The next review on Indiana Craft Jerky will be on a 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag of their Pineapple BBQ beef jerky flavor. This jerky was kindly 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. Michelle and her husband Ron launched their jerky brand in April 2015. In Michelle’s words, they have been growing by leaps and bounds. Indiana Craft Jerky formed a relationship with Tyler Pond Farm, where a 100% grass-fed beef jerky line is sold at their farm. Also, a relationship was formed with Empirical Brewery, where a new Smoked Paprika Porter beef jerky flavor was created. Recently, they have been using a custom dehydrator built by Ron, which had its challenges getting online.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Lean Beef (Moody Meats), Worcestershire Sauce (Water, Salt, Vinegar, Caramel Color, Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Artificial Color), Pineapple Juice, BBQ Sauce (Tomato Puree, HFCS, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Spice, Onion Powder, Garlic, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Caramel Color).
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 a poor Worcestershire sauce, pineapple juice, and a not so great barbecue sauce. It is disappointing to see that the barbecue sauce uses the highly processed cheap sweetener high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and artificial flavors. Note: the highly respected Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce is now being used in all of their jerky flavors.
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.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of jerky are mainly medium in size, and sliced thin. They have a somewhat dry texture that is relatively easy to chew because the strips are sliced thin. There are some signs of fat that add to the overall natural beef flavor. Handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a mild Worcestershire sauce flavor. The barbecue flavor is tasty, but is only at a mild to light level. With pineapple being billed as the first flavor, it also is only at a light level.
The salt is at a mild level, with not much sweetness. There is a good amount of natural beef flavor present. The garlic and onion are at light levels. Overall, a tasty flavor, but not strong enough on the barbecue and pineapple flavors.
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. While not cheap, this jerky is recommended for people who would enjoy a light barbecue flavor, and a fair amount of natural beef flavor.
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 Pineapple BBQ flavor, it is a pineapple. There is a small blurb printed about this flavor: “Pineapple sweet with a BBQ bite”. Something appreciated is that the bag displays the heat and sweetness levels, where this sweetness level is judged a 3 out of 3..
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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