The next review on Wild Sky will be on a 1 ounce/28 gram bag of their teriyaki flavored 100% grass-fed beef stick. This beef stick was graciously submitted for review by their Inside Sales representative, Ian Damon.
Wild Sky beef jerky is distributed by Montana Prairie Holdings, and is located in Bozeman, Montana. Wild Sky is an innovate company launched in 2014, and created by American Prairie Reserve. Their mission is to support wildlife-friendly ranching through the sale of premium beef. This business model conserves wildlife, and contributes to economic activity in Montana’s rural Northern Great Plains. The overarching goal of American Prairie Reserve is to restore and conserve an abundance of extraordinary diverse wildlife to Montana’s Northern Great Plains, which the region once hosted.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Grass-Fed Beef, Water, Brown Sugar, Sea Salt, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Salt, Alcohol), Encapsulated Citric Acid, Celery Juice Powder, Black Pepper, Granulated Garlic, Ground Mustard, Coriander, Onion Powder, in Beef Collagen Casing. Allergen Warnings: Soy
The 100% grass-fed beef used is sourced from the U.S., with profits flowing back to Wild Sky Ranchers in Montana who practice wildlife-friendly ranching. These ranchers practice something known as a Freese Scale, which measures nine different ecological processes, each of which is given a 1-7 rating. Annually these Freese Scale ratings are studied, reviewed by a third-party entity and management identifies what areas of each ranch need attention.
The jerky qualifies to be ethically raised, meaning no growth hormones or additional antibiotics are given. Also, the cattle used in this jerky qualifies to have free range access to roam about and graze on grass, the way nature intended.
The liquids used are comprised of water, and a high quality gluten-free tamari soy sauce.
Some healthy ingredients are added such as ground mustard, black pepper, onion powder, coriander, and granulated garlic.
The sugar level is respectable at 2 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is acceptable at 350mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky qualifies to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservative. Instead, organic salt is the main preservative used, and citric acid to a lesser degree. With more kudos to Wild Sky, this jerky has no MSG added.
Excellent (10/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
My first overall impression is that while the taste is very good and interesting, this beef stick hardly resembles a teriyaki flavor. This 6” beef stick looks like an everyday beef stick and perhaps a bit lighter in color. There is a very pleasant and inviting aroma. The texture is soft, tender and easy to chew. This very lean meat stick barely has any signs of oil or fat and has a clean eating feel to it with no greasiness or oiliness all around.
At first I detect a mild saltiness and a slight level of sweetness. Upon chewing a bit more, I noticed some light levels of garlic and black pepper. There is also a reasonable amount of natural beef flavor present in every bite. After chewing a few bites, I could notice some subtle teriyaki notes but not quite enough to climb the walls and write home about it.
I do enjoy the unique taste of mustard and coriander and as a simple observation; this appears to be a somewhat odd choice for a teriyaki based flavor.
This beef snack has a vinegary, tangy/sour flavor resembling apple cider vinegar. It gives it a fresh and interesting taste and adequately assists in developing other flavors. The sourness is fairly noticeable and it accentuates its flavor and blends in very nicely.
Another interesting fact worth mentioning about this beef stick is the very little to no “snap” while taking a bite. The casing is soft and possibly not dry or strong enough to produce the little “snap” that we are all accustomed to.
Overall, I do enjoy this beef stick very much; it is quite delicious and addictive. This is a very flavorful and interesting flavor and my only complaint is mainly a technicality for not been a classic tasting teriyaki flavor, I rate this tasty beef stick 9/10.
A 12 pack of 1 ounce/28 gram beef sticks sells on Amazon for $21.99, which works out to $1.83 an ounce. That would rate as an average price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This plastic bag has a label on the front, and nothing on the back. The bag is vacuum sealed, the best way to keep a beef stick fresh tasting. This Wild Sky logo has the word Wild in the backdrop of a cloud.
A slogan printed on this bag is “Supporting Wildlife-Friendly Ranching”. Some facts printed on this bag are “Beef Used is Grass-Fed”, and “Gluten-Free”.
The only bag category missing is a nutrition facts table. In fairness, there is no room on this label to fit a nutrition facts table.
Check out their web site: www.wildskybeef.org
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