The next review on New Beef King will focus on a 2 ounce/56 gram bag of their spicy flavored beef jerky. This bag was purchased in late December 2014, while visiting New York, New York, at the New Beef King store located in the Chinatown section of Manhattan. That would make this oriental jerky.
New Beef King was started by Robert Yee over 20 years ago, who was born in Hong Kong, and moved to New York at age 10. He had a Grand Aunt who had an old family recipe for jerky. In Robert’s 30’s, he travelled to Hong Kong to acquire that family recipe, and shortly afterwards opened up New Beef King in Manhattan Chinatown. This jerky is slowly oven baked. The end result is jerky that has a soft and tender texture.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Oyster Sauce, Soy Sauce, Sugar, Salt, Spices, Black Pepper, White Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper. 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 oyster sauce and soy sauce. These sauce’s ingredient lists are not known.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown. Based on the taste alone, there appears to be quite a bit of unhealthy sugar used.
It is perfectly fair for a jerky maker to use the vague term spices, rather than reveal any secrets to their competitors. In any case, spices are generally very healthy.
This jerky is believed have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, salt is the main preservative. It is also believed that this jerky has no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These hand sliced chunks style are more or less shaped as small cubes, similar to stewing beef. While the exterior is not quite soft and tender, once you start chewing this jerky it sort of crumbles in your mouth. That makes for very easy chewing, and an uncommon eating experience for jerky. The exterior also has a thick, noticeable film of sauces. There is very little fat on this jerky, and there is some oily residue left on your fingers while handling this jerky.
The first taste detected is the sweetness. Being so sweet tasting, the natural beef flavor is not very strong. As for being a spicy flavor, the spiciness is near nonexistent. Even as you eat more of these chunks, it still does not get spicy tasting. There is also some sort of fruity flavor, which is not for everyone. Overall, this jerky does have a good soft and tender texture.
A 2 ounce/56 gram bag sells for $3.49. That works out to $1.75 an ounce, which works out to an average price. This jerky may be good for someone who prefers not much spice, sweet tasting, along with a fruity taste.
Bag Review
Not uncommon for a store that specializes in selling jerky, the jerky is sold in bulk, and packaged in a clear, plastic bag. At least there were labels available, which state the flavor name, and the company web site.
There are too many bag categories missing to list all of them. To the credit of New Beef King, they provide an insert with their jerky. This insert gives instructions to consume the jerky within three days, or, refrigerate the jerky and consume within three weeks.
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