The next review on Blank & Son’s will focus on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their Texan Spirit flavor. It is described as having crushed red pepper, cracked black peppers, and some of the country’s hottest peppers. This jerky was graciously submitted for review by one of the owners, Damon Blank.
From 1988 – 2002, Damon, his wife Tammy, his mother Barbara, and his three sons Danton, Dalton and Dagon ran the Blank & Co. Restaurant in Nacogdoches, Texas. Staying within the food industry, Damon and Danton launched the Blank & Son’s jerky brand in April 2015, and are still based out of Nacogdoches, Texas. Their jerky is advertised as having bold flavors, and is handmade in small batches. They are so confident with their jerky, they used the Blank family name as the jerky brand name.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef Inside Round, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt, Sodium Benzoate: Less than 1/10 of 1% as a preservative), Worcestershire Sauce (Vinegar, Molasses, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Anchovies, Water, Onion, Salt, Garlic, Tamarind Concentrate, Cloves, Natural Flavorings, Chili Pepper Extract), Light Brown Sugar, Kosher Salt, Spice, Water, Garlic Powder, Garlic Salt, Chili Powder (Chili Pepper, Cumin, Oregano, Salt, Dehydrated Garlic), Onion Powder, Apple Cider Vinegar, Salt, Sodium Nitrite. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat, Anchovies
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 soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, water, and very healthy apple cider vinegar. It is disappointing to see that the Worcestershire sauce uses the highly processed sweetener high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
It is great to see that the super healthy vegetable garlic is listed four times inside the ingredient list, and similarly onion is listed twice. Some healthy spices added are cumin, black pepper, and oregano.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown. Based on taste alone, there is little sugar used, and perhaps a bit above average amount of salt.
Disappointingly, this jerky does use unhealthy sodium nitrite as the main preservative, apart from salt. Admirably, this jerky does qualify to have no MSG added.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These jerky strips are mainly large in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is fairly dry, and somewhat 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 mild garlic taste, along with a great level of black pepper. There is a tasty combination of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. A moderate level of salt pairs well with the black pepper. With a lack of sweetness, there is a good deal of natural beef flavor. With these slices of jerky being so large, it reminds you of eating a steak.
As for the heat, there is not all that much. After consuming a strip, there is a slight, but still enjoyable burn in your mouth. On a heat scale, it would rate a 2 out of 5 at the most. Overall, this jerky is extremely enjoyable, but falls a bit short in the heat department for a hot based flavor.
A 3 ounce/85 gram bag sells online for $9.99. That works out to $3.33 an ounce, which translates to an expensive price. The price is cheaper if you order five bags or more at a time. This flavor is certainly recommended from a taste perspective for people who enjoy spicy tasting jerky, but not overly hot tasting.
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 except a batch number sticker. The logo is interesting, with a drawing of a family, where the father is carrying the Texan Independence flag.
Each of the four flavors offered by Blank & Son’s features a different historic flag of Texas. This Texan Spirit flavor displays the Liberty or Death Flag. It was created to support the Independent Movement, and Texan’s willingness to die for their cause.
The official slogan for Blank & Son’s is “Come And Take It”. To get an idea on what that slogan means, watch the very interesting and unique video on the Blank & Son’s About Us page. Other possible slogans printed on this bag are “The Great Jerky of the Republic of Texas”, and “This is Texas Beef Jerky and it’s Here to Stay”.
There are some missing bag categories such as a best before date, the jerky weight not stated in grams, and no nutrition facts table. There is a very good blurb printed on this bag describing this flavor of jerky. A QR code is displayed, and interestingly a Go Texan stamp is displayed, where the Blank family are obviously proud Texans.
Order their jerky online: www.blankandsons.com
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