The next review for Perky Jerky will be on a 2.2 ounce/62.4 gram bag of their hot & bothered flavored turkey jerky. This flavor is described as their way of heating up your jerky experience, not with pain, but a little reminder that you should savor the moment. The bag was purchased at a Fairway store in Woodland Park, New Jersey.
The Perky Jerky brand name is distributed by Performance Enhancing Meat Snacks, Inc. They are located in Greenwood Village, Colorado. In their words, Perky Jerky was started by “two Jerks”. The goal was to make a great tasting jerky with a soft and tender texture. Today, Perky Jerky are most likely in the top 10 for North American jerky sales. Admirably, portions of each bag purchased goes towards five organizations that support Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Down Syndrome research.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Turkey Breast, Reduced Sodium Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Salt, Alcohol), Brown Sugar, Pineapple Juice Concentrate, Garlic Powder, Crushed Red Pepper, Black Pepper, Ginger. Allergen Warnings: Soy
On the whole, turkey is a leaner and healthier choice of meat compared to using beef. Turkeys raised in the US are not allowed to receive growth hormones. There is no guarantee that the turkey have free range access to roam about. As a result, the highest ingredient rating possible is Very Good (9/10).
The liquid marinade consists of just soy sauce, and healthy pineapple juice concentrate. Pineapples contain an enzyme named bromelain, which is used as a natural meat tenderizer in the food industry.
Some healthy ingredients added are garlic powder and black pepper. The heat is achieved from using crushed hot red peppers, which are healthy if eaten in moderation.
The sugar level is high at 6 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less. The salt level is respectable at 300mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to be sodium nitrite free. Instead, salt is the main preservative used here. With further kudos to Perky Jerky, there is no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips are small in size, and sliced to a medium-thin thickness. This jerky does qualify to have a soft and tender texture, which makes for easy chewing. There are no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a moderately strong sweetness, which is arguably too sweet tasting. Faint levels of garlic and black pepper are noticeable. As for the heat level, it would rate a 2 out of 5 on the heat scale.
The sweetness tends to mute the natural turkey flavor. This flavor would aptly be more described as sweet & spicy, rather than a hot & bothered flavor name. Despite that, this jerky tends to be highly addictive, where the bag is emptied in no time. Overall, while sweet tasting, this tender texture tends to melt in your mouth, leaving you wanting more.
This 2.2 ounce/62.4 gram bag of jerky was on sale for $3.99, where the regular price is $5.99. That equates to $1.81 an ounce, which classifies as an average price. This flavor is surely recommended if you would enjoy a soft and tender sweet & spicy turkey based flavor.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This is a standard sized, resealable bag. Everything is imprinted directly on the bag, both on the front and back. The Perky Jerky logo printed on the front is interesting, which is a fancy graphic of a turkey.
Some facts printed on this bag are “Best Tasting Jerky on Earth Guaranteed”, “Gluten Free”, “All Natural”, “No Preservatives”, “No Added MSG”, “High Protein”, “Low Fat”, “No Nitrites”, “Bold. Tender.”, “It’s Getting Hot in Here”, “Carefully Handcrafted”, “Marinated Overnight”, and “Product of USA”.
All bag categories are covered here with one exception. This bag has no transparent window to view the actual jerky. In fairness, a TenderGuard windowless packaging is displayed to ensure maximum freshness. Nevertheless, even just a tiny transparent window would be appreciated. There is a good blurb written on the back about this jerky. It is also stated on the bag that “A portion of our earnings will be devoted to Muscular Dystrophy and Down Syndrome Research”. To their credit, both an email address and toll free number is provided for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.perkyjerky.com
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