Astig is a word in the Philippines language Tagalog (pronounced ta-ga-lawg), below is a definition:
ASTIG: (pronounced ă-steeg) is a Tagalog slang term that means cool, badass or kickass.
Astig Ka Ba? (Are you Astig?)
The next review for Astig Premium Jerky will be on a 3 ounce/84 gram bag of their spicy tocino beef jerky flavor. This bag was kindly submitted by the owner, Michael J. Robin.
Astig Premium Jerky is located in Thousand Oaks, California, and distributed under the name of Astig Unlimited, LLC. They focus on traditional Filipino flavors, most likely a first in North America. Their focus is to educate North Americans on the meaning of the Filipino slang word Astig, which translates to “cool, badass, or kickass”. Another goal is to get the Filipino community more familiarized with jerky.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Brown Sugar, Pineapple Juice, Hot & Spicy Banana Sauce, Lemon Lime Soda, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Garlic, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
Astig Premium Jerky is processed and manufactured in a USDA approved manufacturing facility in California. Their meat is 100% derived from locally raised grain-fed cattle, and contains no artificial enhancements. The meat is cut fresh, marinated in traditional Philippine ingredients, and processed in small batches to ensure freshness.
The liquid marinade is comprised of pineapple juice, hot & spicy banana Sauce, lemon lime soda, and soy sauce. Pineapples contain a natural enzyme named bromelain that is widely used in the food industry as a meat tenderizer. While not required by FDA regulations, a jerky maker is not compelled to breakdown every ingredient, as is the case here with the lemon lime soda and hot & spicy banana sauce. To the credit of Michael Robin, he kindly submitted the ingredient lists for the hot & spicy banana sauce and lemon lime soda. For those interested, here are the ingredient lists: Hot & Spicy Banana Sauce (Banana, Water, Sugar, Vinegar, Iodized Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Onion, Spices, Garlic, 0.08% Sodium Benzoate, FD&C Yellow #6 (E110), FD&C Red #40 (E110)) and Lemon Lime Soda (Carbonated Water, Sugar, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Potassium Citrite).
The spiciness in this jerky comes from the very healthy hot spice cayenne pepper. While not specified in the ingredient list, there does appear to be some crushed chili peppers on this jerky, also very healthy if eaten in moderation.
The sugar level is somewhat high at 7 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. For a sweet based flavor such as tocino, 5 grams of sugar or less is preferred. The salt level is decent at 280mg of salt per 28 grams of sugar.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is salt. Admirably, there is also no MSG added.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These jerky strips are mostly small in size. The thickness is medium, to thin. The texture is borderline dry, pretty much a perfect texture, which makes for easy chewing. There are no signs of fat anywhere, and handling this jerky leaves no residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is the sweetness, quickly followed by a spiciness. The level of sweetness remains consistent, without being overbearing, where a tocino flavor should be sweet tasting. Overall, the heat is exactly at a medium level, earning the title as being a spicy flavor. There is a minor tanginess flavor with this jerky from the lemon lime soda. The hot & spicy banana sauce and pineapple juice gives this jerky a slightly tropical taste, but only mildly. The flavor overall is quite unique, and an interesting eating experience.
This 3 ounce/84 gram bag of jerky retails for $5.99. That works out to $2.00 an ounce, which rates as an average price. This jerky is worth your money for achieving a distinctive, and appealing tocino based taste.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
We have a black colored, resealable plastic bag here, with a label affixed on the front, and nothing on the back. On this bag, a dark red label is used.
The Astig Premium Jerky logo is clever, containing a picture of the sun, which is the same yellow sun used on the Philippines flag, and three stars. Normally these stars are colored yellow, changed to red, white and blue for the USA flag, to represent joining the USA with the Philippines, very ingenious.
Facts printed on this bag are “Made in the USA”, “Gourmet”, “Sweet & Spicy”, “Ready To Eat. Ready To Serve.”, and “Made in the USA”.
All bag categories are covered here. The blurb printed on this bag about Astig Premium Jerky is “The First & Original Beef Jerky Made With Traditional Filipino Flavors”. As a sign of the times, there are two different sized QR (Quick Response) codes on this bag.
Order their jerky online: www.astigjerky.com
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