The next review on Tillamook Country Smoker will be on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their All Natural original flavored beef jerky. The Tillamook Country Smoker team graciously submitted this jerky for review in 2014.
The Tillamook Country Smoker jerky brand name is manufactured and distributed by Tillamook Country Smoker Inc., located in Bay City, Tillamook County, Oregon. They have been in business for over 50 years. It all started with providing jerky to brave pioneers who often walked every step of the 2000 mile long grueling Oregon Trail. According to Tillamook Country Smoker, the original Oregonians, the Native Americans indigenous to the area, taught settlers how to make jerky.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Contains Beef, Brown Sugar, Water, Sea Salt, Natural Flavors, Honey, Vinegar.
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 just water, and healthy vinegar.
While we are not exactly a fan of using the vague term natural flavors, we have been informed on some of the ingredients included, which are nothing untowards.
The sugar level is somewhat high at 7 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less. The salt level is high at 520mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. However, much of that is negated because minimally processed sea salt is used instead of table salt.
This jerky qualifies to contain no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Also as a bonus, and kudos to Tillamook Country Smoker, this jerky qualifies to have no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips are mostly medium sized, sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is dry, but not overly dry. Chewing this jerky is relatively easy making this texture quite appealing. There are no visible signs of fat on this jerky, and handling this jerky leaves no residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is the natural meat flavor. There is a sweetness to this flavor, where you would not want this jerky to be any sweeter tasting. The salt level is moderate, and there are faint touches of a peppered taste.
There is an appealing combination of spices used here. It seems that onion and garlic powder are used, but there is another spice there also. Perhaps it is paprika. Regardless, with the combination of this pleasant tasting jerky, coupled with a great texture, this jerky leaves you wanting more.
This 3 ounce/85 gram bag of Tillamook Country Smoker original flavor sells online for $4.00. That works out to $1.33 an ounce, which is a very cheap price for jerky. There is free shipping for any order over $45. This jerky is good deal for people who desire a mild tasting flavor, along with a great texture that is relatively easy to chew.
Bag Review
No labels are on this bag, and everything is imprinted directly on the bag itself, on both sides. Tillamook Country Smoker shows some originality using their logo as the partial transparent window to actually view the jerky. While this bag is resealable, it uses glue, or some sort of adhesive to close the bag.
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 many slogans printed on this bag such as “Natural Wood Smoked”, “All Natural”, “Minimally Processed”, “No Preservatives Added”, “No Artificial Ingredients”, “97% Fat Free”, “Gluten Free”, “No Nitrites”, “No MSG Added”, “Made With Sea Salt”, “Made in the USA”, “0g Trans Fat”, and “10g of Protein”.
All bag categories are covered, with some worthy notes. To the credit of Tillamook Country Smoker, they provide a toll free phone number for customer inquiries.
Excellent (10/10) – Bag Rating
Order their jerky online: www.tcsjerky.com
Is corn, wheat or soy any of the ingredients in the “Natural Flavors”? Need to know for allergies.