The next review on Joe’s Wicked Good Jerky will be on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their Joemama’s Hot beef jerky flavor. The flavor is described as using fresh jalapeno peppers. This jerky was graciously submitted for review by one of the co-owners, Traci Nixt.
This Joe’s Wicked Good Jerky brand name is based out of Redding, California, owned by Traci and her husband Joe Nixt. Joe started making jerky in the late 1980’s, sharing his jerky among friends and family. For many years Joe wanted to launch a jerky company. When Traci and Joe mutually committed to the idea, they launched their jerky business in March 2015. They pride themselves on offering the best quality service. Both the marinade and beef are purchased locally in Northern California. The beef is advertised to use an extra-lean cut of top round beef. There are currently four different flavors available, where the recipes are always evolving, with plans to offer more flavors in the future.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Marinade (Soy Sauce [Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt], Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Mirin (Water, Dextrose, Mirin [Rice, Alcohol, Salt], Lactic and Succinic Acids), Water, Dehydrated Garlic, Spice, Modified Corn Starch, Sunflower Oil), Marinade (Soy Sauce [Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt, Sodium Benzoate: Less than 0.1% to preserve freshness], Rehydrated Onions, Garlic, Caramel, Vinegar, Apple Juice Concentrate, Carrots, Celery, Cabbage, Parsley, Turnips, Natural Flavors, Spices, Citric Acid, Malic Acid), Jalapeno, Cayenne. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
While not 100% guaranteed, the cattle imported from New Zealand and Australia are believed to be ethically raised, meaning the cattle are never administered growth hormones. The cattle are guaranteed to have some partial free range access to graze on grass, just the way nature intended.
The liquids in this marinade are comprised of a decent soy sauce twice, mirin, water, and sunflower oil twice. Mirin is a Japanese cooking wine, often rice based. Sunflower oil is a healthy choice, and are full of healthy fats, but should be consumed in moderation.
The only complaints here is that the marinade uses highly processed and unhealthy high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). To a lesser extent, modified corn starch is used, where corn based products have no business being in jerky.
There are some healthy ingredients used such as spices, garlic, dehydrated garlic, and paprika extractive. The heat is achieved from fresh jalapeno peppers and cayenne pepper. Hot peppers are healthy if eaten in moderation.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or use any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is salt. To the credit of Joe’s Wicked Good Jerky, there is no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These jerky strips are mainly small in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. They are borderline dry, and are relatively easy to chew. There are very little visible signs of fat, and handling these strips leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
A moderate soy taste is detected first. The mirin wine flavor is noticeable, and there is a mild sweetness. The garlic level is mild, with a faint onion taste. There is an unusual taste that is likely all of the vegetables used, which really compliments the overall flavor. The salt level is mild.
As for the heat, there is not much. On a heat scale, it would rate about a 1 out of 4, perhaps a tiny bit higher. As a bonus though, the jalapeno flavor is great tasting. Overall, this flavor is wicked good tasting, but not spicy enough, albeit the flavor is described as not being overly hot tasting.
This 3 ounce/85 gram bag sells online for $6.00. That works out to $2.00 an ounce, which rates as an average price. This flavor is recommended as worth your money if you are looking for a mildly spicy jalapeno flavor.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This is a standard resealable plastic bag that has a label affixed to the front, and a small sticker on the back. Their company logo is a bull’s skull. There are no slogans or facts printed on this bag.
Many bag categories are covered here. Some missing categories are a nutrition facts table, allergen alerts, a blurb about the company or flavor, and the jerky weight not stated in grams. To the credit of Joe’s Wicked Good Jerky, a phone number is provided for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.joeswickedgoodjerky.com
Leave a Comment