The first review on Carolina Beef Jerky will focus on a 2.85 ounce/80 gram bag of their jalapeno flavored beef jerky. This bag was purchased at a convenience store in Lewiston, New York.
This Carolina Beef Jerky brand of jerky is distributed under the same name of Carolina Beef Jerky, and it is located in Simpsonville, South Carolina. There is no web site for this Carolina Beef Jerky brand of jerky, nor are they on social media. This jalapeno flavor is porobably manufactured by a private labeler. Most likely a stock recipe is used here, meaning a recipe shared between multiple jerky brands, but that has not been proven.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Jalapeno Pepper, Salt, Sugar, Monosodium Glutamate, Paprika, Spices, Garlic, Sodium Nitrite
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.
There is no liquid marinade used here. You could call this jerky style a dry rub or old fashioned jerky, as opposed to gourmet jerky.
Some healthy ingredients added are paprika, spices, and garlic. The heat is achieved from using jalapeno peppers, which are healthy if consumed in moderation.
While a nutrition facts table is provided, the sugar level is disappointingly missing. The salt level is on the high side at 510mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does use unhealthy sodium nitrite as a preservative to lose a rating.
This jerky does not qualify to be MSG free, as the unhealthy flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) is used outright to lose another rating.
Average (5/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of jerky are mainly medium in size, and are sliced to a medium thickness. This jerky texture is in between soft and dry, which requires a normal amount of effort to chew. As a bonus, on some jerky strips you can see dried out delicious chunks of green fresh jalapeno peppers.
A good level of jalapeno flavor is recognized immediately, and remains prevalent. The saltiness is a at a moderately strong level, which one may argue is a little too salty tasting. The paprika is at a mild level, the garlic at a light level, and a faint level of black pepper rounds off the flavor well. This is a very tasty overall blend of spices paired with the fresh jalapeno peppers, and natural beef flavor.
The spiciness from the jalapeno peppers slowly starts to build as you consume more strips, but stays within reason. On a heat scale, the spiciness never exceeds a 2 out of 5, or a 2 out of 4 at the most. Commendably, there is not much sweetness present, which allows a good level of natural beef flavor.
As commented by Paul who loves salty and spicy jerky.
“My oh my, what a delicious flavor of jerky we have here. The jalapeño flavor is blowing me away. This jerky is ‘melting in my mouth’, holy cow, what a treat! A slam dunk, home run, five star Bobby Orr dance around five players, deke out the goalie and put it top shelf flavor of jerky. Can I give it 20/10? I would if I could.“
Stéphane was equally as enthusiastic.
I am totally with Paul on this jerky. I get a great punch of the Jalapeno; it is pack with amazing flavors. I get the garlic and the black pepper, the natural beef flavor; the seasoning is really well paired and complement well while delivering such a delectable flavor profile.
The saltiness is a little heavy but it was easily forgiven about a second and half after I started chewing my strip. The aroma and texture are equally great. This is a big hit and Carolina Beef Jerky definitely puts a capital “J” in Jalapeno and in Jerky as well.
If I could rate this jerky 25/10, I would (just to top off Paul LOL!) This is exactly how a Jalapeno flavor should taste. This meat treat has tons of flavors without overwhelming the other more delicate flavors.
There is a good kick to this jerky and it only complements the other flavors to perfection. I can’t find any fault other than the salt and it is not really an issue in my own opinion, it simply gives this great jerky a bit more character. I’d say: this jerky is addictive as heck! …and I simply couldn’t pry my hands off the bag. This is a definite gem and Carolina Beef Jerky is forever engraved in my fondest jerky memories. Top Notch Guys!
This 2.85 ounce/80 gram bag of jerky cost $5.99. That works out to $2.10 an ounce, which rates as a cheap price.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This resealable plastic bag has a label affixed to the front, and the best before date printed on the back. Displayed is a palm tree with a quarter moon.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. The only fact stated is “Made in USA”.
The only other bag categories missing are a sugar level in the nutrition facts table, and no blurb printed about Carolina Beef Jerky or this jalapeno flavor. No web site is provided as Carolina Beef Jerky does not have a web site or any social media presence, a common sign that this jerky is manufactured by a private labeler. To the credit of Carolina Beef Jerky, a phone number is provided for customer inquiries.
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