Note: For a current live taste review on a tweaked healthier ingredient list, and different bag design, open up Great Canadian Meat – Original Beef Jerky (Recipe #2).
The Great Canadian Meat Company recently shortened their brand name to Great Canadian Meat, and they were founded in 1992, as a two man operation. With their deli line, in addition to jerky, Great Canadian Meat has grown to become one of the largest lines of meat snacks in Canada. It is a fairly common sight to see The Great Canadian Meat Company beef jerky for sale in Ontario convenience stores. This jerky is distributed by The Great Canadian Meat Company, who are located in Whitby, Ontario, Canada.
The next review for Great Canadian Meat will focus on a 2.4 ounce/68 gram bag of their original flavored beef jerky. This bag was purchased at a convenience store in Brampton, Ontario, Canada back in 2011.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Water, Salt, Sugar, Spices, Soya Sauce (Water, Extract of Soy Beans, Wheat Flour, Monosodium Glutamate, Salt), Sodium Ascorbate, Sodium Nitrite. 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.
The liquid marinade is comprised of only water and a fair brand of soy sauce.
The sugar level is somewhat high at around 5 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or under per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is also somewhat high at around 436mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less per 28 grams of jerky.
Unhealthy sodium nitrite is used in preserving this jerky to lose a rating. Salt is the main preservative used along with sodium ascorbate, which is a form of vitamin C. Unfortunately, this jerky does use the questionable flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) to lose another rating.
Fair (4/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Note: For a current live taste review on a tweaked healthier ingredient list, and different bag design, open up Great Canadian Meat – Original Beef Jerky (Recipe #2).
These strips of jerky were mainly small in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. The texture was more on the dry side, and required a reasonable amount of effort to chew. There were no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky left no oily residue on your fingers.
The first flavors detected were moderately strong levels of sweetness and saltiness. Apart from a mild level of soy, there was not all that much else to this flavor.
The sweetness masked the natural beef flavor to a certain extent. Each bite finished with a subtle level of smokiness that enhanced the overall flavor.
While this flavor was enjoyable and pleasant tasting, there was nothing overly special with this flavor. You could summarize this flavor as being lightly seasoned, and closer tasting to a teriyaki flavor with the sweetness.
The cost of this 2.4 ounce/68 gram bag was $5.49, which rated as borderline cheap price back in 2011.
Bag Review
This resealable plastic bag has everything imprinted directly on the bag, both on the front and back. There are no labels affixed to this bag. The Great Canadian Meat Company logo has a red maple leaf, very Canadian like. In accordance with Canadian law, there are French translations provided.
Their slogan is “Eat Some Energy!”. Some facts printed on this bag are “Smoked and Dried Beef”, “High in Protein”, and “Low in Fat”. The back of the bag has a small, but good blurb about The Great Canadian Meat Company.
The only bag category missing is a best before date. There is a number imprinted on the bag that is hard to read, which is likely related to the best before date.
The 1.2 ounce/34 gram bag listed at the bottom with a different bag design was purchased in 2008 at a convenience store in in Brampton, Ontario, Canada for $2.49.
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