The first review for The Meat Empire will focus on an 8 ounce/226 gram bag of their traditional flavored 100% grass-fed beef droëwors. Droëwors is an Afrikaan name that translates to dry sausage, or more aptly a meat stick, and it has South African roots. This bag was kindly submitted for review by the CEO, Quinn Chasan.
This The Meat Empire brand is distributed under the same name of The Meat Empire, and is based out of Austin, Texas. Quinn’s father’s side of the family is from Johannesburg, South Africa, which is their connection to droëwors and biltong. Quinn teamed up with former co-worker Francisco Enriquez to combine their technical expertise with the long history of droëwors and biltong. In the summer of 2016, The Meat Empire brand was officially launched. In addition to using 100% grass-fed beef, commendably, this product is also guaranteed to be Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) free. Quinn’s brother Sam Chasan is responsible for all of the creative content.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Salt, Brown Sugar, and Spice Blend stuffed in a Lamb Casing.
These droëwors use 100% grass-fed beef, the way nature intended. These cattle are raised ethically on farms in North Carolina, meaning they are not fed growth hormones, or additional antibiotics. There is also some free range access for the cattle to roam about.
This liquid marinade contains just a small amount of healthy vinegar. The healthy herb coriander is likely used, also known as cilantro. Other healthy ingredients used are black pepper, and possibly cloves.
The sugar level is excellent at under 1 gram of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is reasonable at 290mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. Worth noting is that organic salt is used.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite used as a preservative. Instead, organic salt is the main preservative, and vinegar to a lesser extent. Admirably, there is no MSG added.
Excellent (10/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These droëwors are generally uniform in size, and resemble beef sticks. The texture is soft and tender, and it is easy to chew. Some visible signs of fat enhance the overall natural beef flavor, and handling these droëwors leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a mild level of vinegar. It does not take long for the spices to take notice, with everything at light or mild levels. Most noticeable is the coriander, which tastes great. At light levels are the black pepper and saltiness.
There is a good level of natural beef flavor present, especially with almost a complete lack of sweetness. Overall, this flavor captures that classic South African taste, but could stand to be bolder tasting.
An 8 ounce/226 gram bag sells online for $17.00. That works out to $2.13 an ounce, which rates as an average price. Considering that 100% grass-fed beef is used, this is more of a cheap price. This droëwors reaches the trifecta of being recommended from taste, ingredient, and price perspectives.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This clear, resealable bag has a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. Their logo is a Roman emperor of “The Meat Empire”.
There is no slogan displayed. Some facts printed on this bag are “Naturally Cured Grassfed Beef”, “Made in the USA”, “House Mix”, and “Beef Sticks”.
The only other missing bag category is a blurb about The Meat Empire, and these droëwors. To the credit of The Meat Empire, both a phone number and email address are provided for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.themeatempire.com
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