, a decent taste overall, and a good chewing texture.

But as a Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipotle variety, it's a fair value at best. If I were a fan of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauces, I'd feel ripped-off with this jerky. I'd expect to get something that pounds out their award-winning flavor, instead I get something that tastes mostly like Bridgford's regular jerky.

Rating

I'm giving this an average rating.

It's largely s snackable jerky, and that's really about it. It has a good deal of flavor intensity, has a decent taste overall, and a good chewing texture.

But otherwise it's nothing special, nothing exciting, just your garden variety Bridgford's jerky. Maybe it's a bit more sweet than Bridgford's regular jerky, with a bit of spiciness. But that's really about all the Sweet Baby Ray's you're going to get from this.

Look at it this way, if you already love Bridgford jerky, then you're going to love this too. However, if you're skeptical of mass-market jerky, this particular offering from Sweet Baby Ray's will only reinforce your skepticism.

A brown ale would probably pair up well this with.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

• http://www.bridgfordstore.com

Read More

Bridgford Beef Jerky - Sweet & Hot

The Bridgford brand of beef jerky is the nation's third largest brand in terms of market share, behind Oh Boy Oberto! and Jack Link's. Yet, it's probably one of the most obscure of all the top selling jerky brands. That's perhaps a testament to their expertise in getting their products in the most visible places.

The Sweet & Hot variety is a flavor sensation that many beef jerky brands are picking up on. It's actually been around for awhile, but it seemingly is becoming more mainstream in recent years. I've always preferred spicy beef jerky, but I do enjoy a jerky that swims in sticky, gooey, finger-licking, sugary goodness.

Ingredients

Beef, Water, Salt, Sugar, Flavoring, Monosodium Glutamate, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite

Taste

Despite being labeled as a "Sweet & Hot" variety, I can't taste much in terms of sweet. In fact, this variety doesn't taste any more sweet than an "original" or "plain" variety of jerky. While the ingredients list does list sugar, you can certainly taste a slight bit of sweetness, but again, it's nothing more than what you'd expect to taste in a regular variety of beef jerky.

As for being "hot", this a joke. I don't taste any hot at all. There is indeed a fair amount of black pepper, but if that's what they classify as "hot", then I've been ripped-off. Even after finishing the whole bag, I'm not even reaching for a bottle of water.

Most of what I taste in this is a slight sense of natural meat flavors, black pepper, and some salt.

This jerky doesn't taste bad on the other hand. It has a decent taste, and is enjoyable. If Bridgford called this "peppered", I'd be somewhat more satisfied. However, the taste that this jerky offers doesn't really strike me as being unique. It tastes like regular, plain old jerky, with some black pepper on it.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be made from real cuts of beef muscle, sliced to an average thickness, and in medium to small pieces.

For the most part, these pieces are on the dry side, with a few pieces being somewhat more moist. They are somewhat easy to tear apart and chew.

I found one piece with quite a bit of fat, which most people probably would not like, but is something I happen to enjoy. I didn't find much in the way of tendon or gristle.

Overall, the meat consistency provides an enjoyable beef jerky experience.





Product Value

I bought this at a Walgreens store in Menifee, CA and had a price of $3.99 per 3 ounce bag. That works out to $1.33 per ounce, putting it into the average ballpark, but at the lower end. Walgreens has a deal where if you buy two bags, you get them at $3.50 per bag, making it $1.17 per ounce. Either way, it's priced at the lower echelon of average.

As a beef jerky, it provides good value. It's for the most part easy to eat, and provides some good taste. But as a "Sweet & Hot" variety, it's a rip-off. If you crave a beef jerky that burns your mouth and satisfies your sweet-tooth at the same time, you'll be disappointed by Bridgford's offering.

I found the jerky to have good snackability, keeping me reaching for more. Even as I composed this review, I found myself satisfied eating this at the same time. As low-priced as it was, you might find this good as a snack while you're busy something else.

Rating

I'm giving this a "fair" rating.

It's mostly because it falls flat on its face as a "Sweet & Hot" variety. If they had labeled this simply as a "Peppered" variety, I would have given it a higher rating, at "average".

It's still a decent beef jerky just for snacking. But otherwise, it doesn't stand out as offering you something unique and exceptional. It's largely what you'd expect to get from the nation's third largest brand of beef jerky.

Rating: Fair

Buy this online:

• Walgreens.com

Read More

Bridgford Beef Jerky - Teriyaki

Bridgford is a brand of meat snacks and deli meats that goes back to 1932. Their products have a very strong presence here in Southern California, largely due to them having gotten there start here, and having their headquarters here.

Interestingly, all of their beef jerky varieties are stamped with a graphic claiming to have received the 2006 award from the Chefsbest "Best Taste Award". Chefsbest is an award designated by the American Culinary Institute.

Taste

The package lists the following ingredients: beef, soy sauce, sugar, sake, water, brown sugar, seasoning blend, salt, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite. It also lists Maltodextrin (similar to Splenda) as an ingredient of their seasoning blend.

What I mostly taste is the teriyaki flavor. The flavor is rather mild. When I chew on a piece, and suck out the flavor, I get a fair amount of flavor. Some pieces have more flavor, and some other pieces have very little flavor.

I don't really taste much of the natural beef flavors at all. In fact, some pieces seem to have a faint meat flavor, but it doesn't taste like beef, more like ham or turkey. It's hard to tell.

There is also very little saltiness, which is something I like.

Meat Consistency

These do appear to be real cuts of meat.

Some pieces are sliced thick while others are sliced medium, and cut into medium sizes. There is some marbilization of fat, but it's difficult to see. I found some small pieces of tendon here and there, but all small enough to swallow.

These are soft pieces for the most part, and while some pieces are relatively moist, most of them are somewhere between moist and dry. I did find a few pieces to be rather dry and tough. Overall, these jerky pieces offer great snackability.

Product Value

This was purchased at a Walgreens store in Menifee, CA and had a price of $3.99 per 3 ounce bag. That works out to $1.33 per ounce, putting it into the average ballpark, but at the lower end. Walgreens has a deal where if you buy two bags, you get them at $3.50 per bag, making it $1.17 per ounce. Overall, this is a good price for jerky.

Brigdford's Teriyaki beef jerky is a pretty good value taking into account the average price point, its good (but not phenomenal) teriyaki taste, and its great snackability.





Rating

I'm giving this an "average" rating.

I really couldn't find anything that stood out as being remarkable, not enough to catapult it into a higher rating. Basically, this is your "garden variety" big brand jerky. It does offer good teriyaki taste, but almost none of the natural beef flavors.

For the most part the pieces are soft, and somewhat moist, and averaged sized. It's a good jerky for watching television with, or passing the time away while driving. But it's not something you're going to relish as a beef jerky connoiseur.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

• Walgreens Online

Read More