Note: For a recent, live taste review, open Tillamook Country Smoker Smoked Jalapeno Review #2.
The next review on Tillamook Country Smoker will be on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their All Natural smoked jalapeno flavor. This bag of jerky was purchased at a convenience store in Scranton, Pennsylvania, back in 2012.
Art Crossley and a few others started Tillamook Country Smoker over 50 years ago. They are located in Bay City, Tillamook County, Oregon. Over 30 years ago, Art’s son Dick took over the business, and sales started to soar. The folks at Tillamook Country Smoker are guessing they are 3rd or 4th in North American bagged jerky sales. We tend to think that they are 5th or 6th, either way, an impressive accomplishment. Today, they are a third generation family business, with a reputation for their smoked flavor.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Contains Beef, Brown Sugar, Water, Salt, Contains Less Than 2% of Corn Syrup Solids, Garlic Powder, Jalapeno Pepper, Onion Powder, Smoke Flavoring, Spices, Vinegar, Sodium Erythorbate, 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.
The liquid marinade is mainly water, and a little bit of healthy vinegar was used. It is not good to see that refined corn syrup solids (powder form) was used, where corn products should have no business being in jerky.
Jalapeno peppers are healthy if eaten in moderation. Hot peppers tend to flush toxins out of your body. Healthy spices such as garlic powder and onion powder were used.
The sugar level is pretty high at 7 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less. The salt level is extremely high at 640mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less.
Unfortunately, both sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrite were used as preservatives. However, this jerky does qualify as having no MSG added.
Fair (4/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Note: For a recent, live taste review, open Tillamook Country Smoker Smoked Jalapeno Review #2.
All I really remember is that this jerky tasted decent, and not all that spicy. Nothing really stood out with this jerky.
This 3 ounce/85 gram bag of jerky cost $4.99. That works out to $1.67 an ounce, which rates as a cheap price. While this bag is no longer available for sale, we would have recommended to find other alternative healthier choices.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Bag Review
Everything is imprinted directly on this bag, on both the front and back. There is one sticker attached stating “Premium Thin Cuts”.
The Tillamook Country Smoker company registered trademark logo is a circle with a ‘T’ in the middle. On the back of the bag, there is an informative blurb describing Tillamook Country Smoker and their jerky.
There are a number of facts printed on this bag such as “Natural Wood Smoked”, “97% Fat Free”, “Premium Thin Cuts”, “Made With Solid Strips Of Beef”, “Made in U.S.A.”, “Gluten Free”, and “No MSG Added”.
All bag categories are covered. To the credit of Tillamook Country Smoker, they display a toll free number for customer inquiries on this bag. Also admirable is that this bag has an Export Gift Pack, meaning you can legally send this jerky to your friends and family who live overseas
Order their jerky online: www.tcsjerky.com
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