The next review for The Meat Makers will be on a 1.4 ounce/40 gram bag of their honey & mustard flavored turkey jerky. Interestingly, the turkey is air-dried, which would make it a healthier product than your average jerky dried in a dehydrator or smoker. This bag was kindly submitted for review by Silvija Murnikovaite from the Sales & Marketing team.
The Meat Makers brand of jerky is distributed by DORA. They are located in Šiauliai, Lithuania, and started in 2000. The Meat Makers jerky brand was launched in 2014. Today, they employ over 60 people. Sales continue to grow year over year, and they currently produce about 250,000 packages a month. Over half of their sales are exported to Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, UK and Baltic. Their jerky is advertised as being 100% natural, using high-quality ingredients. For those interested, they offer private labeling services.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Turkey Breast (100 g of product is made from 178 g turkey) / Brown Sugar / Honey 4,64%, Wine Vinegar / Water, Soy Beans / Salt / Onions / Apple Vinegar / Red Wine / Spices / Dried Plums / Mustard 0.82% / Garlic / Celery. For allergens, see ingredients in bold. May contain traces of seezam and nuts.
The turkey is ethically raised, meaning no growth hormones or additional antibiotics are administered.
The liquid marinade is comprised of all healthy choices such as water, honey, wine vinegar, red wine, and apple cider vinegar. A good brand of honey is used, which is healthy if eaten in moderation.
Onions are another healthy ingredient used, along with a small amount of garlic, which are considered to be part of the superfood group. An interesting choice is dried plums, which are highly nutritious. Healthy spices are used.
While there is a nutrition facts table provided, it would appear that things are measured differently in Europe. Based on the taste alone, both the sugar and salt seem to be at reasonable levels.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is rock salt. Admirably, there is also no MSG added.
Very Good (9/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of turkey are small in size, and are sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is dry, but relatively easy to chew. There are no signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The mustard taste is noticeable right away. As you consume more strips, the mustard remains at a mild level, although it could stand to be stronger tasting for a flavor with mustard in its name. At light levels are salt, garlic, and black pepper. There is also a faint spiciness.
The honey taste takes a while to develop. It starts off light, and ends mild at best. The brown sugar at times tends to dominate the honey flavor. Overall, a unique, complex flavor that blends very well together, but could stand to be bolder tasting in the honey and mustard.
This 1.4 ounce/71 gram bags sells online for €2.69. That works out to €1.92 an ounce, which rates as a slightly expensive price compared to US dollars. The price is cheaper if you order larger quantities. This honey & mustard flavor is recommended to anybody who enjoys mustard. It is a rare to see any mustard based jerky flavors.
Bag Review
This is an uncommon bag of jerky because it has a cardboard casing. The plastic bag itself is clear, and not resealable. This package has a professional and appealing appearance.
One detailed fact printed on this bag is “100 G of product is made from 178 G Turkey / Honey / Mustard / Onions”. Other facts printed on this bag are “Premium Quality”, “Air-Dried”, and “No Artificial Flavours”.
All bag categories are covered. A great blurb is printed on the back about this honey & mustard flavor. There are translations provided in English, Polish, and German. To the credit of The Meat Makers, a phone number is provided for customer inquiries.
Excellent (10/10) – Bag Rating
Order their jerky online: www.themeatmakers.com
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