In searching for new jerky, sometimes you get lucky, and find locally made jerky. In 2010 that was the case when visiting Oxnard, Ventura County, California. At a convenience store, I purchased a 1 ounce/28 gram bag of Old Fashioned flavor of the Ventura 101 Snacks jerky brand name.
As suggested by the logo, there is a Highway 101, also named the Ventura Freeway. There appears to be no official web site for Ventura 101 Snacks LLC. We are not sure if they still sell jerky, but they do appear to sell other food items.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Teriyaki Sauce (Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Salt), Wine, Sugar, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Onion Powder, Spices, Succinic Acid, Garlic Powder), Brown Sugar, Spices, Garlic, Onion, Liquid Smoke, Sodium Nitrate Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
The beef used is not guaranteed to be free of growth hormones or additional antibiotics. Also, the beef is not guaranteed to have at least partial free range access to graze on grass. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Good (8/10) rating.
The liquid marinade is comprised of a decent Teriyaki sauce and liquid smoke. The type of wood used is unknown.
Super healthy fresh garlic and onions are used. As a general rule, spices are extremely healthy also.
The sugar level is reasonable at 4 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar and under. The salt level is low at only 170mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
Unhealthy sodium nitrite is the main preservative used, apart from salt. This jerky does qualify to have no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
If you are somebody who enjoys teriyaki and soy sauce, you should enjoy this product. The pieces are fairly small, thin and somewhat dry. The flavor is strong for an Old Fashioned recipe, which more resembles a teriyaki flavored jerky.
This 1 ounce/28 grams bag of jerky cost $2.99, which works out to an expensive price. In fairness, the price of jerky gets cheaper with a bigger bag.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This is about as thin of a plastic bag as you will see. It probably does not do a great job of keeping oxygen out. There is just a label affixed to the bag. The logo is a Highway 101 sign.
The majority of bag categories are covered. Missing are allergen alerts, a best before date, and a blurb printed about this jerky and flavor.
Leave a Comment