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TOP FOUR Favorite Brand of Original Flavor:
"...Unique flavor. Never tasted
jerky like this before..."
-Field & Stream staff, Aug 2010
"Our
goal was the find the best “brand” of jerky."
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BEST Five Star Rating
Black Pepper and Sea Salt
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July 31,
2010, Professional Beef Jerky Reviews by Steve Johnson: www.BestBeefJerky.org
Rating: BEST: Black Pepper
and Sea Salt “…It's really the marinade and flavorings that makes this jerky so enjoyable. The spiciness
is not so much heat, but just a bold set of seasonings that might build up some heat if you're not used to spicy foods.
Add to that a light natural meat flavor with a touch of fatty flavor, along with a semi-moist, steak-like chewing, and it
seems to create a lot of snackability for me… I give this a BEST rating.” Read the Full Review Here
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| Black Pepper and Salt: Close Up View |
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BEST Five Star Rating
Old Fashioned Original
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May 25, 2010, Professional Beef
Jerky Reviews by Steve Johnson: www.BestBeefJerky.org
Best Jerky: Jeff's Gourmet Jerky, Old
Fashioned Original Flavor
Rating: Five
Star Best Jerky: “Overall, it's a very flavorful jerky with a good
deal of flavor … much better flavor and meat consistency …than what you pay for in major brands of jerky in
grocery stores.... a decent value ...alot of snackability.” READ Full Review Here
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| Old Fashioned Original: Close Up View |
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Former restaurant owner and food-loving entrepreneur Jeff
Richards began making jerky some years ago as a tasty, healthful holiday gift for family and friends. When
these lucky recipients began sharing with their friends and acquaintances, he began getting requests for more and the idea
of starting a company took shape. After three years in development, Jeff has launched "Jeff's
Gourmet Jerky," and the product really lives up to the name. Made with premium beef that has been
marinated and slow-cooked,
Jeff's Gourmet Jerky has a texture superior to any other we've
tried. This jerky retains a little moisture, resulting in a texture that's on the tender side - not the rawhide-like challenge
to your teeth and jaws that so many other brands have.
In addition, the various flavors are intense without being
overpowering - like a well-seasoned steak. We sampled all but one of the available varieties.
The Old Fashioned Original flavor is marinated with Jeff's special spice mixture, resulting in a classic
jerky flavor that is well-balanced, not too salty and intensely beefy.
The Sweet Teriyaki gets it's
flavor from a pungent pineapple marinade. If you enjoy the sweet-spicy flavors of teriyaki beef, you'll find this variety
to be ideal for snacking.
The Black Pepper and Sea Salt (our personal favorite)
is a perfect balance of rich beef flavor, fragrant black pepper and despite the name, a subtle saltiness. The black pepper
is just strong enough to add a moderate amount of heat without taking over your taste buds.
The Jalapeño Carne Asada is the newest addition to Jeff's flavor assortment. Like the other
varieties, the beef flavor is rich and meaty and the seasoning ends up being a perfect accent, not the predominant flavor.
The jalapeño pepper is notable and retains some fresh pepper quality.
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.
 Gourmet Beef Jerky, America's Favorite Snack Food!
Every
now and then I get a box of something in the mail to review that makes me happy to be a food blogger. I can tell you without
a doubt that beef jerky is one of those “somethings” that makes me happy! It really helps that Jeff’s
Gourmet Jerky is a particularly high quality product and definitely in my top three favorite brands.
In
my packet there were four flavors to review and wanting to give this product the time to properly appreciate the nuances a
good jerky can present, I thought I might taste it a little at a time so I packed the golden pouches into my briefcase and
off I went. As a result this jerky has been doing a bit of traveling with me. We have had wonderful journey together
but alas today it must end.
Old Fashioned Original:
Original
to me means this is where it all started, so naturally this is where we will start. Upon opening the packet you will notice
the distinct beefy aroma. It reminds me of the smell of a steak being seared in a hot cast iron pan. Then the Worcestershire
sauce and smoke come out, it’s like being next to the grill while someone is cooking the steaks for dinner and they
just brushed on some steak sauce.
Ingredients:
Beef, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, chili sauce, spice,
natural smoke flavoring.
Visually this jerky looks very nice, thick slices of meat, cut against the grain with
just a little marbling. There is no visible silver skin or gristle and much to my eating enjoyment I did not find any hidden
while chewing. The meat is moist and has a nice chewy texture that holds together. It never crumbles or gets mushy in your
mouth. It also breaks down nicely while you’re eating it so you do not develop giant body builder cheek muscles as you
try to chomp it down.
The flavor is very steak like, especially when you hit the tiny bits of fat that appear on
some pieces. It’s very beefy up front with a sweet forward tone and a tangy saucy finish. The chili flavor does not
come in until you have finished the piece in your mouth. If you can wait before you jam the next piece in you will notice
the slight warm glow on the back and sides of your tongue. If you can’t wait to get the next piece in your mouth you
might just have to wait until the bag is empty to experience this sensation.
Black Pepper & Sea Salt:
To the cracked black pepper fan, this is a visually
exciting bag of jerky. The thick slices of beef are crusted with course black pepper and small fleck of red chile. I don’t
see any sea salt on the pieces but there is definitely a salty element to the jerky. The aroma is very similar to that of
the Original flavor and surprisingly the pepper does not come out, in the old sniff test.
Ingredients
Beef, soy
sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, chili sauce, natural smoke flavoring, sea salt, spice, pepper, vinegar.
Like the Original flavor, the Black Pepper & Sea Salt variety is quite tender. In fact I think the slices in this flavor
are even more moist than the Original and have a sticky feel to the outside of them.
The marinade seems to come
through more, hiding some of the beefy, steak, flavors. The black pepper is very noticeable visually and in texture, but the
marinade holds the peppery flavor back until you finish the slice that you are working on. As you work through the bag the
black pepper flavor builds up on your tongue and floods your mouth as your lips develop a slight peppery warmth.
Sweet Teriyaki:
The Sweet Teriyaki flavor had the most dense slices
of the four flavors we sampled. The teriyaki flavor was certainly sweet as promised, and this was sure to make it a favorite
of the kids who were certain to avoid the Black Pepper flavor. The slices were dark and the sweetness gave the meat a richer
mouth feel than the other flavors. While I personally prefer a more vibrant variety of teriyaki flavor, I am not really a
big teriyaki fan and the others gladly devoured the remainder of the bag in minutes.
Ingredients
Beef, soy
sauce, sugar, pineapple juice, chili sauce, vinegar, spices, sesame oil.
The Teriyaki strips seemed to have
more chewiness and I can’t be sure if that is result of the process, the marinade or if it was just the luck of the
cut. In any event the tougher chew was not a bad thing, just different than the others we sampled.
The marinade
was tangy and sweet and the ginger and soy flavors were present in the finish. The sesame oil in the ingredient list did not
come out while eating, but a hint of sesame was left lingering. While this was an enjoyable jerky, the bag says intense flavor
and I’m not sure that was achieved here.
Jalapeno Carne Asada –
Hot & Spicy
This pouch had me intrigued. It came in a smaller packet, no label, no ingredients, and
the flavor was written in sharpie! I’m thinking pre production sample or perhaps a short run test flavor. Just the kind
of stuff I love!
I tear
open the top and shove my nose in the bag and inhale… Chiles! Jalapeno pepper to be exact. Oh how I love that smell.
This flavor has a drier appearance and is coated in a powdery spice. I can only assume carne asada seasoning, since
I have no ingredient list for this flavor. When I bite into the slice, the spices become a bit sticky and the meat takes on
an odd texture. It is however my second favorite flavor after the Original. The spiciness is at that addicting level where
you have to keep eating it, and the jalapeno keeps me wanting more. I’m a bit of a chile-head so I’m not sure
I would consider this Hot and spicy, but you will be happy to know my associate found it too hot for her taste and returned
the half eaten piece to me. So it’s safe to assume it is spicy at the least.
Overall,
Jeff’s Gourmet Jerky is a great choice for your snacking enjoyment. It sells on their
site for $13.95 for two 3oz bags. Jeff's Gourmet uses premium cuts of beef in original fusion marinades that are slow
cooked. Jeff’s mission is to make you the highest quality, most intense flavor and simply the best beef jerky
available anywhere. Get a couple of bag of Jeff’s Gourmet Jerky and check them out for yourself!
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