The 5th review on the unofficial jerky brand Jerky Ingredients will be on a 1.76 ounce/50 gram bag of my homemade Jalapeno flavored beef jerky. This would happen to be my very first ever experiment with a Jalapeno flavor, making this my 9th flavor to dabble with. My jerky is generally not for sale.
In 2008, I started collecting jerky bags for ideas of what ingredients to use on my homemade jerky. That jerky bag collection stands at over 1,000 bags, which includes over 275 bags submitted for review. I officially started this jerky review web site in January 2014. For this Jalapeno flavor, I tried to use ingredients that stood out from previous reviews. A good deal of fresh Jalapenos was used here, and of course fresh onion and garlic, my signature.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Tomato Juice, Vinegar, Jalapeno Peppers, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce (Malt Vinegar (Barley), Spirit Vinegar, Water, Refiner’s Molasses, Sugar, Salt, Anchovies (Fish), Tamarind Extract, Onions, Garlic, Spice, Flavors), Onion, Garlic, Sea Salt, Organic Brown Sugar, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper. Allergen Warnings: Anchovies
The cut of beef used is inside round. Nothing special, where the beef is not guaranteed to be ethically raised, or have some 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 used is tomato juice, a quality Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, and healthy vinegar. Tomatoes are loaded with the healthy antioxidant lycopene.
Very healthy fresh vegetables onion and garlic are used. These vegetables offer many different health benefits. Black pepper is used, which also has a big reputation of being healthy.
The heat is achieved in this flavor from fresh Jalapeno peppers, and cayenne pepper. Hot peppers are healthy if eaten in moderation, which flush toxins out of the body.
There is no nutrition facts table available. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown. The sugar level would be very low for sure, where only a little bit of organic brown sugar is used. The salt level is most likely below the acceptable limit of 350mg salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite added, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, sea salt is the main preservative used, which is loaded with minerals and trace minerals. Vinegar to a lesser degree also acts as a preservative. This jerky also qualifies to have no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips are mostly medium in size, and sliced to a medium, almost thin thickness. They have a very dry texture, but are still relatively easy to chew. There are visible signs of fat that enhances the overall natural beef flavor. Handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a mild tomato flavor. A light tanginess from the vinegar accentuates all of the flavors. The flavor does finish off with an inconsistent mild Jalapeno flavor. Also at mild to moderate levels are the garlic and onion combination. The salt level is mild, and the peppered level is light.
On a heat scale, the spiciness would rate about a 2 out of 5. A mild level of Worcestershire sauce persists, which will be gone in the next batch. After consuming a few strips, it is apparent that fresh garlic was used, which is arguably too much. Overall, a tasty and interesting flavor, but the Jalapeno level is not quite high enough.
If I am selling my jerky between friends to cover the costs, I ask $5.00 for a 1.76 ounce/50 gram bag, even though the price of beef has more than doubled since 2010. That works out to $2.84 an ounce, making it an expensive price. This flavor would be recommended to people who enjoy the taste of Jalapeno, tomato, vinegar, and garlic/onion, with a decent level of spiciness.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
A totally plain, unprofessional, boring looking bag. The plastic bag itself is decent. It’s transparent, resealable, and has a hole on the top to hang on hooks. There is no label printed at all, where the Jalapeno flavor is hand written.
For the bag, we paid about 5 cents, which would be cheaper if we ordered 10,000 or more at a time instead of 1,000.
There are too many bag categories missing to list them all. It does the job though having a bag sealer.
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