The next review on Sierra Madre Provision Co. will focus on a 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag of their ghost pepper beef jerky flavor. This jerky was graciously submitted by the creator of this Sierra Madre Provision Co. jerky brand, James Schaft (a.k.a. – Jimmy the Jerky Man).
The Sierra Madre Provision Co. jerky brand name is distributed and manufactured by Sierra Madre Provisions. They are located in Sierra Madre, California, which is in the foothill of the San Gabriel Mountains. They have been in business for over 30 years selling wholesale and retail, using ranch raised cattle. Their meat is hand sliced, and Sierra Madre Provision Co. sells over 10 different flavors.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Brown Sugar, Spice, Ghost Pepper, Vinegar, Crushed Red, Chilies, Liquid Smoke, Sodium Nitrite. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
Sierra Madre Provision Co. uses ranch raised beef, which means the cattle have free range access to graze on grass. The cattle are also ethically raised, meaning that the cows received no growth hormones or additional antibiotics.
The liquid marinade used here contains a decent soy sauce, healthy vinegar, and liquid smoke.
The heat is achieved here from crushed red chili peppers, fresh chili peppers, and one of the hottest peppers in the world, ghost peppers. In terms of Scoville heat units (SHU), ghost pepper can achieve 8500,000 to over 1 million SHU. In comparison, habanero and scotch bonnet peppers are about 100,000 – 300,000 SHU, and Jalapeno peppers are 2,500 – 5,000 SHU. Hot peppers are healthy if eaten in moderation, which flush toxins out of the body.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown. Based on the taste alone, we are pretty certain that the sugar level exceeds our limit of 4 grams of sugar for a hot based flavor as we have here.
This flavor does not qualify to be sodium nitrite free, as sodium nitrite itself is used as a preservative. Admirably, this flavor does qualify to have no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
I’ve tasted the Sierra Madre Provision Co. Ghost Pepper Beef Jerky and my taste buds were quickly overwhelmed by the spiciness. I could taste the bitterness laced with sweetness and then the numbing effect of an overly spicy and sticky meat like substance. As I am unable to taste this product and maintain an objective opinion, I chose to uniquely base this review on the feedback provided by Mark and Paul.
As a side note, my kitties managed to find and polish my jerky stash last night. There was a significant amount left and they quickly saw the bottom of the bag. They as an seemed to have enjoyed this spicy jerky very much. They’ll probably have a rude awakening sometime today; whatever goes in must come out and they’ll more than likely leave my damn jerky alone next time.
Mark and Paul agreed on the fruity fragrance of this flavor. They both would have guessed pineapple juice, if any but no juice was used in the marinade. Mark said a high quality soy sauce can take on a type of fruity flavor similar to pineapple juice but this here just seems to be a standard run of the mill soy sauce brand.
These strips of jerky are mainly large in size; they are sliced to a medium thickness and in some cases thick. The texture is in between dry and soft and it takes a reasonable effort to chew. There is an oily residue left on your hands after handling this jerky. There is also a noticeable amount of red chili pepper flakes scattered on each strip. A flavorful and interesting kind of delicious juicy type of flavor jumps at Mark and a mild level of soy sauce begins to develop.
The spiciness is certainly quite noticeable and hits you quickly. While the ghost pepper heat is present, Mark is somewhat disappointed that the unique, tantalizing, delicious flavor of ghost pepper is absent. There are very few ghost pepper jerky since the launch of JerkyIngredients.com that has captured the very distinctive flavor and essence of the beautiful ghost pepper.
On a heat scale, Mark is inclined to rate a 3/5 or perhaps 4/5. And given the nature of the Ghost Pepper, this ghost pepper flavor does not go overboard with the heat. It is well within reason for a ghost pepper flavor.
There are two different levels of heat present. One is from the red chili pepper flakes which tend to burn the mouth instantly. Secondly the ghost pepper which tends to give an after burn that can last 20 seconds. A mild to moderate level of sweetness helps to counteract and absorb some of the spiciness. The sugar can be arguably too sweet and the saltiness is at a mild level.
There is some natural beef flavor present although not a great deal, as it is mostly being masked by the sugar and sweetness. Some tanginess/acidity is present from the vinegar, which is always enjoyable. A small amount of smokiness is persistent in the background.
Paul stated that he could smell the spiciness as soon as he opened the bag and the jerky delivers a solid, yet very delectable kick. This tasty ghost pepper sure delivers a solid punch, enough to knock me down, but not enough to knock me out. …and just like McDonald’s Ba da ba ba ba I’m lovin’ it!
In conclusion, any fans of ghost peppers are bound to love this flavor. The ghost pepper heat is present and it is accompanied with significant sweetness. Paul rated this jerky at a solid 10/10 taste rating. Mark was a little taken aback from the sweetness, and also lack of authentic ghost pepper flavor, settling with a 8/10 taste rating. Either way, Paul and Mark still found this Sierra Madre Provision Co. – Ghost Pepper Beef Jerky to be flavorful and addictive.
This 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag sells for $6.99, which works out to $2.15 an ounce. That rates as a cheap price.
Bag Review
This is a fairly tall bag. The front is gold colored, and the back is silver colored with nothing on the back. There is a label affixed to the front, plus a separate sticker that states “Ghost Pepper”. The scenic picture on this bag depicts mountains, including a few California palm trees.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. The only fact printed on this bag is “Liquid Smoke Flavoring Added”.
There are a few bag categories missing, such as a blurb about Sierra Madre Provision Co. and a nutrition facts table. Kudos to Sierra Madre Provision Co., where they provide a toll free phone number for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.sierramadreprovision.com
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