The next review for Pearson Ranch Jerky will be on a 2.1 ounce/61 gram bag of their hickory smoked flavored buffalo and beef chopped & formed jerky. This flavor is described as using all natural ingredients, and seasoned to perfection. The bag was kindly submitted for review by the General Manager, Brandon Cromwell.
This Pearson Ranch Jerky brand name is distributed under the name of Pearson Ranch, and it is located in Horse Springs, New Mexico. Founder Ken Pearson founded Pearson Ranch in 1959, which is a family owned ranch raising elk, buffalo (also known as bison), and cattle. Today, Ken’s grand-nephew Marvin Cromwell and his sons Brandon and Matt run the key operations for the company. While Pearson Ranch Jerky has been in the meat snack business for over 15 years, the main focus of ranch operations shifted to meat snack products in the summer of 2011. Pearson Ranch advertises their jerky as made of only natural ingredients, contain no nitrites, have no MSG, and are gluten-free.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Buffalo, Beef, Sea Salt, Cane Sugar, Celery Juice Powder, Black Pepper, Red Pepper, Dehydrated Garlic, Natural Smoke Flavoring, Coriander.
These buffalo and cattle are grass-fed. As a result, the ingredient rating starts at an Excellent (10/10) rating.
The buffalo and cattle are ethically raised, meaning no growth hormones or additional antibiotics are given. These buffalo and cattle also have free range access, with grass in their diet.
The texture of this jerky is chopped and formed, or something similar, mixing the buffalo and beef together. As a result, without having a natural whole sliced strip of jerky, two ingredient ratings are deducted.
Some healthy ingredients are used such as black pepper, hot red peppers, dehydrated garlic, and coriander.
The sugar level is great at 0 grams of sugar rounded down per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is decent at 305mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite added, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, minimally processed sea salt is the main preservative. Commendably, this jerky qualifies to have no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
As we’ve tasted this Pearson Ranch Jerky – Hickory Chopped and Formed Buffalo Beef Jerky, we’ve noticed a kicked up level of salt and pepper right off the bat with a good ratio between them. This classic Ebony and Ivory combination is always a great way to kick start these taste buds of ours. The garlic followed at a light level with the added bonus of a gentle little spicy kick to bring all these flavors together. The smokiness was quite noticeable; it added character and it nicely complemented the overall flavor profile.
We are not huge fans of chopped and formed processed texture, as there is usually no distinctive meat flavor. I’ve had bison most of my life and I couldn’t really differentiate the bison from the beef in this meat stick. I mostly picked up on the processed meat flavor and this is usually to be expected from a chopped and formed texture. This could also be due to other reasons such as the bison meat tends to be a leaner meat with a sweeter and more delicate flavor. Therefore, bison can easily be overpowered by other type of meats and/or by its seasoning.
I should also mention the ratio between the bison and the beef is not stated on the bag. These meat strips are reminiscent in taste of the ol’ style pepperette that most of us grew up with and loved in our childhood. This meat jerky is probably one of the best chopped and formed texture jerky we’ve had in a long time.
These bite sized strips are sliced small and they are mainly uniform in size. They are sliced to a medium thickness and they are fairly dry. They have a soft and tender texture and they are easy to chew. These strips leave no oily residue on the fingers and have a distinctive red hue from the celery juice used as a natural preservative.
As a chopped and formed texture, this is more than likely one of the best meat sticks we’ve had thus far. This jerky is flavorful, bold and far from being boring.
This Pearson Ranch Jerky – Hickory Chopped and Formed Buffalo Beef Jerky is highly recommended to any fans of chopped and formed textures, buffalo, hickory smoke and bold spices without being overly spicy. After consultation, we’ve ended up awarding an 8/10 taste rating!
This 2.1 ounce/60 gram bag sells online for $8.99. That works out to $4.28 an ounce, which rates as an expensive price.
Bag Review
This may be the most interesting, creative bag reviewed to date, which covers everything, and then some. Recently, the Pearson Ranch Jerky bag designs were changed, advertised as “Character Jerky Bags”.
This resealable plastic bag has everything imprinted on the bag itself, both on the front and back. There is an interesting looking picture of a buff buffalo wearing sunglasses, spotting tattoos on its arm, and wearing a Pearson Ranch tank top. Something that you do not see often, and appreciated, is a number of the individual ingredients used are pictured on the back of the bag.
Some slogans printed on this bag are “Since 1959” and “The Best Jerky Ever :)”. Some facts printed on this bag are “11g Protein Per Serving”, “No MSG”, “No Nitrites Added”, “Gluten Free”, “Smoke Flavor Added”, “Ground and Formed”, “Made in USA”, “Made With Sea Salt”, “Soy Free”, “Minimally Processed”, and “No Artificial Ingredients”.
All bag categories are covered with this bag. A great blurb is printed on the back about Pearson Ranch Jerky. An old photograph of Ken Pearson and his wife Sue is displayed on the back. You are encouraged to follow Pearson Ranch Jerky on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The hashtag #urwhatueat is displayed.
Excellent (10/10) – Bag Rating
Order their jerky online: www.pearsonranchjerky.com
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