Sierra Madre Provisions are located in Sierra Madre, California, which is in the foothill of the San Gabriel Mountains. They have been in business for over 30 years selling wholesale and retail, using ranch raised cattle. Their meat is hand sliced, and as of today, Sierra Madre Provision Co. sells 18 different flavors of jerky. The Sierra Madre Provision Co. jerky brand name is distributed and manufactured by Sierra Madre Provisions.
The next review on Sierra Madre Provision Co. will focus on a 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag of their ghost pepper beef jerky flavor. This is the second review on this ghost pepper flavor, where the ingredient quantities may or may not have been tweaked. The jerky was kindly submitted by the creator of this Sierra Madre Provision Co. jerky brand, James Schaft (a.k.a. – Jimmy the Jerky Man).
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Brown Sugar, Spice, Ghost Pepper, Vinegar, Crushed Red Chilies, Chilies, Liquid Smoke, Sodium Nitrite. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
Sierra Madre Provision Co. uses ranch raised beef, which means the cattle have free range access to graze on grass. The cattle are also ethically raised, meaning that the cows received no growth hormones or additional antibiotics. As a result, the ingredient rating starts at a Very Good (9/10) rating.
The liquid marinade used here contains a decent soy sauce, healthy vinegar, and liquid smoke.
The heat is achieved here from crushed red chili peppers, fresh chili peppers, and one of the hottest peppers in the world, ghost peppers. In terms of Scoville heat units (SHU), ghost pepper can achieve 8500,000 to over 1 million SHU. In comparison, habanero and scotch bonnet peppers are about 100,000 – 300,000 SHU, and Jalapeno peppers are 2,500 – 5,000 SHU. Hot peppers are healthy if eaten in moderation, which flush toxins out of the body.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown.
This flavor does not qualify to be sodium nitrite free, as sodium nitrite itself is used as a preservative to lose a rating. Admirably, this flavor does qualify 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 don’t smell much. The jerky strips are large in size, and they are sliced to a medium thickness. The jerky is soft and dry, and it leaves a slight oily residue on your fingers.
WOW!! One bite, and I’m already overcome with heat! This is awesome! And a tasty heat at that, not an insane, rot my gut out ridiculous heat. But hot it is!!
I detect salt, pepper, garlic, onion, soy and the supremely tasty and incredibly spicy kick from the ghost peppers. The ghosts from Halloween, soon to be upon us, will not frighten you as much as the ghost from this pepper jerky will. It’s ghoulishly good, and hauntingly delicious, and not recommended for the really young, uncultured taste buds, but for the older trick-or-treaters. Drop a piece of Sierra Madre Provision Co. ghost pepper jerky in their bag, and they’ll be back every night, 365 days straight, for more of that delectable, scorching heat.
Sierra Madre Provision Co., you never fail to impress, d*mn, this flavor is killing it. It’s like garlic to a vampire, but like kryptonite to Superman, or like a radioactive spider bite to Spider Man. I’d brave a graveyard full of the walking dead, a cave full of bats and venomous snakes, and a room full of coffins, full of vampires, to snatch one bag of this out-of-this-world spicy jerky. Kudos. A no-doubter 10/10, two very ridiculously high thumbs up!!👍👍”
Here is Stéphane’s take on this flavor: “My experience with this Sierra Madre Provision Co. ghost pepper beef jerky was slightly different where although flavorful, I found this flavor to be significantly sweet and inconsistent. Some of the pieces varied substantially in intensity. Some were quite spicy while others were at a more universally acceptable level.”
“This jerky is appropriately advertised, as it states Ghost Pepper in the ingredients and therefore, it presupposes to be really spicy. I understand how this flavor would appeal to a segment of jerky consumers but I could not find anything to hook me in. I’d rate this jerky 9/10 taste rating.”
Here is what Mark had to say about this ghost pepper beef jerky flavor from Sierra Madre Provision Co.: “Thanks Paul and Stéphane. As with Paul I too love this flavor, where the heat from the ghost peppers is at a great level while not being unbearable. The sugar level may arguably be too high, but the sweetness sure helps offset the heat from the ghost peppers.
“Sierra Madre Provision Co. is old school, as this 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag consists of only two strips. There is a noticeable difference between the two strips, where the thinner strip is drier, and the heat level is not as pronounced as the other flavors. Nevertheless, this ghost pepper flavor surely is a tasty treat to eat for those people who enjoy some heat.”
This 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag sells for $6.99, which works out to $2.15 an ounce. That rates as a cheap price. Free shipping is offered on orders over $49.99.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This is a fairly tall bag. The front is gold colored, and the back is silver colored with nothing on the back. There is a label affixed to the front, plus a separate sticker that states “Ghost Pepper”. The scenic picture on this bag depicts mountains, including a few California palm trees.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. The only fact printed on this bag is “Liquid Smoke Flavoring Added”.
There are a few bag categories missing, such as a blurb about Sierra Madre Provision Co. and a nutrition facts table. Kudos to Sierra Madre Provision Co., where they provide a toll free phone number for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.sierramadreprovision.com
Leave a Comment