The next review on Mad Cow Jerky will be on a 16 gram bag of their Honey Soy beef jerky. It does seem odd to name a jerky brand ‘Mad Cow’, but there is a valid reason. This jerky was kindly submitted by the owner, Mary-Anne Delost (M.A.D.).
The Mad Cow Jerky brand name is based out of Morwell, Victoria, Australia. This jerky is distributed under the name of Maryanne Collyer Delost. It all started with Maryanne making jerky for her family. Then, by word of mouth, the orders started piling up. By 2014, Maryanne launched this Mad Cow Jerky brand name, and has not looked back.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Soy Bean Extract, Honey, Sugar, Salt, Pepper. Allergen Warnings: Soy
It has been confirmed that the cattle used have some free range access to forage on grass, and roam about. It is also confirmed that the cattle are not given growth hormones or additional antibiotics. That qualifies this jerky to use ethically raised beef.
Soy bean extract is a concentrated form of soy, and known to contain multiple health benefits. The quality of honey can vary widely. Most big brand honey makers sell honey that is almost devoid of pollen, and can hardly be called honey anymore. Preferably, locally produced unpasteurized honey is used.
This sugar level is very commendable, only having 0.7g of sugar per 20 grams of jerky. The salt level on the other hand is very high at 1410mg of salt per 20 grams of jerky. However, that is largely negated due to Himalayan pink salt being used. Himalayan pink salt is considered to be the purest salt, and contains many essential/trace minerals.
The main preservative used here is salt. That qualifies this jerky to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservative. Also, admirably, there is no MSG added.
Very Good (9/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of beef are medium in size, and sliced fairly thin. Credit is due to Maryanne, where each hand sliced strip is surprisingly uniform in size. This texture is quite dry, but relatively easy to chew. There are no signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is the honey at a mild level. Then the soy taste starts to kick in more, leveling off at a moderate level. There is barely any sweetness, which really allows the natural beef flavor to stand out. Overall, this is a surprisingly good taste combination. This flavor delivers as advertised with a soy/honey based flavor.
A 1.76 ounce/50 gram bag retails for $7.50. That works out to $4.26 an ounce, which rates as an expensive price. While not cheap, at least compared to North America, this jerky is worth your money for people who enjoy the taste of soy and honey.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This is a rather small, brown paper bag, which you could describe as being quaint. There is a layer of plastic in the bag to help keep the jerky fresh. It is unusual to see jerky sold in paper bags, where this jerky has a two month shelf life.
The Mad Cow Jerky logo is of a cow’s head. Stated on the bag is “Proudly Australia Owned”.
For a small sized bag, impressively many of the bag categories are covered. Missing categories are no best before date, no bar code, and the jerky weight is not stated. Admirably, a phone number is provided for customer inquiries.
Check out their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/MAD-Cow-Jerky
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