Note: For a more current taste review open up KRAVE – Sweet Chiplotle Beef Jerky (Recipe #2).
The next review for KRAVE Jerky will be on a 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag of their sweet chipotle flavor. This bag was graciously submitted by the KRAVE team. The KRAVE Jerky brand name is distributed by Krave Pure Foods, Inc. They are located in the wine region of Sonoma, California. The company was founded in 2009 byl Jon Sebastian, who had a crave for all natura jerky with a soft and tender texture. In an interesting move, KRAVE Jerky was acquired by the Hershey’s chocolate company in January 2015.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Evaporated Cane Syrup, Low Sodium Gluten Free Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Salt, Alcohol), Water, Honey, Spices (including Paprika, Vinegar Powder, Sea Salt, Citric Acid, Celery Juice Powder). 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 evaporated cane syrup, low sodium gluten free soy sauce, honey, and water. Honey offers many nutritional benefits, but only if minimally processed.
The sugar level is quite high at 9 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. For a sweet based flavor, our preference is 5 grams of sugar or less. Fortunately, evaporated cane syrup is the primary sweetener used, which is one of the better sweeteners out there. The salt level is reasonable at 300mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky
This jerky does qualify to be sodium nitrite free. Admirably, celery juice powder is the main preservative used, which has naturally occurring nitrates. Vinegar, and tart tasting citric acid to a lesser degree, also helps preserve the beef. With more kudos to KRAVE, this jerky has no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips are mostly large in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. This jerky does have a soft and tender texture, where chewing this jerky is easy. There are no visible signs of fat anywhere, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is the sweetness. You would not want this flavor to be any sweeter. As a bonus, the honey flavor is noticeable. With this being a sweet based flavor, the natural beef flavor is muted to a degree. There is a pleasant, mild blend of spices used, and the soy taste is light.
This sweet chipotle flavor is advertised on the bag to be moderately spicy. We respectfully disagree, where the chipotle flavor is mildly spicy at best.
This 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag sells online for $7.00. That works out to $2.15 an ounce, which rates as an average price. This is a good snack for people who enjoy sweet tasting jerky that is mildly spicy, and with a soft and tender texture.
Bag Review
This is a standard resealable plastic bag. Everything is imprinted directly on the bag itself, both on the front and back. There are no labels affixed. There are many random images, and jerky sayings are in the orange part of this bag.
The KRAVE Jerky logo is of a person running. Slogans printed on this bag are “Live a Cut Above”, “Move. Eat. Live. KRAVE.”, and “ENJOY”. There are facts printed on this bag such as “Gluten Free”, “No Nitrites”, “Low Fat”, “No Artificial Ingredients”, “Minimally Processed”, and “Product of USA”.
All bag categories are covered here with this bag. There is a great blurb printed on the back of this bag describing KRAVE jerky and the sweet chipotle flavor.
Excellent (10/10) – Bag Rating
Order their jerky online: www.kravejerky.com
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