The next review on Lawless Jerky will be on a 2 ounce/57 gram bag of their pho flavored 100% grass-fed beef jerky. This jerky was graciously submitted by the founder and CEO, Matt Tolnick.
The Lawless Jerky brand name is distributed by Lawless Jerky LLC, located in Santa Monica, California. Matt, a former attorney, bravely left his practice, and launched the Lawless Jerky brand name in 2013. In Matt’s words “he had the courage to run from the law..to make jerky!”. Today, Lawless Jerky is striving to become America’s Craft Jerky.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: 100% Grass Fed Beef, Rice Vinegar, Brown Sugar, Sriracha Sauce (Chili, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Distilled Vinegar, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Bisulfite, and Xanthan Gum), Plum Sauce (Sugar, Water, Plum Puree, Vinegar, Ginger, Salt, Modified Food Starch, Fermented Wheat Protein, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum), Fish Sauce (Water, Anchovy Extract, Salt, Sugar), Lime Juice, Pho Spice Blend (Cilantro, Mint, Basil, Ginger, Lemongrass, Cinnamon, Jalapeno, Garlic, Onion, Star Anise, Cloves), Salt Allergen Warnings: Wheat, Anchovies
This 100% grass-fed beef is sourced from a reputable farm in Australia. For a detailed explanation on the virtues of consuming 100% grass-fed beef compared to grain-fed beef, you can read the Just How Natural is Your “All-Natural” Beef Jerky?” article written by Matt.
The liquid marinade consists of healthy rice vinegar, an alright sriracha sauce, a good plum sauce, and lime juice. Plums are high on antioxidants, and offer multiple health benefits.
The pho spice blend is off the charts healthy. Every single spice and herb used rates a perfect 10/10 ingredient rating on this web site.
The sugar level is a little high at 5 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. However, a pho flavor can be sweet tasting, so 5 grams is acceptable. The salt level is decent at 300mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
As advertised, there is no sodium nitrite used, or any other similar unhealthy preservative. Instead, salt and rice vinegar to a lesser degree are the main preservatives. Admirably, this jerky qualifies to have no MSG added.
Excellent (10/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of jerky are medium to small in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. It has a great, fairly dry texture, but still 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 mild to moderate tanginess from the rice vinegar. There is a certain fruity flavor from the plum sauce, and the fish sauce is not fishy tasting.
It does not take long for the spiciness to kick in. On a heat scale, the spiciness would rate a 1 out of 4, perhaps a little more depending on your tolerance for spicy foods. The saltiness is at a mild level, and the sweetness is at a moderate level. As for the pho taste, there is an interesting complex blend of spices and herbs that sort of takes on a Vietnamese pho flavor.
A 2 ounce/57 gram bag sells online for $5.99. That works out to $3.00 an ounce, which rates as an expensive price. It doesn’t get any better than 100% grass-fed beef, where this jerky is recommended as worth your money.
Bag Review
Unusually, this bag opens vertically, as opposed to horizontally. Everything is imprinted directly on this resealable bag, both the front and back.
There is a graphic displayed on the front of Lady Justice, peaking through a band around her head, suggesting that justice is not always blind. The Lawless Jerky logo is interesting. It is an upside down balance scale, symbolic of Matt turning his law profession on its head when he became a jerky maker instead.
There are some facts displayed on this bag such as “Braver Flavor”, “Handcrafted”, “Made with 100% Grass-Fed Beef”, “Authentic Flavors”, “No Corn Syrup”, “No Nitrites”, and “No Nitrates”.
All bag categories are covered with this bag except for one. Missing is a transparent window to view the actual jerky. There is a good blurb on the back written about the pho flavor itself, and about Lawless Jerky.
Order their jerky online: www.lawlessjerky.com
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