The next review on Fusion Jerky will be on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their island teriyaki flavored pork jerky. This bag was kindly submitted for review by the Fusion Jerky team.
The company president, KaiYen Mai, a mother of two and avid outdoorswoman, first had the idea of creating Fusion Jerky while climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mixing both East and West traditions, Fusion Jerky is a combination of Asian-style jerky tenderness, and American-style flavors. The company itself is based out of South San Francisco, California, and was launched in August 2014. This jerky is manufactured by FusionRanch Inc. at a USDA compliant, state-of-the-art “Fusion Ranch” located in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Pork, Sugar, Water, Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Salt, Sugar), Water, Spices, Salt, Celery Powder, Natural Flavorings (includes Paprika). Allergen Warnings: Soy
The pork used is not guaranteed to be free of growth hormones or additional antibiotics. Also, the pork is not guaranteed to have at least partial free range access to roam about. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Good (8/10) rating.
The liquid marinade consists of just gluten-free soy sauce, and water. As soy sauces go, this one uses a reasonably healthy ingredient list.
This flavor uses 7 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky, which is a little on the high side. A teriyaki flavor by design is normally sweet tasting, where 5 grams of sugar or less is preferred. The salt level is respectable at 280mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
Apart from salt, interestingly, celery powder is used to preserve this jerky. Celery powder has naturally occurring nitrates. That qualifies this jerky to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Admirably, this jerky has no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of pork are medium to small in size, and mostly sliced to a medium thickness. There is a great, almost soft and tender texture that is easy to chew. There are no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky does leave some oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is the sweetness, which stays at a moderate to medium level. There is a good deal of natural pork flavor present, which tastes surprisingly good.
As for a teriyaki flavor, the soy level is mild at best. Apart from being sweet tasting, there is not much in the flavor to distinguish this as a teriyaki flavor. There is a mild, pleasing blend of spices, and the salt level is mild.
This 3 ounce/85 gram bag sells online for $6.99. That works out to $2.33 an ounce, which rates as a borderline average price. They offer a very respectable flat shipping rate of $5.70 for most of the U.S.A. This jerky is worthwhile for people looking for a mild, sweet based flavor, and appreciate the taste of pork.
Bag Review
This is a standard sized resealable bag. In a clever way, the transparent window to view the jerky is shaped as a pig. The front has a drawing of an island with a palm tree, which is shaped as a pork chop.
This bag has no clearly defined slogans, but there are a number of facts stated on the bag. Facts such as “Artisan Pork Jerky”, “98% Fat Free”, “All Natural”, “High Protein”, “No Preservatives”, “Gluten-Free”, “Made in USA”, “No Artificial Ingredients”, “Minimally Processed”, “No MSG”, “10 Grams Protein Per Serving”, and “No Nitrates”.
The only bag category missing is that there is no soy allergen alert displayed. There is a small, but good blurb printed on the back about Fusion Jerky, but not this island teriyaki flavor. Printed on the back, on the pig, are their social media handle and hashtag @fusionjerky #fuseyourlife.
Order their jerky online: www.fusionjerky.com
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