In 2018, current CEO James Napier, being a knee down amputee, was determined not to let that disability affect him. James reached out to a friend, fellow patriot, serial entrepreneur, and current COO Lance Wood. Together, while eating some special hot sauces at a local barbecue, James thought that he could sell these hot sauces. In collaboration with their wives, The Patriot Brands LLC was launched shortly afterward. James then resurrected his dream of selling jerky. Being a local mom and pop shop with great capacity as a full service meat processor, James had secretly been working on perfecting some jerky flavors. Teaming up with trusted FDA certified processor Grill To Kill with their decades of experience manufacturing jerky, this The Patriot Brands Jerky was officially launched. Recently, The Patriot Brands LLC introduced meat sticks to their line of products for sale. This jerky is distributed by The Patriot Brands LLC, and they are located in Cuba, Missouri.
The next review on The Patriot Brands Jerky will focus on a 3 ounce/84 gram bag of their “Little Boy” Teriyaki flavored beef jerky. This flavor is described as the real deal Japanese Teriyaki flavor, and mot the Americanized version many have come to know. The bag was graciously submitted for review by COO Lance Wood.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Salt, Dehydrated Soy Sauce (Soy Sauce [Wheat, Soybeans, Salt], Maltodextrin, Salt), Hydrolyzed Soy Protein (Contain Salt, Caramel Color), Spices, Fructose, Garlic Powder, Citric Acid, Vinegar, Sodium Nitrite.nbsp; 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.
There is no liquid marinade used here other than a small amount of healthy vinegar. The soy sauce used is in powdered form.
Some healthy ingredients are added such as garlic powder and spices.
For a sweet based flavor as we have here, the sugar level is quite low at only 1 gram of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is high at 540mg 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 not qualify to have no sodium nitrite added, as sodium nitrite is used outright to lose a rating. To a lesser degree, citric acid also acts as a preservative. This jerky does not qualify to have no added MSG, as the similar cheap, highly processed unhealthy flavor enhancer hydrolyzed soy protein is used to lose another rating.
Average (5/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
This is a very tasty jerky! However, Mark and I were not nearly as enthusiastic as Paul with this Patriot Brand Jerky ‘Little Boy’ Teriyaki Beef Jerky flavor. This flavor is exceptionally salty and it does lack a teriyaki flavor or some sort of an Asian flair.
As stated on The Patriot Brands website: “Little Boy Teriyaki ~~~ We offer a Teriyaki flavor that is filled with taste that will have every taste bud exploding with taste… ‘Little Boy’ was code name for an atomic bomb used in Hiroshima… This is the real deal Japanese Teriyaki flavor. Not the Americanized version many have come to know. Let’s never forget the past and grow with the future”.
This flavor introduces with a fairly strong saltiness followed by a milder level of soy and light garlic. This along with some acidity does enhance its flavor profile.
As a Teriyaki flavor, there is surprisingly little sweetness present and as a result, a good natural beefy flavor.
Mark stated: “There is actually very little resemblance here to a classic tasting teriyaki flavor and a lack of sweetness for sure. The soy flavor is on par, but lacking is an Asian flare such as ginger or sake (Japanese cooking wine)”.
These strips of jerky are medium in size and they are sliced medium to almost thick. The texture is soft and tender and requires reasonable efforts to chew. There are some minor visible signs of fat, which accentuates the natural beef flavor.
Paul was seriously impressed with this teriyaki flavor to describe: “The first flavors I detect are salt, pepper, garlic and soy. I also detect a lot of natural beef flavor. Some may find this particular flavor of beef jerky to be too salty, but I like it. There are little pockets of fat, which greatly enhance the flavor. Their is some serious flavor emanating from this jerky. While I don’t detect any ‘teriyaki’ flavor, there is still a significant ‘wow’ factor to this flavor of jerky. Not sure what the ‘little boy’ comment is supposed to pertain to, but this jerky is certainly drawing much affection to this here ‘big boy, as I am inhaling my small portion. If I was to dock a point, it could only be because this is not tasting like a teriyaki flavor, for which it is advertised, but make no mistake, ‘little boys’, ‘big boys’, ‘little girls’ and ‘big girls’ alike will flock to this delectably tasty treat. A 9-1/2 out of 10. Round up if you must gentlemen…”
This jerky would be best targeted at fans of Original flavors or else anyone enjoying a robust saltiness. Overall, this is a tasty jerky. It is not really reminiscent of a Traditional Teriyaki flavor and it does lack a typical Asian flair.
We’ve awarded the Patriot Brand Jerky “Little Boy” Teriyaki Beef Jerky a Good (8/10) taste rating. Cheers!
A 3 ounce/85 gram bags sells online for $6.50. That works out to $2.16 an ounce, which rates as a cheap price.
Bag Review
This clear plastic resealable bag has a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. With The Patriot Brands LLC being so patriotic, it is no surprise whatsoever that the colors of the USA flag red, white and blue are used.
There are no slogans or facts printed on this bag.
The majority of bag categories are covered here. Missing is a blurb printed about The Patriot Brands Jerky and this sweet ‘n sassy flavor, Also missing is a best before date, but a sticker on the back is likely the batch number, which could translate to a best before date.
Order their jerky online: www.thepatriotbrands.com
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