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.
The next review on Jeff’s Famous Jerky will focus on a 2.75 ounce/78 gram bag of their Carolina Reaper flavored beef jerky. This flavor is described as
an over-the-top fiery jerky that is full of flavor, and has tons of authentic Carolina Reaper flavor. The bag was kindly submitted for review by co-owner Jeff Richards.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, 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.), Brown Sugar, Carolina Reaper, Cayenne, Pineapple, Worcestershire Sauce (Distilled White Vinegar, Molasses, Sugar, Water, Salt, Onions, Anchovies, Garlic, Cloves, Tamarind Extract, Natural Flavorings, Chili Pepper Extract), Lemon Juice (Water, Lemon Concentrate, 1/10 of 1% Sodium Benzoate, Garlic, Ghost Pepper, Ground Pepper, Sea Salt, Ginger. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat, Anchovies
The beef used here is guaranteed to be ethically raised 98% of the time, meaning free of growth hormones or additional antibiotics. There is not a 100% guarantee offered because sometimes the beef used cannot keep up with the demand. These cattle are not guaranteed to have at least partial free range access to roam about. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Very Good (9/10) rating.
This liquid marinade here is comprised of a fair teriyaki sauce, healthy lemon juice, and a well respected brand of Worcestershire sauce. It is disappointing to see that the Worcestershire sauce used the highly processed unhealthy sweetener high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to lose a rating.
There are healthy ingredients added such as garlic, black pepper, pineapple, and ginger. The heat is achieved using Carolina reaper pepper, cayenne pepper, and ghost pepper. Hot peppers are healthy if eaten in moderation, which flushes toxins out of the body.
The sugar level is acceptable at 3 gram of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is quite low at only 115mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Admirably, this jerky qualifies to have no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag, I am met with the aroma of (lemon) juice and something spicy. The jerky is medium in size, and it is sliced medium thick. The jerky is soft and dry, and it leaves no oily residue.
The first flavors I encounter are salt, pepper, garlic, and then the Carolina Reaper flavour kicks in, and kick in it does, like a horse buck to the nether regions. Holy Cow, this flavor is just as advertised. One buck, two bucks, three bucks, floor. I am knocked on my keester by this devilishly spicy, yet tasty treat!
Color me crimson red, I am burning uncontrollably by this fiery treat. A most absolute and well-deserved 10/10, let’s all “Melt For Our Meat”!!👍👍
Mark was equally smitten with this Carolina Reaper flavor: “Wow, a spectacular tasting flavor. Likely the best hot based flavor reviewed to date, and that’s saying something. This Carolina Reaper flavor pulls no punches, and absolutely delivers on the heat and Carolina Reaper flavor in spades. This flavor was shared between 6 people, and the ratings were all 9 or 10. The only complaint was being too hot tasting, which is just a bias, where a Carolina Reaper based flavor has carte blanche on the level of heat. Once again, we bow down to Jeff’s Famous Jerky on another phenomenal flavor.
This 2.75 ounce/78 gram bag is currently on sale and sells online for $5.00. That works out to $1.81 an ounce, which rates as a cheap price. Free shipping is offered on orders over $50.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This white resealable plastic bag has a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. On the label there is a warning: “CAUTION: Extreme Heat”.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. Some facts printed on this bag are “Award Winning” and “Super Premium”.
The only bag category missing is a blurb printed about Jeff’s Famous Jerky, and this Carolin Reaper 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
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