The next review on Angelo’s beef jerky will be on a 2.1 ounce/60 gram bag of their barbecue flavor. This jerky was kindly submitted by Angela Dellinger, a daughter of the owner Angelo Ibleto.
The Angelo’s beef jerky brand name is manufactured and distributed by Angelo’s Meats, a small wine county meat and deli store that started business over 30 years ago. They have two locations, one location in Petaluma, California, and the other location in Sonoma, California, known as wine country. Their jerky is smoked in a smokehouse. A hallmark of Angelo is adding garlic in most of his recipes.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Catsup, Mustard, Sonoma County Red Wine, Vinegar, Natural Smoke Flavor, Brown Sugar, Onion, Garlic Powder, Spices, Sugar, Dehydrated Garlic, not more than 2% Soybean Oil added to prevent caking, Cayenne Pepper, Garlic, Sodium Nitrite.
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.
We have an interesting liquid marinade consisting of ketchup, mustard, Sonoma country red wine, vinegar, and soybean oil. In general, a relatively healthy liquid marinade.
Healthy onions are used, along with the super healthy garlic. To top that off, there is even garlic powder and dehydrated garlic used.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown.
As for preservatives, the not so healthy sodium nitrite is used. On a better note, this jerky has no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Unusual for jerky, the beef is hand sliced into chunks, much like you would see with stewing beef. As a result, the thickness is quite thick. The texture is soft and tender that makes this jerky easy to chew. There is some visible fat, and this jerky does leave an oily residue on your fingers while handling it.
The first taste detected is tomato flavor from the ketchup. Then the garlic taste becomes more apparent, but stays at a mild level as more strips are consumed. There is an average amount of natural beef flavor, and a nice smoked taste in the background. There is a certain great flavor that appears to be the onions. This jerky is barely sweet, and the salt level is mild. Overall, a very pleasurable tasting flavor of 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 well worth trying out, especially for people who prefer a soft and tender texture for a barbecue flavor.
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 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. 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.
Check out their web site: www.angelossmokehouse.com
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