The next review on Indiana Craft Jerky will focus on a 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag of their Bloody Mary beef jerky flavor. This jerky was graciously submitted for review by the president of Indiana Craft Jerky, Michelle Twaddell.
This Indiana Craft Jerky brand name is distributed by Indiana Craft Jerky LLC., located in Avon, Indiana. For ten years, Michelle’s husband Ron shared his jerky with family, neighbors, and friends. After three years of unsuccessfully trying to launch a jerky company, Michelle decided to take over. One of the biggest challenges of starting a jerky company is finding a USDA compliant commercial kitchen. Michelle managed to find an owner of a closed down restaurant to rent their kitchen. Recognizing that many vendors at farmers markets face the same challenge, Michelle convinced this former restaurant owner to rent their kitchen to other companies, rather than re-open or close down. By April 2015, the Indiana Craft Jerky brand name was launched.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Lean Beef, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt, Sodium Benzoate), Worcestershire Sauce (Water, Salt, Vinegar, Caramel Color, Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Artificial Color), Bloody Mary Mix, Lime Juice, Horseradish, Pickle Juice, Fresh Dill Pickles. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
The beef is sourced from a local butcher named Moody Meats, which is a 5th generation family run business. They source beef from local farms, and their own farm. The cattle do have some free range access to graze on grass. There are no guarantees that the cattle are not administered growth hormones.
The liquid marinade is comprised of Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Bloody Mary mix, lime juice, and pickle juice. This is an award winning Bloody Mary mix, where tomatoes would be the main ingredients. Tomatoes are high on the antioxidant lycopene that has many health benefits. It is unfortunate that the Worcestershire sauce uses the oil derivative propylene glycol and artificial color. However, a new healthier Worcestershire sauce is scheduled to be used.
Horseradish is a member of the cabbage family, and has many medicinal qualities. Pickle based ingredients are an interesting choice for jerky. While there are some healthy benefits, pickles can have high salt content levels.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown. Based on the taste alone, the sugar level seem minimal, and the salt level might be somewhat high.
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 no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of jerky are mostly medium in size, and sliced thin. They have a great dry texture that is relatively easy to chew because the strips are sliced thin. 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 soy and Worcestershire sauce combination. That is quickly followed by a moderate salt level. There is no sweetness detected, which allows a good deal of natural beef flavor. A light peppered level is detected.
As for the bloody mary taste, there is not much at all. This flavor is largely dominated by the soy and Worcestershire sauces, plus the salt. It is still quite tasty, but more resembles an original flavor.
This 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag sells online for $9.00. That works out to $3.60 an ounce, which rates as an expensive price. This jerky is quite flavorful, but not much in the way of tasting like Bloody Mary.
Bag Review
This resealable plastic bag has a label affixed to both the front and back. Their logo is a circle with M&R in the middle, which stands for husband and wife Michelle and Ron.
Their slogan is “Hand Made”. Each flavor has a drawing to the left of the flavor name, where for this Bloody Mary flavor, it is a Blood Mary drink with a celery stalk and a lemon wedge. There is a small blurb printed about this flavor: “spicy bloody mary flavor – alcohol free”. Something appreciated is that the bag displays the heat and sweetness levels.
The majority of bag categories are covered here. Some missing categories are a nutrition facts table, and the jerky weight is not stated in grams. To the credit of Indiana Craft Jerky, a phone number is provided for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.indianacraftjerky.com
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