The next review for Derf Jerky will be on a 2.1 ounce/60 gram bag of their Abeille Dijon (Dijon Bee) flavored beef jerky. This flavor is described as a delicious blend of mustard and honey, having floral and herbal notes, combining bitter and sweet. The jerky was kindly submitted for review by one of the owners, Fred Le Tourneux-Gagnon. Cleverly, Derf is Fred’s name spelled backwards.
This Derf Jerky brand name, known as Derf Jerky Charqui Québecois in French, is located in Laval, Quebec, and is distributed under the same name of Derf Jerky. After doing a road trip in the Southwestern USA, Fred got introduced to a bunch of different jerky brands. Fred started making his own homemade jerky, and soon people were starting to make orders for his jerky. In October 2016, along with Fred’s father, mother, and brother, the Derf Jerky brand name was officially launched. Their mission is bringing jerky to Quebec, where jerky is not really popular. Currently, they also sell Cola Poivre (Pepper Cola) and Fumée Framboise (Smoked Raspberry) beef jerky flavors.
Ingrédient Review
Ingredients: Beouf, miel, eau, moutarde (sulfites), sel, fines herbes.
Ingredients: Beef, Honey, Water, Mustard (Sulphites), Salt, Herbs.
The beef used is not guaranteed to be free of growth hormones or additional antibiotics. Also, the beef is not guaranteed to have at least partial 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 is comprised of just healthy local honey, water, and healthy mustard. Honey has antibacterial and antifungal properties, among other benefits.
Unspecified herbs are used, all of which would offer many health benefits.
For a sweet based flavor as we have here, the sugar level is acceptable at 3 grams of sugar per 30 grams of jerky. The salt level is also respectable at 271mg of salt per 30 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is salt. Commendably, there is no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of jerky are small in size, and are sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is between dry and soft, being easy to chew. There are no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
While tasty, no specific flavor jumps out at first. A mild to moderate level of sweetness is present, which is about as sweet as you would want to get. The sweetness is more of a honey flavor, as opposed to being sugary tasting. There is a light level of salt, and a decent amount of natural beef flavor.
The mustard dijon flavor is at a light to mild level, and blends in well. As advertised, there is a flavorful unknown herbal taste. Overall, an interesting tasting jerky that delivers on both the honey and mustard flavors.
A 2.1 ounce/60 gram bag sells online for $7.50. That works out to $3.57 an ounce, which rates as an expensive price. This flavor is surely recommended to any fans of honey and mustard.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This non-resealable bag has a label affixed to the both the front and back. Not everything printed on this bag have English translations. This bag is vacuum sealed, the best way to keep jerky fresh tasting. The logo is based from a tattoo on Fred’s forearm, modified by adding a cow’s skull in the middle.
A slogan printed on this bag is “Charqui Québécois (Quebec Jerky)”. There are no facts printed on this bag.
There is a good blurb printed on the bag about this jerky. Facebook and Instagram accounts are indicated.
Order their jerky online: www.derfjerky.com
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