The next review on Little Bit Jerky will be on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their original bit beef jerky flavor. This flavor is described as their signature blend of Texas spices marinated to perfection. The jerky was graciously submitted for review by one of the co-owners, Teresa Helmcamp.
The Little Bit Jerky brand name is distributed under the same name of Little Bit Jerky. They are located in Wichita Falls, Texas, and were launched in February 2016 by husband and wife Teresa and Robert Helmcamp. As a big step, Little Bit Jerky will be USDA compliant in a few weeks. Robert has over 20 years of experience in the meat industry, where he started off as a butcher at age 19. Their jerky brand is proudly GO TEXAN certified, which is a program run by the Texas Department of Agriculture to promote products that are produced in Texas by family owned businesses.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Water, Natural Hickory Wood Smoke, Vinegar, Salt, Onion, Garlic, Black Pepper, Crushed Dark Red Chili, Hydrolyzed Soy & Corn Protein, Tomato Paste, Corn Syrup, Raisin Paste, Crushed Orange Puree, Caramel Color, Potassium Sorbate, Xanthan Gum, Celery Seed, Sugar, Molasses, Papain, Citric Acid, Smoked Paprika, Cayenne, Coriander, Corn Oil, Dill. Allergen Warnings: Soy
This beef is sourced from Fort Worth, Texas. The cattle are guaranteed to have at least partial free range access to graze on grass, and roam about, just the way nature intended.
The liquid marinade is comprised of water, healthy vinegar, corn syrup, and corn oil. Corn based ingredients are cheap sweeteners, and have no business being in jerky. Their marinade is sourced from a 3rd party company, where Robert is currently working on developing his own marinade.
While not explicitly mentioned, organic spices are used, which is always appreciated. Healthy garlic and onion are used also.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown. Based on the taste alone, there would appear to be quite a bit of salt used. It almost certainly exceeds our maximum allowable limit of 350mg of salt per ounce of jerky. However, sea salt is partly used, where salt levels are then ignored.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is salt. To a lesser degree, citric acid and vinegar also act as preservatives.
This jerky does not qualify to be MSG free, because the highly processed flavor enhancers corn and soy protein are used. Worse, being hydrolyzed, they are an unhealthy form of trans fats.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of jerky are mainly medium in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. There is a relatively dry texture, and it is reasonably easy to chew. There are no signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a good level of smoke, followed by a strong saltiness. At light levels are garlic, onion, and black pepper. All along a mild soy flavor is consistent. There is a faint level of heat, mostly due to the saltiness.
As by definition, an original bit should have a good deal of natural beef flavor, which is the case here. That is made more possible with not much sweetness present. Overall, it’s an enjoyable flavor if you can handle the strong saltiness flavor.
This 3 ounce/85 gram bag sells online for $7.49. That works out to $2.50 an ounce, which rates as a slightly expensive price. This jerky is recommended to people who enjoy a smoked, salty beef flavor.
Bag Review
This clear, resealable plastic bag has a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. Easily the best aspect of this bag is that it’s vacuum sealed, which is the best method of keeping jerky fresh.
Their slogan is “Little Name, BIG Taste!” There are no facts printed on the bag. A GO TEXAN logo is displayed.
There are several bag categories missing such as a nutrition facts table, USDA inspected logo, allergen alerts, weight not specified in grams, bar code, a hole at the top to hang on hooks, best before date, and a blurb printed about Little Bit Jerky, or the flavor itself. To the credit of Little Bit Jerky, a phone number is provided for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.littlebitjerky.com
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