For a recent, live taste review, open Tillamook Country Smoker – Sea Salt & Peppered Beef Jerky (Recipe #3).
While visiting Jacksonville, Florida, in 2009, I purchased a 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag of Tillamook Country Smoker sea salt & pepper flavored beef jerky. They seem to have a solid distribution network in the USA.
The Tillamook Country Smoker jerky brand name is manufactured and distributed by Tillamook Country Smoker Inc. based out of Bay City, Tillamook County, Oregon. The Tillamook Country Smoker roots go back over 50 years. Today Tillamook Country Smoker is a 3rd generation business. Their jerky is advertised as smoked with real wood, and the ingredients have no MSG added.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Contains Beef, Brown Sugar, Water, Dextrose, Corn Syrup Solids, Sugar, Sea Salt, Ground Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Vinegar, Citric Acid, Sodium Nitrite.
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 water and healthy vinegar. There are some healthy spices used here such as black pepper and garlic powder.
It is disappointing to see that the highly processed sweetener corn syrup solids is used. Corn based ingredients have no business being in jerky.
The sugar level is fairly high at 6 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or under. The salt level is also high at 444mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. However, that is negated due to the fact that healthy and minimally processed sea salt is used, as opposed to regular table salt that is highly processed. Sea salt is high on minerals and trace minerals.
This jerky does use unhealthy sodium nitrite as the main preservative, apart from sea salt and vinegar to a lesser degree. Using sea salt instead of highly processed table salt is a great choice. Sea salt is minimally processed, and contains many minerals/trace minerals. As advertised, this jerky has no MSG added.
Average (5/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
For a recent, live taste review, open Tillamook Country Smoker – Sea Salt & Peppered Beef Jerky (Recipe #3).
The jerky strips were sliced to small and medium sizes, with a medium thickness. There was a good dry texture without being too dry. There were no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky did not leave any oily residue on your fingers.
I do recall that nothing particularly stood out with this flavor. It was not overly salty tasting, and had a light peppered taste. Overall, it was a mildly pleasant flavor.
I paid $5.89 for this 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag of Tillamook Country Smoker sea salt & pepper flavor. That works out to $1.81 per ounce, back in 2009. Today, the Tillamook Country Smoker web site sells a 3 ounce/85 gram bag for $4.00. That works out to $1.33 an ounce, which makes this jerky a cheap price. Today in 2015, the ingredient list has been revamped quite a bit.
Bag Review
There are no high resolution graphics here, but the overall bag design works. Everything is imprinted directly on the bag, on both the front and back.
There are no clearly defined slogans printed on this bag. A number of facts are printed such as “Natural Wood Smoked”, “Made With Solid Strips of Beef”, “Made in U.S.A.”, and “No MSG Added”.
All bag categories are covered here, with the mild exception that the jerky weight is not stated in grams. To the credit of Tillamook Country Smoker, they offer a toll free number for customer inquiries. Also noteworthy, there is a lengthy blurb written about Tillamook Country Smoker on the back.
Order their jerky online: www.tcsjerky.com
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