This will be the second review done on Ramapo Ridge for a 1.5 ounce/42 gram bag of their sweet & spicy beef jerky. The ingredient list has since changed for the better. This bag was purchased at a convenience store in East Rutherford, New Jersey, back in 2015.
Ramapo Ridge jerky is distributed by Ramapo Ridge Mountain Mixes located in Clifton, New Jersey. Founded in 1996, Ramapo Ridge Mountain Mixes distributes things such as nuts, fruit mixes, candy and of course beef jerky. We inquired to Ramapo Ridge Mountain Mixes asking who manufactures their jerky. That is information they were not willing to disclose, which we can respect. This jerky would therefore be classified as having a stock recipe.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Evaporated Cane Syrup, Water, Sea Salt, Spices, White Vinegar, Celery Powder, Garlic.
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 healthy vinegar, which also acts as a preservative, and water. The evaporated cane syrup was in liquid form, but then dried. As for sugar, evaporated cane syrup is one of the better choices out there.
Healthy garlic is used, which many people consider to be in the superfood category. There are also healthy spices used, where as a general rule, spices offer many health benefits.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown.
Apart from sea salt, the main preservative used is celery powder, which has naturally occurring nitrates. It is great to see that sea salt is used, which is minimally processed, and has many minerals/trace minerals. Admirably, this jerky also qualifies to have no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
There is a mixture of small and medium sized strips of jerky. These strips are sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is your classic dry jerky texture, which is somewhat easy to chew. There are some visible signs of fat that add to the natural beef flavor. Handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
More than anything, the natural beef flavor jumps out at first. For a sweet based flavor, it does not go overboard being at a mild level. As for the spiciness, it’s not all that spicy. On a heat scale, it would rate about a 1.5 out of 5.
There is a moderate level of saltiness, and a light tang is detected from the vinegar. The garlic level is light at best. Overall, while there is nothing overly special about the flavor, it is still a tasty flavor of jerky.
This 1.5 ounce/42 gram bag cost $3.99, which works out to $2.66 an ounce. That classifies as an expensive price. This jerky is recommended as worth your money for people wanting a jerky flavor that is not overly sweet or spicy.
Bag Review
This exact stock bag is used by multiple jerky makers. There is a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. The Ramapo Ridge logo is pretty decent. A picturesque logo with mountains and pine trees, where their web site states it gives the appearance that this jerky is fresh and healthy.
There are no slogans or facts printed on this bag.
Missing bag categories in this bag is a blurb about Ramapo Ridge, no nutrition facts table, and the jerky weight is not stated in grams. Kudos to Ramapo Ridge Mountain Mixes for putting their phone number on the bag for customer inquiries.
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