The next review on Angelo’s beef jerky will focus on a 2.1 ounce/60 gram bag of their Cajun flavor. This jerky was kindly submitted by Angela Dellinger, a daughter of the owner Angelo Ibleto.
Angelo’s is manufactured and distributed by Angelo’s Meats. They are a small wine country meat and deli store with two locations. One location is in Sonoma, California, and the other location is in Petaluma, California. Angelo has been making jerky, sausages, and other products for over 30 years. To steal one quote of Angelo’s from the Angelo’s Meats web site, “Some men try to capture a woman’s heart with diamonds, or castles or fancy cars, or mink coats. I give good food and all come to me. It’s just that simple”.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Red Wine, Salt, Tomato Powder, Dehydrated Red and Green Bell Pepper, Dehydrated Celery, Sugar, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Spices (including Bay Leaves, Black Pepper, Red Pepper, White Pepper), Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Soybean Oil (as a processing aid), Citric Acid, Artificial Flavor, Dehydrated Parsley, not more than 2% Silicon Dioxide to prevent caking, Garlic, Cayenne Pepper, Sodium Nitrite. 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 only liquid used in the marinade is red wine, where the drying process removes all alcohol content. If consumed in moderation, there is plenty of evidence that red wine is healthy.
The red wine aside, this is a mostly true to form Cajun ingredient list. There are multiple healthy dehydrated vegetables used such as tomato powder, dehydrated red pepper, dehydrated green bell pepper, dehydrated celery, onion powder, and garlic powder.
There are four healthy types of pepper used: black pepper, red pepper, white pepper, and cayenne pepper. Also used is the always healthy garlic.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown.
As for preservatives, there is the all too common sodium nitrite present. Hydrolyzed corn protein is a flavor enhancer, and a type of MSG. It is a form of trans fats, highly processed, and not healthy. An artificial flavor is used, never a good thing.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Angelo’s beef jerky does not slice their jerky into traditional sized strips. Instead, they hand slice the beef into small, fat chunks. The texture is very soft and tender, which results in easy chewing, and it is quite juicy. The center of each chunk of beef has a pinkish color, which is attributed to using sodium nitrite. There are no visible signs of fat anywhere, and there is a considerable amount of oily residue left on your fingers while handling this jerky.
There are many flavors that come through. The natural beef flavor is strong, and tastes moderately salty. What’s interesting is the red wine taste in the background. The garlic taste is noticeable, as is the onion taste to a lesser degree.
There is a recognizable peppery taste, and also a kick to this jerky, with the cayenne pepper. The spicy level is not high, but is noticeable. The ingredient list that Angelo’s uses achieves the classic Cajun flavor.
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 recommended to try.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
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.
The 4 ounce/113 gram bag listed at the bottom was part of an online order purchased in 2013 that cost $8.20. The Cajun ingredient list was not printed yet.
Check out their web site: www.angelossmokehouse.com
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