The first review done for PJ’s All Natural Beef Steak will focus on a 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag of their Sliced style Cracked Pepper flavor. This bag was kindly submitted by the Marketing Manager Samantha Alderfer.
The PJ’s All Natural Beef Steak brand name is manufactured and distributed by Knauss Foods, LLC. They are based out of Quakertown, Pennsylvania. Knauss Foods, LLC. was founded in 1902, and this PJ’s All Natural Beef Steak brand name was officially launched in March 2012. Their specialty is “dried beef”, where with the help of some company acquisitions, they are a leading manufacturer in “dried beef” sales.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Brown Sugar, Organic Tamari Soy Sauce (Organic Soy Beans, Organic Maltodextrin, Salt), Potassium Chloride, Pepper, Vinegar, Cherry Powder, Evaporated Cane Syrup, Natural Smoke Flavor. 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 liquid marinade consists of water, organic tamari soy sauce, and healthy vinegar. It is great to see that organic tamari soy sauce is used, where organic ingredients are almost always healthier.
Some people call black pepper the king of spices, with many nutritional qualities to offer. Cherry powder is the most interesting ingredient used, which is loaded with Vitamin C, and rich in calcium.
The sugar level is respectable at only 3 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level used is rather high at 500mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. However, much of that is negated because healthy potassium chloride is used as a table salt substitute.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar preservatives. Instead, naturally occurring potassium chloride is the main preservative. Kudos to PJ’s All Natural Beef Steak, where these beef steaks have no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips are medium in size, more or less square shaped, and surprisingly, fairly uniform in size. As advertised, these beef steaks certainly do have a thin texture, where it cannot get much thinner than this. The surface is very smooth. These beef steaks absolutely qualify to have a soft and tender texture. There are some visible signs of fat that add to the overall natural beef flavor. Handling these beef steaks leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is the actual beef flavor, but that is quickly overtaken by the black pepper flavor. As more beef steaks are consumed, the black pepper taste intensifies. The smoked taste is light, as is the sweetness. There is a mild soy taste, and the saltiness is at a moderate level.
A 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag sells online for $5.00, but you have to buy a minimum of three bags for $15.00. With much credit to PJ’s All Natural Beef Steak, they offer free shipping, but only until February 28/2015. At $5.00 a bag, that works out to $1.53 an ounce, a cheap price. This product offers great value for people wanting a soft and tender texture and a good deal of peppered taste.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This is an attractive, resealable, professional looking bag. Everything is imprinted directly on the bag, both the front and back. There is one sticker affixed on the front that states “Please Don’t Call Me Jerky!”. We are told that PJ’s All Natural Beef Steak did extensive market research, and determined that consumers would rather not have this product labelled as jerky.
The PJ’s logo could possibly pass as a red crown that a king may wear, with “High Quality Beef Steak” stated inside the logo itself. On the front, there is a small graphic printed of a wooden peppercorn crusher, surrounded by some cracked peppers.
Some facts stated on this bag are “Good Source of Protein”, “Natural Smoke Flavor Added”, “98% Fat Free”, “Authentic Cuts of Real Beef”, “All Natural*”, “*No Artificial Ingredients”, “*No Preservatives Added”, “*Minimally Processed”, “Gluten Free”, “No MSG”, and “No Added Nitrites or Nitrates”.
Every single bag category is covered here. To the credit of PJ’s All Natural Beef Steak, they offer a toll free phone number for customer inquiries, and also provide their business hours. Admirably, there is a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee policy offered.
Excellent (10/10) – Bag Rating
Order their product online: www.pjsbeefsteak.com
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