The first review on Camouflage Dave’s will be on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their sweet peppered beef jerky. This jerky was kindly submitted for review by the founder, Dave Porton.
This jerky is also distributed under the same name of Camouflage Dave’s. They are located in Ormond Beach, Florida, and started business in 1997. As demand for Camouflage Dave’s became more popular, they opened a store in Bruce Rossmeyer’s Harley Dealership, Destination Daytona, Ormond Beach, Florida. Dave and his wife Maria make all the jerky, and run the store. This jerky submitted for review has a soft and tender texture. They also sell a drier style of jerky, but that style is only available for purchase at their store and a Farmer’s Market.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Teriyaki Sauce (Soy Sauce [Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt], Wine, Sugar, Vinegar, Salt, Onion Powder, Spices, Succinic Acid, Garlic Powder), Brown Sugar, Spices, Garlic, Onion, Liquid Smoke, Sodium Nitrite. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
The cattle used are confirmed to have about 85% free range access to graze on grass, and roam about. These cattle may or may not have received growth hormones. Based on the information provided from the fine folks at Harris Ranch, the cattle qualify enough to be ethically raised.
The liquid marinade is comprised of a decent Teriyaki sauce and liquid smoke. The type of wood used in the liquid smoke is hickory, which is one of the best choices out there.
Super healthy garlic and onion are used. Using the vague term of spices is fair game, where they are not required to list the actual spices used to their competitors. As a general rule, spices are extremely healthy.
No nutrition facts table is provided, so the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown. Based on the taste, it does seem a fair amount of sugar is used. The salt level seems normal.
This jerky does use unhealthy sodium nitrite as the main preservative, apart from salt. Admirably, this jerky has no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips vary from small, medium, and large size pieces. They are sliced to a medium thickness. There is a surprisingly soft and tender texture, which results in jerky that is easy to chew. A few signs of fat are visible that contribute to the overall flavor in a good way. Handling this jerky does leave some oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a fairly strong teriyaki/soy based flavor. Then the sweetness kicks in at a moderate level, just short of going overboard. The sweetness does dull the natural beef flavor, but the soft and tender texture counteracts that to a certain extent. In the background there is a mild smoked flavor.
As for the peppered level, it is at a disappointing light level. This jerky is advertised to have the “BEST marinades”. There is no doubt that this jerky is very flavorful and juicy. It just misses on the black pepper level.
This 3 ounce/84 gram bag sells online for $7.95. That equates out to 2.65 an ounce, which works out to be an expensive price. This flavor is a decent buy for people who desire a sweet, teriyaki based flavor, and especially with a soft and tender texture.
Bag Review
This is a standard resealable plastic bag. There is a label affixed to the front. On the back there is only a price sticker.
There are no slogans or facts printed. Their official slogan is “So good you have to hide it!”. Maria did hand write “Sweet” and “Thanks” on the label. It’s a good thing, because this is more of a sweet peppered flavor, and was rated accordingly.
There are some bag categories missing such as a nutrition facts table, slogan, and jerky weight not stated in grams. Also missing is a blurb about Camouflage Dave’s and this sweet peppered flavor.
Order their jerky online: www.camouflagedaves.com
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