Note: For a more current taste review open up Great Canadian Meat Original Beef Jerky (Review #3).
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.
This will be the second review on an original beef jerky flavor for Great Canadian Meat. The bag design has changed, and the ingredient list totally cleaned up, being soy and wheat free now among other things. This 1.2 ounce/34 gram bag was purchased at a convenience store in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Water, Apple Juice, Sea Salt, Cane Sugar, Brown Sugar, Natural Flavors, Spices, Molasses, Garlic, Cultured Celery Powder, Spice Extract, Smoke.
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 only uses water and healthy apple juice.
There are some healthy ingredients added such as spices, garlic, and spice extractive.
The sugar level is somewhat high at 6 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, although some of the sugar content is coming from the apple juice. The salt level is sort of high at 449mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. However, the sodium level is ignored because healthy, minimally processed sea salt is added instead of highly processed table salt.
This jerky does qualify as using no sodium nitrate, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, sea salt is the main preservative used, along with cultured celery powder with its naturally occurring nitrates. Admirably, this jerky qualifies to have No MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of jerky are small, and they are sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is more on the dry side, and it requires a reasonable amount of effort to chew. The aroma is fragrant and inviting. There are no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first flavors detected are mild to moderate levels of saltiness and sweetness. A juicy taste from the apple juice is noticeable, and it complements the overall flavor profile nicely.
The garlic taste is at a light to faint level, and it preferably could stand to be at a stronger level. Each bite ends with a subtle taste of smokiness that enhances the flavor. It is a pleasant and welcome change to eat jerky that is free of soy sauce.
For an original flavor as we have here, the natural beef flavor should be the most dominating flavor. That is true with this Original flavor, where you could summarize this flavor as being lightly seasoned. Despite the sweetness, there is still a decent level of natural beef flavor present.
Paul and I did notice taste inconsistencies from strip to strip. Some strips are sweeter than others, while other strips are saltier than others, and some strips taste better than others.
We were all mainly unanimous on our taste reviews here, apart from the uneven taste between jerky strips.
Stéphane was the most impressed with this original flavor to state: “I was pleasantly surprised with this jerky, I enjoy the level of flavor while also considering that no soy was added to the marinade. I enjoy the sweetness and although not overdone, I find the cane sugar and molasses brings an uncommon and interesting flavor to this jerky. These flavors complement the natural beef taste really well. On the down side, I find the garlic and smoke to be fairly light and I just wish it would be kicked up a little to bring some bolder and more exciting flavor to the mix. Overall, this is a tasty treat and with a little more punch, it would probably be a knockout! I’d rate this jerky 9/10 taste rating.”
We all found this original flavor to be an addictive treat. This new original flavored recipe introduced by Great Canadian Meat is certainly an improvement from both taste and ingredient perspectives.
This 1.2 ounce/34 gram bag of jerky cost $3.49. That works out to $2.91, which rates as a borderline expensive price. The price is cheaper if ordered online.
Bag Review
This non-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 logo has a red maple leaf. In accordance with Canadian law, there are French translations provided.
Their slogans are “Genuine Jerky” and “You Had Me At Canadian GCMC25 CANADA150”. Some facts printed on this bag are “Soy/Gluten Free”, and “No Added Preservatives”.
The only bag category missing is a transparent window to view the actual jerky. A good blurb is printed on the back about Great Canadian Meat jerky.
You guys had the jar jerky perfect years ago. Unfortunately you changed your process and it tastes horrible now. My grandfather ran a gas station/convenience store over 30 years ago. The jerky was fantastic and so was yours a while back. Why!