The next review on Mountain Man will focus on a 1.8 ounce/50 gram bag of their pepper flavored beef jerky. This bag was kindly submitted for review by the founder of Mountain Man, Robert Lahue.
The Mountain Man brand of jerky is distributed under the name of its founder, Robert Lahue. Bob is located in Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. If you were to see Revelstoke on a map, you would understand where the Mountain Man brand name came from. Revelstoke and the surrounding area is mountain after mountain. Bob, a self-described fabricator, knows what he is doing when it comes to jerky.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef Slices, Black Pepper, Pineapple Juice, Brown Sugar, Onion Juice, Liquid Hickory Smoke, Sherry, Garlic Juice, Salt, Vinegar, Molasses, Spices
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 used here consists of pineapple juice, liquid hickory smoke, garlic juice, sherry, and onion juice. There is a natural enzyme named bromelain in pineapples that acts as a natural meat tenderizer. Garlic juice and onion juice are extremely healthy.
The sugar level is a bit high at around 4.5 grams per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less. The salt level is high at around 410mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky, where the preference is 250mg of salt or less.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, salt is the main preservative. Also, as a plus, this jerky qualifies to have no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
The strips are medium to small in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. This texture is dry, but not overly dry. While not common, these strips are sliced against the grain, instead of with the grain. There are visible signs of fat that enhance the flavor, but some wads of beef are hard to chew. Without a doubt, handling this jerky does leave an oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a mild pineapple flavor. Almost as strong is the taste from the onion juice, an excellent thing in our opinion. The natural beef flavor is at about a medium level. There is a mild sweetness, and a smoked taste in the background.
With this being a pepper flavor, the peppery level starts out slow. As you eat more strips, the pepper level intensifies. By the end, there is no questioning that your mouth was in contact with black pepper.
A 1.8 ounce/50 gram bag of this jerky sells for $5.00. That equates to $2.78 an ounce, which is classified as an expensive price. This jerky is well worth your money to experience a unique blend of flavors with a good peppered level.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This is not your typical jerky bag. Mainly because the label is printed lengthwise instead of heightwise. The label on the front covers the entire bag, and there is nothing on the back. Best of all, this jerky is vacuum sealed, the best way to help preserve the jerky.
On the label there is a picture of Robert Lahue with a mountain in the background, where British Columbia has many mountains. The Mountain Man brand name curves along the mountain peak. The slogan is “The Best in the West”. Facts printed on the bag are “no nitrates”, “no msg”, “no gluten”, “no soy”, and “no preservatives”.
Another interesting fact stated on the bag is “Did you know: It takes 1/2 pound of fresh meat to make this pack”. While there is no Canadian Department of Agriculture or British Columbia Department of Agriculture stamp printed anywhere, it does explicitly state on the bag itself that this jerky was made and packaged in a commercially licensed facility.
All important bag categories are covered here. To the credit of Robert, he supplies an email address, and a phone number for customer inquiries. As per Canadian law, there are French translations provided.
The pepper flavored 1.8 ounce/50 gram bag listed at the bottom was part of an online purchase in 2012.
Check out their web site: www.mountainmanbeefjerky.com
Leave a Comment