The next review on Angelo’s beef jerky will focus on a 2.1 ounce/60 gram bag of their peppered flavor. This jerky was kindly submitted by Angela Dellinger, a daughter of the owner Angelo Ibleto.
Angelo’s beef jerky is manufactured and distributed by Angelo’s Meats. They are a small wine county meat and deli store with two locations. One location in Sonoma, California, and the other location in Petaluma, California. Angelo has been making jerky, sausages,and other products for over 30 years. Garlic is a common ingredient to see in Angelo’s flavors, as is the case here.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Salt, Sugar, Spice, Garlic, Pepper, Curing Salt (6.25%).
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.
There is no liquid marinade used, just a dry rub. The term used is old fashioned jerky, compared to gourmet jerky that does use a liquid marinade.
Really there is not much to review here. Sugar is not healthy, but the exact quantity is not known. It is always good to see when healthy spices are listed. It is also good to see when super healthy garlic is used.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown.
The not so healthy sodium nitrite is used as a preservative. Admirably, this jerky does qualify to have no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
We have thick, small hand sliced chunks of beef here. Not your traditional slices of jerky. The texture is quite soft and tender. There is some fat visible, but not much. This jerky does leave an oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is the natural beef flavor. The saltiness level is moderate, and this jerky is mildly sweet. There is a faint garlic taste in the background. With this being a peppered flavor, the pepper flavor is mostly weak. It is noticeable, but not that strong for a flavor advertised to be peppered. However, this jerky is quite juicy and tasty.
Angelo’s Meats sells their jerky for $30 a pound. That works out to $1.88 an ounce, which rates as an average price. For anybody who enjoys a jerky with a soft and tender texture, and does not prefer a strong peppery taste, this jerky is worth your money.
Bag Review
We have a transparent bag here, with a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. It is not resealable, nor are there any slits to easily open this bag. You need a sharp object like 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. While not infallible, it is easily the best way to keep the jerky fresh.
There are a number of bag categories missing, although not too surprising, where this label is fairly small. Missing is 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 does deserve 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 peppered ingredient list was not printed yet.
Check out their web site: www.angelossmokehouse.com
Leave a Comment