This first review on the Stonewall’s Jerquee brand of jerky will be on a 1.5 ounce/42 gram bag of their Peppy “Pepperoni” flavored vegan jerky. This bag was purchased at a Heritage Natural Market store in Virginia Beach, Virginia, back in August 2015.
This Stonewall’s Jerquee brand of vegan jerky is distributed by Lumen Soy Foods, LLC, based out of Lake Charles, Louisiana. They sell multiple types of meatless products, as an alternative to real beef jerky. There are two lines of vegan jerky available, where the Stonewall’s Jerquee brand is advertised as being juicier with a soft and tender texture, and it is microwaveable. All of their products are vegan except their BBQ “beef” jerky.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Defatted Soy Flour, Purified Water, Soybean Oil, Spices (Pepperoni Seasoning, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Allspice, Coriander, Ginger, White Pepper, and/or Red Pepper), Autolyzed Yeast, Liquid Smoke (Soybean Oil & Natural Wood Smoke Flavor), Potassium Sorbate (A polyunsaturated fat used to preserve freshness). Allergen Warnings: Soy
By weight, defatted soy flour is the main ingredient used here. Unlike most soy products sold in North America, the soy used here is advertised as being non-GMO (genetically modified organism).
There are a number of healthy spices used such as onion powder, garlic powder, allspice, coriander, ginger, white pepper, and red pepper.
The pepperoni flavor is achieved using pepperoni seasoning. The contents of this pepperoni seasoning is not known, where it could include both healthy and unhealthy ingredients.
The sugar level is respectable at 2 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is acceptable at 320mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does not qualify to be sodium nitrite free. Unhealthy potassium sorbate is used as the main preservative, apart from salt. Admirably, this jerky does qualify to have no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These pieces of jerky are small in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. There is a chopped and formed type of soft and tender texture, which results in easy to chew jerky pieces. There are no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky does leave an oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a moderate soy flavor. This taste does not resemble any type of meat based jerky, where it more resembles eating tofu. There is a strong blend of spices, where this jerky is also surprisingly mildly spicy. The sweetness level is light, and there is a moderate salt level.
Being advertised as a peppy “pepperoni” flavor, there is only a minor resemblance to the taste of pepperoni. The taste rating will be judged on this being a vegan jerky product, and not compared to a meat based jerky product. Overall, this flavor is better than expected, but still tastes unnatural.
This 1.5 ounce/42 gram bag was purchased for $1.72. That works out to a cheap price at $1.73 an ounce. This jerky is recommended as worth your money for people looking to buy a vegan type of jerky.
Bag Review
This non-resealable plastic bag has everything imprinted on the bag itself, both the front and back. The logo is of a cowboy winking, with a cactus plant in the background.
Their slogan is “The Tasty Vegetarian Snack”. Some facts printed on this bag are “All Natural”, “Animal Free”, “Gluten Free”, and “0g Trans Fats”. There is an official Vegan stamp printed on this bag.
All major bag categories are covered. There is no blurb printed on this bag about the Stonewall’s Jerquee brand name, or this flavor.
Leave a Comment