The next review on Phil’s Beef Jerky will be on a 4 ounce/113 gram bag of their hot flavored beef jerky. This jerky was kindly submitted by the owner Phillip Morgan.
Phil’s Beef Jerky is manufactured and distributed under the same name, Phil’s Beef Jerky. They are located in Tye, Texas, and started business in 2008. Their hot flavored jerky is advertised to contain some heat. Phil’s Beef Jerky uses 100 percent beef, and it is not processed. It is made with spices from a local store, and blended to make great flavors.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt, Sodium Benzoate), Water, Liquid Smoke (Water, Natural Hickory Smoke Flavor, Vinegar, Molasses, Caramel Color, Salt), Vinegar, Tabasco Habanera Pepper Sauce (Distilled Vinegar, Habanero Pepper, Cane Sugar, Mango Puree, Dehydrated Onion, Banana Puree, Tomato Paste, Tamarind Puree, Papaya Puree, Spices, Garlic, Tabasco Brand Pepper Mash (Aged Pepper, Salt), Corn Syrup (Light Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt and Vanilla), Dehydrated Onion, Dehydrated Garlic, Crushed Red Pepper, Salt, Cayenne Pepper, Salt, Chili Powder (Chili Peppers, Salt, Spices, and Dehydrated Garlic), Black Pepper, Lime Juice (Water, Concentrated Lime Juice, Sodium Benzoate, Lime Oil, Sodium Metabisulifate and Salt (Salt, Dextrose, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Bicarbonate, Yellow Prussiate of Soda). 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 liquid marinade contains soy sauce, water, liquid smoke, vinegar, TABASCO Habanero Pepper Sauce, TABASCO Pepper Mash, light corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and lime juice It is disappointing to see that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is used. In general, corn based ingredients have no business being in jerky, and especially HFCS.
Some of the heat in this flavor comes from the TABASCO hot sauce brand name. They are owned by the McIlhenny company in Avery Island, Louisiana, created in the 1860”s, and uses a simple healthy ingredient list. Other sources of heat come from chili peppers, which are healthy if eaten in moderation.
There are a number of great spices used such as onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and chili powder.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite. Admirably, this jerky also has no MSG added.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These are mostly large strips, sliced borderline thick. The texture is dry, but certainly not too dry, which results in jerky that is generally easy to chew. There is some fat in this jerky that adds to the overall natural beef flavor. Handling this jerky will leave a slight residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a slight tanginess from the lime juice, and maybe the vinegar. The soy taste is apparent, and then the spiciness starts to settle in. As more strips are consumed, the heat level starts to build. Eventually the heat level settles at about a 3 out of 5 on the heat scale. The saltiness level is light, as is the sweetness. There is a light smoked taste, and a faint taste of garlic. Overall, a great tasting flavor.
This 4 ounce/113 gram bag sells online for $8.75, which works out to $2.19 per ounce. That rates as an average price. All of Phil’s Beef Jerky flavors are well worth the price.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
First and foremost, the best thing about this bag, it is vacuum sealed, the best way possible to preserve the freshness of jerky. Otherwise, the jerky texture would certainly be drier, and therefore, the jerky eating experience would not be the same. This bag is transparent, resealable, and your standard size, with a quantity of 4 ounces/113 grams.
There is a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. The label is nothing fancy, no graphics, just your standard fonts. While not printed on the bag itself, their slogan is “Best Little Jerky Plant in Tye Texas!”.
A number of bag categories are missing such as a logo, bar code, nutrition facts table, slogans, a blurb about Phil’s Beef Jerky, originality, graphics, and allergen alerts.
The 4 ounce/113 grams bag of hot flavor flavored jerky displayed at the bottom was purchased online in February 2012 for $8.75. There are a few ingredient changes, mainly that soy sauce is used today. Coincidentally, I just happened to earn the distinction of being the very first customer to make an online purchase of Phil’s Beef Jerky jerky.
Order their jerky online: www.philsbeefjerky.com
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