The next review on Mad Cow Jerky will be on a 0.56 ounce/16 gram bag of their chilli flavor. This jerky was graciously 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, and was founded in 2014. One of the great attributes of Mad Cow Jerky is that it tastes homemade. Maryanne expertly hand slices each jerky strip to a uniform length and thickness. You can tell a lot of care was put into this product.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Chilli, Tomato Paste, Sugar, Salt, Vinegar.
The cattle used have some free range access to forage on grass, and roam about. Just the way nature intended. The cattle are not given growth hormones or additional antibiotics. That qualifies this jerky to use ethically raised beef.
The liquid marinade is comprised of just tomato paste and healthy vinegar. Tomatoes are loaded with the antioxidant lycopene.
The source of heat in this flavor comes from the chili peppers. Hot peppers in general are healthy if eaten in moderation.
The sugar level is commendable at only about 1 gram of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is unbelievably high at 1974mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky, where the preference is 350mg of salt or less. Much of that is 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 preservatives used here are salt, and to a lesser extent the vinegar. That qualifies this jerky to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservative. Also admirably, there is no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of beef are medium in size. They are sliced to a thin texture. The texture is quite dry, but still reasonably easy to chew. There are no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no residue on your fingers. You can see the occasional chili pepper.
The first taste detected is the heat from the chili peppers. It levels off at a mild, to medium level depending on your tolerance of heat. There is a great tomato taste that tends to dull the spiciness here. A mild tang from the vinegar also helps offset the heat.
With this flavor not being sweet, the natural beef flavor comes out more. The saltiness is at about a moderate level. Overall, a great combination.
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. This jerky has a healthy ingredient list, and worth a try if you enjoy the taste of tomatoes and a mildly spicy flavor that has a homemade jerky feel.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This is a rather small, brown paper bag. 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
Leave a Comment