The next review on Ramapo Ridge will be on a 1.5 ounce/42 gram bag of their peppered beef jerky. This bag was purchased at a liquor store in North Arlington, New Jersey, back in late December 2014.
Ramapo Ridge jerky is distributed by Ramapo Ridge Mountain Mixes located in Clifton, New Jersey. Founded in 1996, Ramapo Ridge Mountain Mixes distributes things such as nuts, fruit mixes, candy and of course beef jerky. We inquired to Ramapo Ridge Mountain Mixes asking who manufactures their jerky. That is information they were not willing to disclose, which we can respect. This jerky would therefore be classified as having a stock recipe.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Brown Sugar, Water, Salt, Spices, Monosodium Glutamate, Garlic Powder, Sodium Nitrite.
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 just plain old water. There are some healthy ingredients used such as spices, and garlic powder.
The sugar and salt levels are unknown. It is concerning to see brown sugar having the second highest weight in the ingredient list.
Unhealthy sodium nitrite is used as the main preservative, along with salt. Disappointingly, the flavor enhancer MSG is used.
Average (5/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
There is a mixture of small and medium sized strips of jerky. These strips are sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is your classic dry jerky texture, which is relatively easy to chew. There are no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a moderate sweetness. That sweet flavor tends to mute the natural beef flavor. There is a noticeable, mild garlic taste.
For a flavor advertised to be peppered, there is enough of a peppered taste to pass off as a peppered flavor. The black pepper flavor never exceeds a mild level though. There is a moderate to medium level of saltiness. Overall, there is a pleasant blend of spices in this flavor.
This 1.5 ounce/42 gram bag cost $3.99, which works out to $2.66 an ounce. That classifies as an expensive price. While this jerky tastes decent, there are better choices out there.
Bag Review
This exact stock bag is used by multiple jerky makers. There is a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. The Ramapo Ridge logo is pretty decent. A picturesque logo with mountains and pine trees, where their web site states it gives the appearance that this jerky is fresh and healthy.
Missing bag categories in this bag is a blurb about Ramapo Ridge, no nutrition facts table, the jerky weight is not stated in grams and there are no personal slogans. Thankfully there is a sticker on the back stating the best before date. Kudos to Ramapo Ridge Mountain Mixes for putting their phone number on the bag for customer inquiries.
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