Wild Bill’s – Hickory Smoked Beef Jerky (Review #1)

Note January 2015: For a recent, live taste review, open this Wild Bill’s Hickory Smoked Review #2.

In 2009, at a Tops Friendly Market store in Penn Yan, New York, I purchased a 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag of this Wild Bill’s hickory smoked flavor. I actually have four unique bags of this hickory smoked flavor, but the ingredient lists are all the same, so this will only count as one review.

On this bag, the jerky maker and distributor are identified as Wild Bill’s Foods, Inc. based out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which is located in the heart of Dutch country. Wild Bill’s Foods started as a local butcher shop in 1955 serving the local farm folks. In 2009, the large jerky private label company Monogram Meat Snacks, LLC purchased Wild Bill’s Foods, Inc. This jerky is now officially manufactured by Monogram Snacks Martinsville located in Martinsville, Virginia.

Ingredient Review

Ingredients: Beef, Soy Sauce (Water, Salt, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Potassium Sorbate), Seasoning (Garlic, Pepper, Red Pepper). (Sprayed with Potassium Sorbate Solution to Help Protect Quality).    Allergen Warnings: Soy

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 just an unhealthy brand of soy sauce. The other part of this ingredient list are what they call seasonings, which are all healthy, the best being the super healthy fresh garlic. Fresh red pepper is used, and healthy black pepper as well.

The sugar level is great at 0 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. It does not get any better than that. On the other hand, the salt level is very high at 580mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. The preference is 350mg of salt or under.

This jerky does not qualify to have no sodium nitrite, where similarly unhealthy potassium sorbate is the main preservative used, other than salt. This jerky also does not qualify to have no MSG added. The highly processed flavor enhancer hydrolyzed soy protein is used, which is believed to be a form of MSG. Being hydrolyzed, it is also known to be a unhealthy type of trans fat.

Fair (4/10) – Ingredient Rating

Taste Review

Note January 2015: For a recent, live taste review, open this Wild Bill’s Hickory Smoked Review #2.

If you enjoy the taste of soy sauce, then you will likely enjoy the taste of this hickory smoked flavor. This jerky is advertised to be hickory smoked, where you can detect some hickory smoke flavor. The jerky does have a fairly dry texture. It has medium thickness, and the sizes are small to medium, which leaves no residue on your fingers.

I paid $7.19 for this 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag of jerky. That works out to $2.12 an ounce. Today on the Wild Bill’s web site, a 3 ounce bag sells for $5.25. That works out to $1.75 an ounce, which rates as an average price. Given that an unhealthy ingredient list is used, this jerky is not recommended as worth your money.

Good (8/10) – Taste Rating

Bag Review

This resealable plastic bag has everything imprinted directly on the bag, and no labels are affixed. The most striking thing about this bag is the actual Wild Bill logo. It’s an old, short man with a beard and moustache wielding two long guns, dressed in old style clothes that appears to be a pirate. As far as logos go, this is one of the better ones you will see.

There are no slogans printed on this bag. Some facts printed are “97% Fat Free”, “0g Trans Fat”, and “Made in the U.S.A.”.

All bag categories are covered here, except there are no clever slogans. On the back there is an interesting blurb printed on the origins of Wild Bill’s. To their credit, a toll free phone number is provided for customer inquiries.

Just to summarize each of the 4 bags displayed in this review.

• – The first two pictures are the front and back of a 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag. The distributor is officially listed as Wild Bill’s Foods, Inc.
• – The third and fourth pictures are the front and back of a 1.75 ounce/49 gram bag purchased for $3.99. The distributor is officially listed as Monogram Meat Snacks, LLC.
• – The fifth and sixth pictures are the front and back of a 2.3 ounce/62 gram purchased for $5.99. This bag is advertised as “Jerky from the Jar” where the transparent window is cleverly designed as a jar. The distributor is officially listed as Monogram Meat Snacks, LLC.
• – The last picture is a 1 ounce/28 gram bag of tender tips purchased for $1.99. The distributor is officially listed as Monogram Meat Snacks, LLC.

Very Good (9/10) – Bag Rating