Note: For a more current taste review on a tweaked bag design and ingredient list, open up Captain Jake’s Jerky – Classic Twist Beef Jerky (Recipe #2).
The next review on Captain Jake’s Jerky will be on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their Classic Twist flavored beef jerky. This flavor is described as being beefy, smoky with a touch of sweetness, notes of fruit flavors and a mild heat level. This jerky was kindly submitted for review by one of the co-founders, Scott Jacobson.
Friends since grade school from over 30 years ago, Scott Jacobson and Greg Giles teamed together to launch the Captain Jake’s Jerky brand name. Scott, who works in the media business, was tired of the same old jerky with lack of flavor, and high sodium levels. After 18 months of Scott tweaking the recipes of four flavors, they officially launched the Captain Jake’s Jerky brand name in October 2014. Greg’s experience is accounting, food service, and small business. This jerky is distributed under the name of Captain Jake’s Jerky, LLC and they are based out of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt, Lactic Acid, Sodium Benzoate: Less than 1/10 of 1% as a preservative), Worcestershire Sauce (Distilled White Vinegar, Molasses, Sugar, Water, Salt, Onions, Anchovies, Garlic, Cloves, Tamarind Extract, Natural Flavorings, Chili Pepper Extract), Balsamic Vinegar (Balsamic Vinegar, Contains naturally occurring Sulfites. Acidity 6%.), Honey Granules, Brown Sugar, Natural Smoke Flavor, Black Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Smoked Paprika, Celery Powder, Red Pepper Flakes. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat, Anchovies
100% certified American-raised Black Angus beef is used in this jerky. The beef used is not guaranteed to be free of growth hormones or additional antibiotics. Also, the beef is not guaranteed to have at least partial free range access to graze on grass. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Good (8/10) rating.
The liquid marinade is comprised of an average soy sauce, a good Worcestershire sauce, and balsamic vinegar is interestingly used. Balsamic vinegar is a very healthy choice, and if manufactured properly is fermented for a minimum of 12 years along with grapes.
The spiciness from this flavor is achieved from the red hot pepper flakes. As a general rule, hot peppers are healthy if eaten in moderation.
There are multiple healthy spices used such as black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown.
This jerky does qualify to contain no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, apart from salt, celery powder is the main preservative, with its naturally occurring nitrates. Admirably, this jerky also qualifies to have no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Note: For a more current taste review on a tweaked bag design and ingredient list, open up Captain Jake’s Jerky – Classic Twist Beef Jerky (Recipe #2).
These strips of jerky are medium to small in size, and are sliced to a medium thickness. There is a great dry texture, which is still relatively easy to chew. A very small amount of fat is visible, and handling these strips leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a moderate combination of the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. There is a pleasant mild smoked flavor, with a mild saltiness level. The sweetness level is mild at best, and the garlic/onion taste combination is light.
As for the heat level, it is at a light level. There are no fruit flavors detected, but there is a faint tang from the balsamic vinegar. Overall, a very flavorful combination of tastes that leaves you wanting more.
A 3 ounce/84 gram bag sells online for $7.89. That works out to 2.66 an ounce, which works out to be an expensive price. This jerky is certainly recommended as worth your money for people who enjoy a vibrant tasting original based flavor.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This is a plain, clear, resealable plastic bag. There is a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. A small sticker stating “Black Angus” is on the front also.
The Captain Jake’s Jerky logo has an anchor in the middle. There are no slogans or facts printed on this bag.
There are some missing bag categories such as a best before date, no allergen alerts, and no nutrition facts table. There is no blurb printed about Captain Jake’s Jerky, or this flavor. Granted there is no room.
Order their jerky online: www.captainjakesjerky.com
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