The next review on Freedom Jerky will be on a 2.5 ounce/70.9 gram bag of their Foxhole Fire flavored beef jerky. This Foxhole Fire flavor is described as turning up the heat with a special blend of spices in a unique marinade refined over three decades resulting in a well-balanced natural beef flavor; soft and tender decadence in every bite. The jerky bag was graciously submitted for review by lead role, and former combat veteran, Jonathan Chia.
Freedom Jerky is distributed by Freedom Jerky, LLC, and they are located in Stilwell, Kansas, who launched on Veterans Day November 11/2017. Every bag of jerky sold supports the nonprofit, War Horses for Veterans, a powerful equestrian healing experience for combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) adjusting back to civilian life. At no cost, combat veterans go to their farm for three days in Stilwell, Kansas, and experience horsemanship. The lasting effects of the connection and trust built between the horse and veteran is like no other. Former combat veteran and lead actor of the upcoming Sons of Anarchy spinoff Mayans Vincent “Rocco” Vargas partnered with Freedom Jerky, and also to promote the benefits of War Horses for Veterans. All Freedom Jerky is made in small batches using a quality cut of USDA beef, which is MSG and nitrate free.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Brown Sugar, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Worcestershire Sauce (Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce Base (Distilled Vinegar, Molasses, Corn Syrup, Water, Salt, Caramel Color, Garlic Powder, Sugar, Spices, Tamarind, Natural Flavor), Salt, Citric Acid), Chili Sauce (Sugar, Water, Corn Syrup Powder, Garlic, Salted Chili Peppers, Rice Vinegar, Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Concentrated Pineapple Juice, Shallot, Garlic Powder, Acetic Acid, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Paprika Oleorskin), Balsamic Vinegar, Rice Vinegar, Habanero Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Liquid Smoke, Spices. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
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.
This busy liquid marinade used here is comprised of a decent soy sauce, an average Worcestershire sauce, a decent chili sauce, healthy balsamic vinegar, an alright seasoned rice vinegar, and liquid smoke. It is disappointing to see that the highly processed cheap sweetener high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is used in the Worcestershire sauce.
Unfortunately, corn syrup is listed three times in the ingredient list, which deducts an ingredient rating.
The heat is achieved in this flavor from using habanero pepper and cayenne pepper. Hot peppers are healthy if eaten in moderation.
The sugar level is a little high at 4 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is low at only 180mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky qualifies to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservative. Instead, salt is the main preservative used, and the various vinegars to a lesser degree. With more kudos to Freedom Jerky, this jerky has no MSG added.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
As we reviewed this jerky, we had our differences, a great showdown ensued and War erupted! Hormones and testosterone were running high and wild, tables and chairs were flying, kicks and punches were thrown while many mean and colorful words were shouted at the top of each other’s lungs.
OK maybe it didn’t really go down this way but it could of …who knows! I’ve been told 150 billion times that I sometime tend to always exaggerate slightly…
And here we go; the aroma of the Freedom Jerky Foxhole Fire Beef Jerky is nice and pleasant. One of the first flavors detected is a great ratio of Soy Sauce and Worcestershire Sauce followed with a slight kiss of garlic. Some unusual and interesting flavors such as a delicious chili sauce and balsamic vinegar are also adding an exquisite tanginess. A subtle and mild saltiness, sweetness and smokiness find their way into accentuating the flavors. The natural beef flavor falls a bit in the background, as some other stronger flavors tend to compete with the beef. These flavors are complex; they elevate the flavor profile to a perfect level where the flavors are bold enough without taking center stage.
As mentioned earlier, this is where we had our minor differences in regards to the spiciness. I came to find out that I may be a bit of a “sissy” when it comes to spiciness …Nah, not a chance!
I do love spicy food and I really appreciate the flavor of hot peppers. Unfortunately, I don’t care much for feeling like my tooth fillings are melting or the burning pain and numbness associated with really hot and spicy peppers.
On the other hand, my partners have a much higher tolerance to hot and spicy food. They sometimes eat so spicy their asses turn into flamethrowers. It’s not all bad, it has some perks too. On hot summer nights when the moon illuminates the sky, the stars are bright and owls, frogs and crickets are singing the night way, other people may be enjoying themselves gazing at the moon, a bonfire or some fireworks. We usually like to feed them a few pounds of extreme hot and spicy suicide wings and these guys can put up quite the show.
I personally really enjoy the heat and flavor of this jerky. I do feel the spiciness and I get a reasonable burn that subsides within a minute or two. I appreciate all the ingredients, the beautiful balance of flavors and the spices without numbing my mouth and taste buds.
On the other hand, both my partners in crime felt that although there is some spiciness present and perhaps not enough to warrant the “Foxhole Fire” flavor name. On their personal heat scale, they rated the spiciness as 2 out of 5 whereas I rated it a 3 out of 5. While some habanero peppers were used, they did not feel the lingering after burn at all and felt ‘Spicy Foxhole’ would be a more appropriate name or descriptor. I understand their point of view and perhaps it is simply a wording issue and in a way Foxhole Fire sounds pretty “Cool” and “Spicy” has merit too.
These strips of jerky are small to medium in size and sliced to a medium thickness. The texture has an excellent chew and a mix between soft and tender and also slightly dry. This is not your average cut of beef; the texture is similar to a brisket or flank. This cut of beef seems to do a superior job at absorbing the marinade in comparison to some other cuts of beef such as inside or outside round.
This flavor somewhat reminds us of a barbecue flavor. It is fun and interesting, a very flavorful and inviting Beef Snack. We all loved this Freedom Jerky Foxhole Fire Beef Jerky and we blew right through the bag like it owed us money. We all agreed this great jerky is exceptional; it is highly addictive and absolutely tastes like more.
While this jerky possess a great spiciness and leaves a bit of a burn, it won’t send you running down the road with your hair on fire. It may be more of a Spicy rather than a Fire flavor, who knows! You’ll be the judge.
I highly recommend this delicious jerky treat and we chose to rate this flavor: Very Good 9/10 taste rating.
A 2.5 ounce/70.9 gram bag of jerky sells online for $7.00, which works out to $2.80 an ounce. That would rate as an average price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This white plastic resealable bag has a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. The Freedom Jerky logo has a cool, interesting looking bull’s head in the middle.
While maybe not official, the slogan printed on this bag is “Each Bag Helps War Horses For Veterans”. Some facts printed are “Award Winning”, “American Made”, and “Natural Smoke Flavoring Added”.
The only bag category missing is a blurb printed about Freedom Jerky, or this American Original flavor. To the credit of Freedom Jerky, a toll free phone number is provided for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.freedomjerky.com
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