The first review on Angelo’s beef jerky will focus on a 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag of their teriyaki flavor. This jerky was kindly submitted by Angela Dellinger.
This Angelo’s brand of jerky is manufactured and distributed by Angelo’s Meats. They actually have two stores in California, one in Sonoma, and the other in Petaluma. The owner, Angelo Ibleto, has been supplying specialty meats, salsas, garlic products, and of course jerky products from his butchery for decades, including 18 different varieties of sausage.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Sugar, Soy Sauce Powder, Salt, Vegetable Protein, Monosodium Glutamate, Yeast, Onion and Garlic Powder, Sodium Erythorbate, Calcium Silicate, Corn Oil, Curing Salt (6.25%) 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 only liquid used here in the marinade is corn oil. Our view is that any corn based product has no business being in jerky in the first place. The soy sauce is in powder form, which is generally more processed compared to a liquid sauce.
There is healthy onion and garlic powder used here.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown.
As for preservatives, we are hit with both sodium erythorbate, and sodium nitrite. The controversial flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) is used. Worse though, the flavor enhancer hydrolyzed vegetable protein is also used. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is highly processed, and is a type of unhealthy trans fat.
Fair (4/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These hand sliced pieces of jerky are quite small and thick. They more have the appearance of how stewing beef is sliced into fat, small chunks. The texture is soft and tender that makes for very easy chewing. There are some signs of fat that add to the overall natural beef flavor. While handling this jerky, it definitely leaves an oily residue on your fingers. If you bite off half a piece, it is quite noticeable that this jerky has a pinkish color, instead of your traditional brown color. That pinkish hue is attributed to the sodium nitrite.
The first taste picked up is the saltiness, which remains constant as you eat more pieces. This jerky is moderately sweet tasting. The soy taste is light, and there is a faint onion taste. Missing is that traditional teriyaki flavor, where this tastes more like an original flavor. There is not much natural beef flavor here. Overall, a flavorful jerky.
Angelo’s Meats sells their jerky for $30 a pound. That works out to $1.88 an ounce, which rates as an average price. This jerky is certainly a treat to try.
Bag Review
We have a transparent bag here, with a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. The plastic is stretchable, which is not normally the case. It is not resealable, nor are there any slits to easily open this bag. You need a sharp object such as a knife, or scissors to open this bag up.
There is a picture of Angelo on the bag, beside a bunch of grapes. Sonoma, California is of course famous for being a wine county. The big plus with this bag is that it is vacuum sealed.
There are a number of bag categories missing such as a bar code, nutrition facts table, best before date, weight not listed in grams, allergen alerts, not resealable, slits in the bag for easy opening, a blurb about Angelo’s, and slogans. Angelo’s Meats deserves credit for displaying a phone number for customer inquiries.
Check out their web site: www.angelossmokehouse.com
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