The next review for House of Jerky will focus on a 2 ounce/57 gram bag of their hot flavored beef jerky. This bag was graciously submitted for review by Lesley from House of Jerky.
This House of Jerky brand is distributed by House of Jerky Inc., based out of Evansville, Indiana. It all started in 1993, selling their jerky on the side of the road. In 1996, they had an idea to sell their jerky inside a store. It started out with leasing a 100 square foot store. Before the year ended, they opened up an 800 square foot jerky store in Temecula, California, which still holds the distinction of being the very first jerky store in the world. Today, they have approximately 25 House of Jerky stores located across the U.S.A, where new business opportunities are always welcome.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Top Round Beef, Salt, Water, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Pineapple Juice, Honey, Tabasco Sauce (Vinegar, Red Pepper, Salt), Habanero Pepper, Garlic, Red Chili Pepper, Onion, Liquid Smoke, White Pepper, Black Pepper, Ginger. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
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 water, a decent soy sauce, pineapple juice, honey, Tabasco sauce, and liquid smoke. Local honey, or unpasteurized honey offers many health benefits, and promotes healing of cuts and burns.
The heat is achieved here from the Tabasco sauce, habanero peppers, and red chili peppers. The Tabasco brand name is owned by the McIlhenny company in Avery Island, Louisiana, created in the 1860’s, and it uses a simple, healthy ingredient list. Hot peppers are healthy if eaten in moderation.
Healthy spices such as black pepper and white pepper are used. The trifecta of supremely healthy vegetables are used with garlic, onions, and ginger.
The sugar level is very respectable at only 1 gram of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is high at 410mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is salt. Admirably, there is also no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These jerky strips range from large to small in size. They are sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is somewhat dry, and 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 moderate pineapple flavor, which does help offset the spiciness. The heat is interesting, with the mildly vinegary hot Tabasco sauce, along with the burn of habanero peppers. It does get hotter as you consume more strips. On a heat scale, it would rate around a 3 out of 5.
The soy taste is mild, and the saltiness is at a moderate level. There is very little sweetness detected, which does allow some of the natural beef flavor to shine through, although the heat dominates here. The garlic and onion combination is mild tasting. Overall, this is a very juicy and tasty snack.
On the House of Jerky web site, 8 ounces sells for $22.00, which includes shipping. That works out to $2.75 an ounce, which rates as an expensive price. This jerky is surely recommended as worth your money for people who enjoy a flavorful hot based flavor.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This is a standard, clear, non-resealable sized plastic bag. Worth noting is that this bag is vacuum sealed, the best way to keep jerky fresh. There is one label affixed to the front, and nothing of the back. The House of Jerky logo is of a man tapping a triangle, signaling that it is time to eat.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. The only fact stated on the bag is “Natural Smoke Flavoring Added”.
There are some bag categories missing such as a nutrition facts table, a bar code, allergen alerts, and a blurb about this jerky and flavor. To the credit of House of Jerky, a toll free phone number is provided for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.houseofjerky.net
Leave a Comment