The first review on Boar’s Head will be on a 2 ounce/56 gram bag of their Buffalo Style turkey jerky. This bag was purchased in December 2014 at a Fairway grocery store in Woodland Park, New Jersey.
This Boar’s Head brand of jerky is manufactured and distributed by Brunckhorst Co. based out of New York, New York. The Boar’s Head brand began in the New York City area in 1905, and is still family owned 110 years later. Following the principles set out by the founder, Frank Brunckhorst, Boar’s Head will never sacrifice quality for profit, with an unwavering commitment to high standards. Today, you can find their products for sale in thousands of Mom & Pop stores across the USA, and not just jerky, where their specialty is as a delicatessen.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Turkey Breast, Water, Brown Sugar, Salt, Vinegar Powder (Maltodextrin, White Distilled Vinegar), Spice, Paprika, Garlic, Flavor, Maltodextrin, Potato Maltodextrin, Natural Flavor, Gum Arabic. Coated with Red Pepper.
While against federal regulations anyway, the turkeys were not fed any growth hormones, meaning they were raised ethically. It is not known if the turkeys used had free range access.
The liquid marinade used is just plain old water. There are some healthy ingredients used such as spices, paprika, and super healthy garlic.
The sugar level is a little high at 5 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less.
As advertised, this jerky has no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, just salt and vinegar are used to preserve the jerky. Also, as advertised, this jerky has no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips are a mix of small and medium sized pieces. They are sliced thick. There is a nice dry texture, where chewing this jerky does not require that much work. There are no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
No taste really jumps out at first. The natural turkey flavor is the most noticeable, and remains that way as you eat more strips. The sweetness is at a medium level, perhaps a bit higher, and a tad too sweet for our liking.
There is a very light tangy flavor from the vinegar. A Buffalo Style flavor normally has a little kick to it. This turkey jerky has a very slight level of heat, never exceeding a mild spiciness.
This 2 ounce/56 gram bag cost $4.59, which works out to $2.30 an ounce. That classifies as being a borderline average price, with $2.35 an ounce being the upper threshold. From a health stand point, this jerky is a good, affordable snack. From a taste perspective, while not bad tasting, the taste is non-descript.
Bag Review
At first glance you can tell this packaging is fancy, leading you to believe that this would be a high quality product. Everything is imprinted directly on the bag, both the front and back. There are no labels affixed on this bag. This resealable bag has a dual barrier pack, and unusually, this bag is near square shaped.
The Boar’s Head logo is the head of a wild boar. Their slogans are “Butcher Craft”, and “All Natural* Turkey Jerky”. Some facts printed on the bag are “Raised without the use of hormones**”, “*No artificial ingredients, minimally processed”, **Poultry raised without the use of hormones, growth promotants or animal by-products. Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in poultry.”, “Gluten Free”, “No Soy”, “Lean”, and “Refrigerate after opening”.
There are more facts stated on the back of the bag such as “0g trans fat per serving”, “10g protein per 1 oz serving”, “Milk Free”, “No artificial colors or flavors”, “No by-products”, “No erythorbate”, “No fillers”, “No MSG”, “No nitrites”, “No preservatives”, and “Saturated fat free”.
All bag categories are covered except one. There is no transparent window on the bag to view the actual jerky, which is somewhat annoying. On the back there is a good blurb written about Boar’s Head. As added bonuses, there is an “All Natural Turkey Jerky” stamp on the front, and a “Premium Quality” stamp printed on the back.
Very underwhelming. 6/10 on flavor is a little generous. More like a 4/5. Im with you on the lack of heat – silly to name it Buffalo if it’s not going to be very spicy, but as you eat the spice does linger and gather steam.