The next review for Pearson Ranch Jerky will be on a 2.1 ounce/61 gram bag of their hickory smoked flavored wild boar and pork 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: Wild Boar (Meat From Feral Swine), Pork, Sea Salt, Cane Sugar, Celery Juice Powder, Black Pepper, Red Pepper, Dehydrated Garlic, Natural Smoke Flavoring, Coriander.
These wild boar and pork are grass-fed. As a result, the ingredient rating starts at an Excellent (10/10) rating.
The wild boar and pork are ethically raised, meaning no growth hormones or additional antibiotics are given. These wild boar and pork also have partial free range access, to roam about as nature intended.
The texture of this jerky is chopped and formed, or something similar, mixing the wild boar and pork 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
The Pearson Ranch Jerky Wild Boar Pork Chopped & Formed Jerky’s most noticeable flavors are the salt, the chili flakes and some sort of a processed pork flavor. While there is an expected type of processed meat flavor, the flavor of pork is certainly more noticeable. This flavor is reminiscent of a pepperette meat stick without being as oily or greasy.
The saltiness is significant and the spiciness also takes center stage. This is somewhat distracting from the flavor of the meat. The spiciness is rather light at approximately 2/5 on the heat scale and with the smokiness; they bring some interesting notes to this jerky.
The garlic is at a light level and the sweetness is barely existent. These bite sized pieces are small in size and mainly shaped in a uniform manner. They are of a medium thickness and there is a processed look and feel to them. There is no natural tear in the strips and this is also to be expected with a chopped and formed texture. These pieces are soft, tender and easy to chew. This flavor is mostly generic tasting although the little spicy kick and smokiness make for a more interesting touch.
Mark was more enamored of this meat stick than Paul and I, Mark stated: “This flavor is one of the better chopped and formed flavors reviewed to date. What puts this flavor over the top for me is a good level of smoked flavor and a spicy kick to liven up this flavor. It is a refreshing change to have an absence of a soy flavor.”
In conclusion, Paul and I felt the flavor and texture of the Pearson Ranch Jerky Wild Boar Pork Chopped & Formed Jerky is common and no real flavor stood out or really grabbed our attention. We all noticed a lack of distinctive tasting wild boar flavor. We’ve rated this jerky an 8/10 taste rating.
This 2.1 ounce/60 gram bag sells online for $7.99. That works out to $3.80 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 wild boar dressed in human clothes, 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 “12g 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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