The Smokehouse Jerky Co. brand name was launched in 2008. On January 2/2017, Franco and his wife Patti Fonseca acquired Smokehouse Jerky Co. from Trent Levinson and his wife Barbie. Franco has since added some new flavors, and they have a revamped web site. All Smokehouse Jerky Co. jerky is made in small batches. Tender Heifer Snack Co. are always looking for new distributors across the United States, and they offer private label services, most notably for Knott’s Berry Farm. This jerky is manufactured and distributed by Tender Heifer Snack Co., and they are based out of Beaumont, California.
The next review on Smokehouse Jerky Co. will be on a 3 ounce/84 gram bag of their Teriyaki flavored beef brisket jerky. This flavor is described as a salty sweet flavored jerky, with a glaze of teriyaki sauce made from choice ingredients, and it is blended with their old fashion recipe. The jerky was kindly submitted for review by one of the owners, Patti Fonseca.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Brown Sugar, Teriyaki Sauce (Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Wine, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Spices, Onion Powder, Succinic Acid, Garlic Powder, Sodium Benzoate: Less Than 1/10 of 1% As A Preservative.), Pineapple, Worcestershire Sauce (Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce Base (Distilled Vinegar, Molasses, Corn Syrup, Water, Salt, Caramel Color, Garlic Powder, Spices, Tamarind, Natural Flavor, Sulfiting Agent), Salt, Citric Acid), Lemon Juice, Granulated Garlic, Ground Pepper, Ginger. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
This brisket cut of beef used is from cattle raised in California. Brisket is considered to be one of the best cuts of beef to use for jerky. 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 an average brand of teriyaki sauce, an alright brand of Worcestershire sauce, and healthy lemon juice. The cheap highly processed sweetener high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is is listed twice as an ingredient to lose a rating.
There are some healthy ingredients added such as pineapple, granulated garlic, ground black pepper, and ground ginger.
The sugar level is high at 9 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. For a sweet based flavor as we have here, our preference is 5 grams of sugar or less per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is also high at 490 grams of salt per 28 grams of jerky to lose another rating. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky qualifies to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservative. Instead, salt is the main preservative used. With more kudos to Smokehouse Jerky Co., this jerky has no MSG added.
Average (5/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
The strips are various in size, from small to medium to large, and are sliced to a medium thickness. This texture is more on the soft and tender side, being fairly easy to chew. As with the brisket cut of beef being used, the texture is sort of stringy. The aroma is a pleasant fruitiness.
The first tastes detected are saltiness, light garlic, light black pepper, sweetness, and a mild soy flavor. Sticking out is a moderately strong level of sweetness, which is arguably too sweet tasting. A good level of pineapple tanginess blends in nicely.
With this flavor being so sweet, a fair deal of the natural beef flavor is muted. The texture at times can feel slightly candied.
There is no disputing that this is an interesting take on a teriyaki flavor. It does manage to capture that classic tasting Japanese flavor, hitting on all of the notes, which also uses ginger.
Paul had similar sentiments with this to say: “The first flavors I detect are sweet, salt (mild), pepper (mild), and garlic (also mild). It does taste like a teriyaki flavor, but not as intensely as some other teriyaki flavored jerkies we have tried in the past. This one I find is too sweet tasting, it is masking most of the other flavors, including the natural beef flavor. Overall, a decent tasting teriyaki flavor, but sans the ‘wow’ factor, hence an 8/10 gentlemen.”
I do not quite agree that there is no ‘wow’ factor, it’s just that the sweetness tends to dominate in this otherwise great tasting flavor. We recommend this teriyaki flavor to fans of a traditional Japanese teriyaki style who enjoy an extra shot of sweetness.
This 3 ounce/84 gram bag of jerky sells online for 7.99. That works out to $2.67 an ounce, which rates as an average price. Commendably, free shipping is offered on all orders over $25.
Bag Review
This resealable plastic bag has a label affixed on the front, and nothing on the back. The label has a fairly detailed picture of a wooden shack with a “Jerky Co.” sign.
Some facts printed on this bags are “Old Fashion Recipe”, “No Added MSG”, “No Added Preservatives”, “Made in U.S.A.”, “Old Fashion”, and “Brisket”.
All bag categories are covered but one. There is no blurb printed about Smokehouse Jerky Co. or Tender Heifer Snack Co.
Order their jerky online: www.smokehousejerkyco.com
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