The first review on Slim Jim will focus on a 3.15 ounce/89 gram bag of their carne asada flavored beef steakhouse strips. This bag was purchased at a convenience store in late December 2014, while visiting Kearny, New Jersey.
The Slim Jim brand name is manufactured and distributed by the very large and successful company ConAgra Foods, based out of Omaha, Nebraska. It is likely that the Slim Jim brand name is in the top five of North America for dried beef sales. It all started in 1899, where in 1919 the Nebraska Consolidated Mills (NCM) company was formed. By 1971, the company was renamed to ConAgra Inc. Through a series of many business acquisitions, ConAgra Foods continues to grow, where dried beef is just one food product that they sell.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Water, Brown Sugar, Contains Less Than 2% of: Natural Flavors, Distilled Vinegar, Natural Grill Flavor (Maltodextrin, Salt, Grill Flavor From Partially Hydrogenated Soybean/Cottonseed Oil, Modified Corn Starch, Corn Syrup, Natural Smoke Flavor), Citric Acid, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Sodium Nitrite, Natural Hickory 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 is comprised of water, distilled vinegar, and corn syrup. While distilled vinegar has healthy attributes, corn syrup is a cheap sweetener, where we would rather not see any corn based products used in jerky. Highly processed modified corn starch is used also.
We take exception to the claim of natural grill flavor being ‘natural’. There is nothing natural whatsoever about it. Worst, the grill flavor itself is derived from partially hydrogenated soybean oil and partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil. The word hydrogenated implies that it is a type of trans fat, which is known to be very unhealthy.
The sugar level is a bit high at 4 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less. The salt level is high at 450mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less.
The main preservatives used are sodium nitrite and salt. To a lesser degree, distilled vinegar and citric acid act as preservatives also. These steakhouse strips do not qualify to be MSG free, where the highly processed flavor enhancer hydrolyzed soy protein is used. Again, a type of unhealthy trans fat.
Bad (3/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These thick steakhouse strips are mainly small in size. As advertised, the strips texture are soft and tender. There are some minor visible signs of fat that add to the overall flavor. Handling this jerky does leave an oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is the salt, along with some natural beef flavor. Occasionally, we get a light peppery taste. There is a medium soy flavor. These steakhouse strips are only mildly sweet tasting. A carne asada flavor is generally spicy, and these strips are just barely spicy. Overall, while these strips are tasty, we found the saltiness to be too dominant.
This 3.15 ounce/89 gram bag cost $7.49, which works out to $2.38 an ounce. That rates as a borderline expensive price, with $2.35 an ounce being the upper threshold for an average price. Given that an unhealthy ingredient list is used, we cannot recommend these steakhouse strips as being worth your money.
Bag Review
This certainly is a busy and colorful bag. Everything is imprinted directly on the bag itself, both on the front and back. There is a currently a promotion with the popular television show The Walking Dead, where the front has pictures of some zombies.
There does not appear to be any slogans printed on the bag, but one slogan from their web site is “Snap into a Slim Jim”. Some facts printed on this bag are “Zip It!”, “Fully Cooked”, “Tender Steak Strips”, “Thick & Tender Beef Strips”, and “Natural Smoke Flavor Added”.
All bag categories are covered except one. There is no blurb written about Slim Jim, the carne asada flavor, or ConAgra Foods. In fairness, The Walking Dead contest takes up quite a bit of space. To the credit of ConAgra Foods, they supply a toll free number, and their business hours for customer inquiries.
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