Double B Beef Jerky - Applewood Smoked

The Double B brand of beef jerky is owned by Jerky Snack Brands, Inc. of Minong, WI. Jerky Snack Brands is owned by Jay Link, the eldest son of "Jack Link", of the Jack Link's jerky fame.

Double B began in 1971 as a maker of meat snacks, based in Schulenberg, TX. In 2003, the company acquired Estrada Foods of Pueblo, CO, a frozen mexican food maker, in an attempt to expand itself into the frozen food market. Double B moved the frozen food manufacturing operations to its processing plant in Meridian, TX.

Then in March of 2007, the company divested itself from its roots as a meat snack maker, and sold all of its jerky manufacturing to Jerky Snack Brands, and continues to this day selling frozen foods, mostly to schools.

The Double B brand continues on as a line of "all natural", and "preservative free" beef jerky, found in many natural food shops.

Ingredients

Beef, worcestershire sauce, water, tamari soy sauce, turbinado brown sugar, sea salt, natural flavor, pepper.

Taste

The first piece I put into my mouth gives off a salty taste that quickly turns into a soy sauce taste. There is a smokiness that is easily detected. Finally, the natural meat flavors start showing through with the first few chews.

But if I were to name any particular flavor that stands out the most, it's "salty".

Being that worcestershire sauce has second highest weight on the ingredients list, it seems to be overshadowed by the soy sauce. But I can taste the worcestershire sauce after several chews, extracting out the juices.

There is also a peppery aftertaste that builds up over several pieces. You don't really taste the pepper in the pieces themselves.

So does this taste like an "applewood smoked" jerky? Well, it does have a good amount of smokiness, but I can't really say that I can detect recognize it as applewood smoke, since I don't believe I've had any jerky that marketed itself as being applewood smoked. Most jerkies I've had don't even mention what kind of wood it was smoked with, aside from all those that use liquid smoke.

However, I also bought the "Pecan Smoked" from Double B, and ate a couple pieces in comparison, and the pecan smoked variety has much more mild smokiness. So who knows.

The natural meat flavors are there after several chews, but can't be detected right away largely because of the overpowering presence of salt and soy sauce flavoring. But being this is preservative free, it still retains a fresh taste.

Overall, this has good flavor, but just too salty for my preference. If you like salty jerky, this might be something for you.

Meat Consistency

These are made from real cuts of meat, sliced medium and thick, and in small to medium sized pieces.

I'd say this is a dry jerky, but rather soft and tender. It tears apart pretty easily, and is easy to chew. Further into the chew, the meat fibers tend to get somewhat mushy.

I found small amounts of tendon in most pieces, which I didn't enjoy, though I could swallow easily. Otherwise no gristle. I also found some small streaks of fat on one piece.

Overall, I found the meat consistency to be good, offering an ease in tearing and chewing, though presence of chewy tendon in most pieces.





Product Value

I paid $6.59 for this 3.5oz bag at a Henry's Market in Temecula, CA. That works out to $1.88 per oz, making this an average priced buy, but on the higher-end of average.

I'd say this has an average-to-good value. For that price, the taste is nothing superior, but indeed packed with a lot of taste. However, much of that taste is salt. But it is a soft and tender variety.

As an applewood smoked variety, I'm not sure if you're getting anything spectacular. While this does have a good amount of smokiness, it doesn't really stand out from most of the jerkies I've had that didn't explain what kind of smoke they used. Perhaps most of these other brands were also applewood smoked? I don't know. I'm not sure you'll get any return on your dollar if you bought this specifically as an applewood smoked variety.

Rating

I'm giving this an average rating.

What this jerky is great for, is snacking. It's meat consistency doesn't detract from whatever else you're doing, it offers plenty of salty flavor, and offers just enough of other flavors to keep me reaching for more. And if a preservative-free jerky is what you want, this has it.

But aside from that, it didn't present anything extra in substantial amount to put it above average.

Since I'm not an expert with applewood smoked jerky, I'm evaluating this largely as an "original" variety, which in that sense, makes this is a good tasting jerky. I liked the touch of black pepper on this, and the subtle worcestershire sauce taste. But I found that goodness to be cancelled out by the heavy saltiness.

NOTE: It may be worth pointing out that this bag of Applewood Smoked jerky still has the Double B Foods, Inc., address, and website on the bottom of the bag. Thats' contrasted to its Pecan Smoked companion which has the updated Jerky Snack Brands name and address. I don't know if that means this Applewood Smoked variety was made in an entirely different process? Both bags have the same design, and the same "best if eaten by" date.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

• Amazon.com

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Buffalo Bills Country Cut - Barbecue

Buffalo Bills brand of beef jerky is manufactured by Lebanon, PA-based Choo Choo R Snacks Inc. The company has been making beef jerky since 1990, and makes a full line of meat snacks including meat sticks, shredded jerky, and sausages.

This line of Country Cut jerky is their soft and tender variety, having introduced it in 2005 to round out the company's line of meat snacks. They also offer the Western Cut of dry and thin, as well as a premium line of jerky.

All of the company's meat snacks are made with USA-made ingredients, including USA-raised beef.

Ingredients

Beef, barbecue sauce, salt, sugar, monosodium glutamate, paprika, spices, garlic, sodium nitrite

Taste

The first thing I taste with this is a sweetness which transforms itself into the taste of barbecue sauce. There is a saltiness that I also detect right off the bat.

The barbecue sauce is perhaps the most discernable taste in this variety. It's not a spicy barbecue sauce, more like the mild variety, but something I definitely recognize after having eaten more than my fair share of baby back ribs. It has a good amount of sweetness to it, and I can taste the garlic and the black pepper too.

There is also plenty of flavor throughout the chew, I can continue extracting the taste on and on.

This does offer some taste of the natural meat flavors, but not a lot. I mostly taste it after having chewed a piece several times.

Overall, this variety offers a great taste of barbecue sauce that lasts througout the chew. I find it a bit on the salty side. It does offer some natural meat flavors, but I think gets overshadowed by the barbecue sauce and salt.

Meat Consistency

These are cut from solid pieces of meat, mostly into strips of about 3-4 inches in length, and in medium to thick thickness.

Most of these pieces are semi-moist, while others are a little more dry. The semi-moist pieces are very easy to tear apart, while the drier pieces offer more resistance. But I find all pieces to be easy to eat.

I didn't find any chewy tendon or gristle, but I did find a few pieces containing bits of fat. Some of the pieces have an oily texture similar to what you'd expect from a marbled piece of steak.

Overall, this Country Cut Barbecue variety from Buffalo Bills offers a great meat consistency for beef jerky, allowing me to enjoy the flavors without any distraction.




Product Value

Choo Choo R Snacks sells this Country Cut Teriyaki variety from its website at a price of $5.49 for a 3.5oz package. That works out to $1.57 per oz, putting this into the average price range.

For that price, I'd say this offers an excellent value. It has a great snack-factor, with lots of flavor, in an easy-to-eat form.

As a barbecue variety, it's also a great buy, because it does give out a great barbecue sauce taste.

Rating

I'm giving this a best rating.

First, I find this very snackable, always wanting to reach for more. It has a great meat consistency being easy to tear apart and chew, and offering no chewy tendon or gristle. Then it's flavor-packed, giving me lots of taste throughout the chew. Finally, it tastes very much like barbecue sauce, meaning you're getting exactly what the package is telling you.

The barbecue sauce itself will even give you some flavor complexity between the sweetness, the garlic, and the black pepper. I find that a welcome relief from barbecue varieties offered by other brands, where a dousing of chili powder is enough to call it "barbecue".

While the natural meat flavors only make a subtle presence, and that I do find this a bit salty, I didn't find these as substantial enough to offset the great taste and meat consistency.

Rating: Best

Buy this online:

• http://www.choochoorsnacks.com

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Enjoy Beef Jerky - Hot

Enjoy Foods International is a business that has been making meat snacks since 1971 under the "Enjoy" brand.

In 2000 & 2001 it hit financial difficulty and eventually fell into the hands of a receivership. Today, it continues to operate under Saab Enterprises, which does business as "Enjoy Foods International". Saab makes the jerky themselves in their own meat processing unit, and also produces the "Hickory's Best" brand.

The Enjoy brand can be found in select convenience stores and markets in rural areas, as well as in large urban areas within such stores like Sam's Club, Smart & Final, and Food 4 Less.

It's also made without preservatives.

Ingredients

Beef, teriyaki sauce, spices, brown sugar, garlic, liquid smoke.

Chile pepper is obviously an ingredient, being clearly visible on the pieces.

Taste

Probably first notable is the soy sauce on these pieces, with its accompanying saltiness. I know the ingredients list says teriyaki sauce, but tastes more like soy sauce. The chile pepper makes itself known pretty soon after. I can also sense the liquid smoke additive very quickly too. There is also a sweetness found on the surface of these pieces, but not detected during the chew.

I can detect the natural meat taste to a moderate degree, and for being preservative free, this does have a slighty stale, slightly rank taste. The meat tastes like it's just starting to turn.

As for being a "hot" variety, this definitely has a spicy kick to it. My taste buds are wanting to call this "medium", but I can understand someone else wanting to call it "hot".

This is probably too salty for my preference, I don't necessarily get a salt-scorch from these pieces, but it's salty enough that it seems to take over the other flavors.

The flavor doesn't last very long throughout the chew, however.

Overall, it's a good taste. You really can't go wrong with soy sauce, some sugar, a little garlic, and a dousing of chile pepper. The meat ought to have a fresher taste, though.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be real cuts of meat, sliced thin, and in small pieces. Note that I bought the 1oz bag, which doesn't leave much room for large pieces. If I had a larger bag, I could probably get a better sense of the taste and meat consistency.

The company says they use only top and bottom rounds.

This is a dry jerky, one that retains a flexibility. Being that it's sliced pretty thin, it's fairly easy to eat. It has a consistency that if sliced more thick, it would become very difficult to eat.

Because this jerky is cut into small bite-sizes, some pieces don't contain any visible bits of chile pepper, and don't offer much hot taste.

I did find some bits of tendon, but no gristle, and very little fat.

Overall, the meat consistency in this tiny 1oz bag provides for a good beef jerky experience. Perhaps a larger bag with bigger pieces would give me better information.





Product Value

I paid $1.99 for this 1oz bag at the Pine Mountain General Store in Pine Mountain Club, CA. That's right on the border between average and expensive. If you bought this from Enjoy's website, you can get the 1oz bag for $1.48, and you can get it cheaper per ounce if you buy it in larger bags.

But for what I paid, I'd say that it offers "so-so" value in enjoyment. For that price, you're not getting a great jerky. You'd have to buy the larger 3.65oz bag to push the price down to about $1.35 per ounce, and then you'd have a good value.

As a hot variety, it lives up to that billing, though not very hot. I could stand to get some more chile pepper seasoning, however. People who don't care much for hot foods, usually don't buy something labeled, "hot". So then, why do companies continue to label something as hot, and only make it somewhat hot? If only hot food lovers buy hot foods, then obviously they have the tolerance for something hotter.

Rating

I'm giving this an average rating.

It has a great snackability as a general purpose jerky, and general purpose snack food. But nothing else stood out as being exceptional. The taste was good, but not necessarily remarkable compared against the other jerkies I've had. I found it on the salty side, and the natural meat flavors have a slightly stale taste.

However, this is the kind of jerky that would do well to satisfy your snacking habits while performing other tasks, like driving, typing away, or watching a movie. The meat consistency in these small pieces offers little to detract your attention. If you can buy this in a larger sized bag, it might be cheap enough to warrant such use.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

• http://www.enjoybeefjerky.com

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Buffalo Bills Western Cut - Cajun

Lebanon, PA-based Choo Choo R Snacks Inc. is the company behind the Buffalo Bills brand of beef jerky, having got it's start in 1990 when five snack food distributors decided to partner together to pool their collective business acumen.

In those days, beef jerky was still largely a "man's" snack food, and so the company came up with the "Buffalo Bills" brand name, theme and logo, to help strengthen the image of cowboys and manly food.

They make their jerky using USA-raised cattle, using cuts from 100% top round and hung strip by strip in a smokehouse using real hickory chips (though liquid smoke is still found in the ingredients).

The "Western Cut" represents the classic dry and thin jerky, while their "Country Cut" line is the soft and tender variety for those folks who want all the goodness of eating a meat snack but with less man-handling.

Ingredients

Beef, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, water, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, red crushed chile, cayenne, liquid smoke, sodium nitrite.

Taste

The first thing I notice in one of these pieces is a sweetness, followed by a double team of smoky and salty, and the chile pepper burn starting to come on slightly. The natural meat flavors come on strong as I begin the chewing, and then I can taste the teriyaki in the background.

The chile pepper does get hotter and hotter as you eat more pieces. I can feel a burn in the back of my mouth. I'd rate this as being medium hot, but many other folks might see this as "hot". Some pieces have more chile pepper than others, providing a more potent punch. My scalp is getting that little itch when I eat hot foods, and make me want to take a swig of Coke in between pieces.

Does this taste like "Cajun"? I'm not sure exactly what cajun is supposed to taste like anyways. I've eaten a lot of foods described as cajun, perhaps the only thing they have in common is pepper sauce. After that, you can pretty much toss in any ingredient and call it cajun. So for that matter, I think it does stand up to being "cajun".

These pieces do offer a very good helping of natural meat flavors. I find some pieces with some small bits of fat that provides some additional "beefy" taste which I enjoy a lot.

I don't really find this as being salty, though it does offer a salty flavor.

Overall, this offers a great taste mostly through its chile and pepper seasoning, a nice meat flavor, and the teriyaki sauce floating in the background. The good showing of chile pepper seeds and flakes on these pieces provides enough spiciness that lasts throughout the chewing.

Meat Consistency

This appears to be cuts of real meat, sliced thin, and in small to medium sized pieces.

This is a dry jerky that retains its flexibility. Some of the pieces are easy to tear apart, while others require some more effort. Chewing is similar, with some pieces being easy, and others feeling a little more tough.

There were enough pieces of chewy tendon and gristle in this review sample that I found it detracted from the overall enjoyment. It was more the gristle than the tendon. I couldn't chew through it at all, and found myself either removing it from my mouth, or tearing it off of the pieces. This is unlike the company's Western Cut Sweet & Spicy that I reviewed earlier where I found no gristle, and only a small amount of tendon.

There was some fat on some pieces, but in small amounts. If you're like me, you enjoy tasting the fat in beef jerky.

All in all, the meat consistency in this review sample was rather mediocre, with enough tendon and gristle to demand my extra attention. Outside of this, it's still fairly easy to tear apart and chew for being a dry jerky.




Product Value

Choo Choo R Snacks, Inc. sells this jerky from their website at a price of $3.29 for a 1.75oz bag. That works out to $1.88 per oz, putting this into the average price range. You can get this for $1.57 per oz if you buy their larger 3.5oz bag.

I'd consider this a good buy since you're getting a jerky that's packed with a lot of flavor, offering some great natural meat flavor, and is very snackable. The meat consistency, with its higher-than-average showing of tendon and gristle, might make you want to compare several packages to find one that looks better.

As a cajun variety, I think it offers plenty of cajun flavoring for the buck. It's very spicy, and will give you a decent tongue-burning.

Rating

I'm giving this a "good" rating.

While the taste is great, and I found this to be very snackable, it was the higher-the-average presence of tendon and gristle that kept me from giving it a "best" rating.

In all fairness, I realize this a hit or miss issue. There are most likely other packages of the same variety with almost no tendon and gristle, but I can't make that assumption on every sample I review.

I happen to love spicy jerky, whether it's hot or mild, anything that wakes up my senses always gets good marks with me, and this Western Cut Cajun variety from Buffalo Bills is something that will make you want to soften up a piece in your mouth just to savor the flavors a little more longer.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

• http://www.choochoorsnacks.com

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Golden Valley Natural - Beef Jerky Peppered

Golden Valley Natural is a brand of jerky focusing on using organic ingredients. Based out of Idaho Falls, ID, the company has been making beef jerky since 1999.

The company was founded by Roger Ball, a well known name in the jerky business, having started King B Snacks in 1968, a brand that invented the "shredded jerky" concept, and was among the first to introduce a whole-muscle type of jerky. King B has since found its way into truck stops and convenience stores all across the USA. In 2003, Jack Link's bought King B.

In 2004, Roger Ball created "Jerky Direct" a brand of jerky that sells exclusively through direct sales, otherwise known as multi-level marketing. Jerky Direct gets its jerky from Golden Valley Natural, and I believe is exactly the same jerky.

Organic jerky came about as a way to get penetration into the organic food stores like Whole Foods Markets. I don't believe it was created to offer meat-snackers with a more cleaner-conscience, but as a way to attract sales from those consumers who had previously avoided processed meats.

Ingredients

Organic beef, organic evaporated cane juice, water, organic soy sauce, organic apple cider vinegar, sea salt, organic black pepper, organic paprika, natural smoke flavoring, organic onion powder, organic garlic powder.

I'm disappointed they didn't use "organic water".

Taste

There is a slight sweetness and a slight smokiness that first hits my taste buds when I popped a piece into my mouth. After that, the taste of black pepper starts coming through. Finally, the natural meat flavors tend to surface.

While the black pepper is clearly visible, in moderate amounts, it's not an over-powering taste, but after a few pieces it does leave a peppery aftertaste in my mouth.

As for the natural meat flavor, I can taste it, but it's not very well defined. Does it taste organic? Well, no. Organic is nothing I've been able to taste, though I don't doubt others with far more jerky-eating experience than I may claim to discern. But being that this is "organic beef", I was hoping it would offer a strong meat taste so that I could enjoy it for what it is. Instead, it's a very mild taste.

Considering this contains no preservatives, it still retains a fresh taste.

Otherwise, it's not salty at all.

This jerky has a good taste that I find pleasing, and offers a decent amount of black pepper flavor. I just wish it could provide more of the natural meat flavors.

Meat Consistency

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

This is a dry jerky, but still soft and tender to a degree. Some pieces were more soft than others. They tear apart with some moderate effort, while others tear apart more easily. They all chewed with ease at some lesser or greater extent.

About half of the pieces have some flecks or small streaks of fat in them. I found a few pieces to contain small amounts of tendon. Otherwise no gristle.

I found the meat consistency to provide a very good jerky-eating experience.





Product Value

I paid $6.69 for this 3oz package at a Henry's Market in Temecula, CA, which works out to a price of $2.23 per ounce, making this an expensive buy.

If eating organic foods is important to you, this is probably a "good" value. Most organic jerky is priced in this ballpark, and while this particular offering from Golden Valley Natural has a good taste, it offers a mild taste in just about every aspect.

If it's not important that your beef jerky is organic, then I wouldn't bother buying this. There's so much beef jerky out there for a lower price, and offering a similar or better taste.

Rating

I'm giving this an "average" rating.

While it has good taste, and a good meat consistency, it just doesn't offer me a remarkable taste. I do find it snackable, I did enjoy this for general snacking purposes. If it could provide more meaty taste I could give it a "good" rating. If it could also pack in more flavor that lasts throughout the chew, I could give it a best rating.

I do applaude manufacturers trying to make a beef jerky from 100% organic ingredients, and I wanted to find something good to say about this brand. But, I still find this as average compared to all the other beef jerky I've had, organic or not.

But for those who demand organic beef jerky, you might find this above average compared to other organic jerky. If you like mild-tasting jerky, this may also be your thing. Not to forget, this could also be touted as a soft and tender variety, if that's important to you also.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:

• Amazon.com

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Buffalo Bills Country Cut - Teriyaki

Buffalo Bills is a brand of jerky produced by Lebanon, PA-based Choo Choo R Snacks Inc.

The company has been producing beef jerky since 1990, back when a lot of jerky was still the chopped and formed stuff. It was founded by five independent snack food distributors who saw an opportunity to capitalize by producing jerky made from real cuts of meat.

The "Country Cut" represents the moist and tender variety that much of the industry is using to tap into the female and elderly consumer. It's contrasted against the company's "Western Cut" which is the thinly cut and dry variety.

Every ingredient used in Buffalo Bills was produced in the USA, including USA-grown cattle.

Ingredients

Beef, sugar, powdered soy sauce, maltodextrin and salt, hydrolized soy protein, dextrose, monosodium glutamate, natural maple flavor, onion powder, garlic powder, sodium nitrite.

Taste

The very first taste that hits me is a heavy smokiness, followed quickly by a sweetness. The natural meat flavors starts to come in, and then a saltiness, and then a taste of the soy sauce.

I'd say overall, the soy sauce flavor is what lingers throughout the chewing. I can continue to taste it all the way until I swallow it down. There is a definite saltiness to this, but I didn't necessarily find it to leave my mouth scorched.

I'd say there is a slight teriyaki taste to this, but honestly what I taste is soy sauce. I've had an awful lot of teriyaki sauce in my time, having some Japanese descent in me, as well as soy sauce. Real teriyaki sauce is actually a combination of soy sauce, sugar, and sake (or mirin), then boiled down to a thick consistency, and then some some chefs like to add ginger afterwards to create a bit of pungent contrast. I'm not really sensing that authentic teriyaki taste here.

The natural meat flavors come out in this very well after some chews, and is quite enjoyable.

Overall this has a great flavor, with its strong smokiness, a very "meaty" taste, with a soy sauce flavor and sweetness. "Salty" is something you'd also want to call this. Still, I'm finding it very difficult to avoid reaching for more.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be real cuts of meat, mostly sliced into strips about 4" in length, and in medium to thick thickness. I found several "crumbled" pieces in the bottom of the bag.

These strips are semi-moist, and are very easy to tear apart and chew. The package labels this as "soft and tender", and I think that's a very appropriate description. I can bite a piece off from a strip going against the grain, and it bites off with little resistance.

Unlike many other soft and tender varieties, I didn't find this to be "mushy" or "gummy" at all. It retains the character of real beef jerky, but gives you a very pleasant eating experience.

Some of the strips had visible flecks of fat, otherwise I didn't encounter any tendon or gristle.

All in all, the meat consistency is excellent, allowing me to enjoy the flavors without distraction.




Product Value

Choo Choo R Snacks sells this Country Cut Teriyaki variety from its website at a price of $5.49 for a 3.5oz package. That works out to $1.57 per oz, putting this into the average price range.

I'd say this provides a great value, combining a very flavor-packed variety, with a very easy-to-eat texture, and great snackability. You're getting lots of beef jerky pleasure for your buck.

As a teriyaki variety, I'm just not finding very much in the way of teriyaki taste. If the sweetness is what you like about teriyaki, then this will provide a fair amount of sweetness. If you just like a soy sauce-flavored jerky, this'll do good also. But there isn't a lot of teriyaki flavor here.

Rating

I'm giving this a "good" rating.

If not for the conservative showing of teriyaki taste, I would have rated this as "best". Otherwise, it's got what most folks want in a beef jerky, tons of flavor, a good meaty taste, very easy to eat and chew, and great snackability. The heavy smoky taste in this is a welcome surprise.

It is on the salty side, which is something I'm not a big fan of, but something I was willing to overlook due to the great taste. I know many other folks love salty jerky.

Still this is a meat-lover's jerky, something I could take with me to my backyard patio, with a can of Coke, and enjoy while I listen to the birds.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

• http://www.choochoorsnacks.com

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Wal-Mart Great Value Beef Jerky - Teriyaki

Great Value is one of those brands you might know if you shop at Wal-Mart enough. The store's own brand represents a wide variety of consumer products and is probably one of the most successful brands around in terms of household penetration, but it's one of those brands that you never think of when you're thinking about a particular product.

It was only within the last several years that Wal-Mart understood beef jerky to be a big seller with women if they only rebranded it. Previously it was relegated to their sporting goods section. Then came the low-carb-high-potein diet craze, and Wal-Mart produced a new bag design that emphasized beef jerky's benefits, and moved it to the snack food aisle. It's been a big seller for them ever since.

Wal-Mart doesn't produce their own beef jerky of course. It's private labeled through Jack Link's, based on the USDA Est. Number on the package. And sure enough, this jerky looks, tastes, and feels just like Jack Link's.

Ingredients

Beef, water, sugar, salt, corn syrup solids, dried soy sauce, maltodextrin, monosodium glutamate, flavoring, hydrolized corn protein, sodium erythorbate, paprika, sodium nitrite.

Taste

The first thing I notice is a slight sweetness, then the teriyaki flavoring, and then the natural beef flavors.

The teriyaki taste is not very strong in this variety. It's mostly there as a background taste. If anything, it manifests itself as a sweetness.

The natural meat flavors comes through well in some pieces, and are subtle in others. I found a couple of pieces with some good fat marbilization that provided some good beef taste.

Otherwise, what lingers on in these pieces is the saltiness, and as far as saltiness goes, it's not overpowering.

Overall, this jerky has an OK taste, and it doesn't offer a whole lot of it. It's rather bland.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be real cuts of meat, sliced in average thickness, and in small, medium, and large pieces.

This is a "semi-moist" jerky that's very soft and tender. Tearing apart a piece is easy to do, and it's very easy to eat. Some of these pieces had that rubbery-like consistency, that gives you the sense that the meat went through some kind of change in molecular structure.

I found several pieces with some chunks of fat, but they were small chunks. I did find some tendon in very sparing amounts, otherwise no gristle.

The meat consistency is such that it provides a good eating experience, with a possible exception that a few pieces had a rubbery consistency, which might gross some people out, but is actually something familiar with Jack Link's.




Product Value

This jerky retails at a price of $2.98 for a 4oz bag, which works out to $0.75 per oz, putting this into the cheap range.

For that low of a price, I'd say this offers good value. Other varieties of Wal-Mart Great Value jerky that I reviewed got a "great value", because they offered more taste, at the same price. This teriyaki variety however just doesn't offer much taste. If you love teriyaki jerky, you'll be disappointed in this.

As a general beef jerky, it's OK. The taste is decent, it doesn't gross me out. It just doesn't satisfy me much.

Rating

I'm giving this a "fair" rating.

If a jerky is sold as being a teriyaki variety, it ought to provide plenty of teriyaki flavor, and this just doesn't offer much. It's more like a plain variety, with a touch of teriyaki.

As for general jerky snacking, it might please with its ease of tearing and chewing. But for me, I need a jerky that offers more taste, even while I'm busy working, driving, or watching a movie.

Otherwise, it's best selling point is the low price. That might be good enough to get people to buy this over and over, considering it's still a "decent" eat.

Rating: Fair

Buy this at:

• any Wal-Mart store

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Buffalo Bills Western Cut - Sweet & Spicy

The Buffalo Bills brand is produced by Choo Choo R Snacks, Inc., of Lebanon, PA, a company that's been making beef jerky since 1990.

The company prides itself on using all American-made ingredients, including USA-raised beef, and makes their beef jerky here in the States.

Buffalo Bills is a brand that has assembled a loyal customer base, and has received many positive reviews.

The "Western Cut" is contrasted against the company's "Country Cut". Country Cut is a thicker tender variety, Western Cut is a thin dry variety.

I've never eaten their beef jerky before, and so after reading about this brand, I go into this review with much anticipation.

Ingredients

Beef, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, water, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, liquid smoke, sodium nitrite.

Taste

Probably the first taste that comes through is the sweetness of the brown sugar and teriyaki sauce, followed by the natural meat flavors, and the spiciness follows soon after that.

It's not a heavy sweetness, but it's still sweet enough that you'd want to include that word in this jerky's description. The teriyaki sauce is subtle, just enough to give you a background taste.

I'd say the spiciness is more pronounced than the sweetness. I'd rate it as medium on my hot-scale, though lesser-adapted palates might see this as medium-hot, or even just hot. This variety is probably better described as a spicy variety with some sweetness.

The flavoring is not mixed evenly across all the pieces; some of the pieces contain an extra helping of pepper, making it more spicy, while other pieces had more teriyaki flavor. I actually found that to be a pleasant discovery, because I got to enjoy the "sweet & spicy" taste in varying extremes.

And about the flavoring, while it has plenty of flavor, it doesn't last long through the chewing. You get the flavoring within the first 5-10 chews, and from there on out, it's the natural meat flavors that linger.

The natural meat flavors come out well, though I'd say that this has a mild beef flavor. Several pieces contained a small amount of fat which added to the beef taste, a quality that I actually find enjoyable.

Overall, this jerky has a good taste. I'd classify this as being more spicy than sweet, but still sweet enough to be described as "sweet & spicy". It has a snackability that kept me reaching for more.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be real cuts of meat, sliced thin, and in small and medium sizes. Note that I have the brand's 1.75oz bag, which make it difficult to include larger pieces.

This is a dry jerky, but one where the pieces retain a lot of flexibility. I found this easy to tear apart and chew.

Some pieces provided a combination of "crunchy and chewy", because they had ultra-thin depressions in their meat texture that came out crunchy after the drying process.

Many pieces had fat on them, mostly in small amounts, though one piece had a dime-sized piece of fat. I did find some chewy tendon in a couple of pieces, but it was few and far enough in between that I wouldn't call it an issue. Otherwise, I didn't find any pieces with gristle.

Overall, the meat consistency provides a good jerky experience allowing me to enjoy the flavors without much distraction.




Product Value

Choo Choo R Snacks, Inc. sells this jerky from their website at a price of $3.29 for a 1.75oz bag. That works out to $1.88 per oz, putting this into the average price range. You can get this for $1.57 per oz if you buy their larger 3.5oz bag.

For that price, I think you're getting a good value. The jerky offers a good flavor, and is easy to tear apart and chew. And if you like sweet & spicy jerky, this will live up to that billing, though less sweet and more spicy. Moreover, it's a great snacking jerky that will please your craving to chew.

Rating

I'm giving this a "good" rating.

It's a great jerky for jerky lovers to enjoy, offering some good taste, providing a great snacking experience, and being easy to tear apart and chew. The level of spiciness is perfect for a sweet & spicy variety, though I think there ought to be more sweetness.

That's largely what kept me from giving this a "best" rating. I put a lot of weight on a jerky being able to live up to its flavor billing, because I think consumers base their buying decision on what flavor sounds good.

And while it has a good taste, that taste doesn't last throughout the chewing.

Still, this variety from Buffalo Bills is an excellent choice for jerky snacking being priced in the same range as the larger national brands, but offering a much higher quality.

Rating: Good

Buy this online:

• http://www.choochoorsnacks.com

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House of Jerky - Venison Black Pepper

House of Jerky is a husband and wife venture that got started here just down the road where I'm writing this, and sadly enough, moved to Indiana to set up its national headquarters. Nothing against Indiana, it seems California can't keep a good company within its borders.

But when I'm out touring around other towns, and happen to see a beef jerky shop, I'll walk in, and 9 times out of 10 its an outlet for House of Jerky. The brand is very well represented in those small touristy towns, and along roadside stands.

Venison (deer meat), is always a curiosity with me when I see it on the menu, or in a jerky shop. While I've had venison jerky before, and other venison dishes, I can't say that I'm expert with it. But I do know that venison is an extremely lean meat, and because of that it's often tough.

Deer are adapted to sprint and run for long distances. Because of that, their muscles are rich with blood. This gives the meat a sweet and smooth taste, similar to that of eating liver, but with the consistency of meat.

Ingredients

Venison steak, water, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, pineapple juice, liquid smoke, black pepper, garlic powder, white pepper.

Taste

In biting off a piece, what I taste right away is the black pepper. I didn't see much black pepper on this piece (there's only one piece in this review sample). But I can still taste it. However, it's doesn't have the intense black pepper taste that the company's black pepper varieties for beef and buffalo had.

I can also taste the soy sauce in this, but it's not as well evident as in the company's other offerings.

So does it taste like venison? Well, yes it does. I can't say that this tastes "gamey" at all. It retains the sweet and smooth character that I described earlier.

Overall, I found this venison jerky as enjoyable. While it's a black pepper variety, I don't find an abundance of black pepper flavor. In fact, all the flavorings are rather subtle in this piece. But I think that's actually fine with venison. I want to taste the venison when I eat venison jerky, and to add more flavorings would overshadow the natural meat flavors.

Meat Consistency

This is a real cut of meat, sliced very thick, and in a medium sized piece.

It's dry, but retaining some slight moisture. It's rather tough, just like all of the other venison jerky brands I've had. While it will take some effort to tear off a piece, it does eat a little easier.

The biggest complaint I have with this is that there is a thin membrane covering each side of this piece. This membrane doesn't chew. So when I've chewed up a piece, I have this piece of chewy membrane left in my mouth that feels something like a piece of cloth.

The bottom photo below illustrates the membrane pulled away from the actual muscle. After taking that photo, I attempted to pull off as much of this membrane as I could, but could only remove so much. Removing this membrane also meant removing much of the seasonings.

Otherwise, I didn't find any tendon or gristle. There was just one tiny spot of fat, which is visible in the first photo. It's a very lean piece of meat.

The meat consistency is largely ok. I wouldn't mind this being rather tough to tear apart, because it's not as tough to chew. But the chewy membrane surrounding this piece, on both sides, detracted from the overall enjoyment. Perhaps House of Jerky could get their meat processor to remove this?







Rating

I'm giving this a "good" rating.

I would have given this the "best" rating, except for that problem with the membrane. It detracted from the enjoyment quite a bit for me. I tried to ignore it, and just swallow the membrane, but everytime I bit off a piece I kept feeling that "piece of cloth" in my mouth. Finally, I felt compelled to remove as much of the membrane as I could, and that resulted in removing much of the seasonings.

Otherwise, it's a great tasting piece of venison jerky, that retains every bit of the character that makes venison unique. While it's seasonings are more subtle than in the company's other animal varieties, I think that's fine because I want to enjoy the venison.

Rating: Good (4/5)

Buy this online:

• https://www.houseofjerky.net

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House of Jerky - Buffalo Black Pepper

The husband-and-wife business of House of Jerky is a popular gourmet jerky brand that thrives in small tourist mecca towns across the USA, and in roadside stands along the highways. They're a classic American success story of a great product, some hardwork, and the entrepreneurial spirit.

This black pepper variety is the only variety the company offers in Buffalo jerky. Buffalo meat really took off in the 1980s as the health-food craze really started to take off. And while everyone has tried buffalo by this time, I don't think it'll ever get anymore popular, largely because it doesn't taste much different than beef, and it's health benefits are not that much more better.

But it's always great to have some buffalo jerky, just to say that you've expanded your food experience.

Ingredients

Buffalo, water, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, pineapple juice, black pepper, liquid smoke, garlic powder, white pepper.

Taste

Immediately, I'm hit with a strong taste of pepper. That's good since this jerky touts itself as a black pepper variety. I can also detect the soy sauce pretty quickly, followed by the natural meat flavors.

The liberal seasoning of black pepper probably makes this jerky mild to medium in the "hot" scale, and maybe medium hot for tongues of lesser tolerance.

There's also a sweetness I can sense, but very subtle.

The soy sauce continues to leach itself out of the meat as I continue to chew and suck on these pieces. There's also a saltiness that makes itself known.

The natural meat flavors have a fresh taste, not stale at all considering this variety contains no artificial preservatives. Not being an expert with buffalo meat, I can't really say that this tastes more like buffalo than beef. But it does have a very evident meat taste.

Overall, I find this to be very tasty. It has a strong black pepper flavor, and plenty of flavor that continues to leach out as I chew and chew.

Meat Consistency

These appear to be real cuts of meat, sliced thin, and in large pieces.

This is a dry jerky, with some stickiness to touch. It tears apart easily, and chews just as well. This is a really good jerky for softening up in your mouth and enjoying the flavors.

I don't find much fat on this at all, it's pretty lean. I didn't find too much in tendon, and nothing in gristle.

Overall, the meat consistency provides for a great eating experience, allowing me to enjoy it's taste without detraction.





Rating

I'm giving this a "best" rating.

Overall, it has a great taste, just as with House of Jerky's other varieties. It's easy to tear apart and chew, and offers you plenty of natural meat flavors. As a black pepper variety, it stands up on its feet as a serious black pepper variety. It also has great snackability, I find myself always wanting more.

While the flavorings are simple, just black pepper, soy sauce, and sugar, it's packed heavily with these flavors so that it continues to leach itself out for as long as you chew. While I didn't necessarily find the taste as redundant, I would certainly welcome an extra seasoning, I'm thinking along the lines of jalapeno pepper, in a small amount, just to add that extra taste dimension.

Rating: Best (5/5)

Buy this online:

• https://www.houseofjerky.net

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