The next review on Jeff’s Famous Jerky will focus on a 2.75 ounce/78 gram bag of their Thai Satay flavored turkey jerky. As one of the newest flavors added by Jeff’s Famous Jerky, this seasonal flavor is described as if you like peanut sauce, you will LOVE this because it amazingly uses no peanuts. As an added bonus this flavor is Gluten Free. So get some before it’s gone, as this Thai Satay flavor has been receiving great feedback to date. This bag was kindly submitted for review by co-owner Jeff Richards.
It all started in the 70’s when Jeff Richards purchased a dehydrator from a county fair. Jeff’s mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother were all gourmet cooks. Many of the jerky recipes used today were refined for three decades. With more than 20 years of experience in the food industry, Jeff was ready to launch his jerky brand but wanted a reliable business partner. Through social media, Jeff reconnected with an old trusted friend Mike Aggarwal who himself had more than 25 years of experience in the food industry. In 2010, at the ages of 55 and 62, this Jeff’s Famous Jerky brand was launched with an old-fashioned handshake. Impressively, to date, over 1,000,000 bags of jerky have been sold. Jeff’s Famous Jerky brand is distributed under the name of Jeff’s Famous Foods, Inc., and they are located in Mission Veijo, California.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Turkey, Sunflower Seed Butter (Sunflower Seeds, Evaporated Cane Syrup (Milled Cane Sugar), Salt), Tamari Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Salt, Sugar), White Sugar, Honey, Brown Sugar, Chili Sauce (Sugar, Water, Corn Syrup Powder, Garlic, Salted Chili Peppers, Rice Vinegar, Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Pineapple Juice Concentrate, Shallot, Garlic Powder, Acetic Acid, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Paprika Oleorskin), Rice Vinegar (Rice Vinegar, Invert Sugar (Diluted With Water To 4% Acidity), Natural Smoke Flavoring, Plum Sauce (Water, Sugar, Plum Juice Concentrate, Tomato Paste, Salt, Garlic, Xanthan Gum, White Distilled Vinegar, Soybeans, Ginger, Rice, Sesame Oil, Caramel Color, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Onions, Red Chili Peppers, Spices, Citric Acid, Calcium Disodium EDTA (Retains Product Freshness), Natural Flavors, Staranise, Licorice Root), Sesame Oil, Cayenne Pepper, Granulated Garlic, Granulated Onion, Ginger, Sesame Seeds. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Sesame
On the whole, turkey is a leaner and healthier choice of meat compared to using beef. Turkeys raised in the US are not allowed to receive growth hormones. There is no guarantee that the turkey have free range access to roam about. As a result, the highest ingredient rating possible is Very Good (9/10).
This liquid marinade here comprised of a good tamari sauce, healthy honey, an alright brand of chili sauce, healthy rice vinegar, an alright brand of plum sauce, and super healthy sesame oil.
There are multiple healthy ingredients added such as cayenne pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion, ginger, and sesame seeds.
While the taste does not attest to this, the sugar level is only 1 gram of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is very low at only 140mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, salt is the main preservative used. Admirably, this jerky qualifies to have no MSG added.
Very Good (9/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of jerky are mainly medium to small in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is quite soft & tender, to the point where it is mushy in some of the smaller strips. Handling this jerky leaves a slight oily residue on your fingers. There is a distinct aroma emanating from these strips, close to the smell of peanuts but not quite. In any case, the aroma definitely has an Asian flair, which is tantalizing and inviting.
The first tastes detected are a peanut like taste that soon becomes authentic tasting. Mixed in are a moderate sweetness, a light level of garlic, and a mild level nuttiness from the sesame seeds and oil. Chewing further brings on a greater taste profile of peanuts with an Asian flair, along with a subtle smokiness in the background.
Other flavors that round off this flavor profile are a light level of saltiness, and a light level of soy sauce. For a flavor marketed as Thai, we detect no spiciness at all.
With a moderately strong level of sweetness, very little of the natural turkey flavor comes through.
We were quite pleasantly surprised on how this satay flavor contained no peanuts. After completing my entire portion, you would swear that you just had peanuts. This flavor is a definite must try for those who have peanut allergies to experience the pleasure of tasting peanuts without actually eating peanuts. While technically it could be warranted to deduct two rating points for the lack of heat and natural turkey flavor, this Thai Satay flavor definitely comes across as tasting like a 9 at least.
A 2.75 ounce/78 gram bag sells online for $7.49. That works out to $2.72 an ounce, which rates as an average price. Free shipping is offered on orders over $50.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This white resealable plastic bag has a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. A stamp is displayed that states “Sweet & Mildly Spicy”.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. Some facts printed on this bag are “Contains No Nuts”, “Natural Smoke Flavor Added”, “Award Winning”, “Super Premium”, “Gluten Free”, and “Sweet & Mildly Spicy”.
The only bag category missing is a blurb printed about Jeff’s Famous Jerky, and this Thai Satay flavor. To the credit of Jeff’s Famous Jerky, there is a toll free phone number provided for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.jeffsfamousjerky.com
Leave a Comment