Back in 2002, husband and wife Ray and Nina-Maria Cattaneo opened up a USDA facility from scratch. Ray handled the beef jerky aspect of the production process, and Nina-Marie was tasked with sales. This Ray’s Own Brand of jerky was officially launched in 2003. Within five years of very hard work and effort, sales were robust with Ray’s Own Brand being sold in countless stores. Ray’s Own Brand has since teamed up with several international brands who are taking their jerky all over the world.
Ray’s Own Brand all hand sliced jerky is advertised as sugar free, has no added nitrates, MSG free, gluten-free, preservative free, and made with sea salt. Ray’s Own Brand have just remodeled their gift shop in Edna Valley, getting ready for the holidays! This is the true Steak N A Bag!! Ray Cattaneo’s style! Ray’s Own Brand has an adorable gift shop on the property with their USDA building, and lots of animals for the kids to enjoy! Ray’s Own Brand is distributed under the same name of Ray’s Own Brand, and they are based out of San Luis Obispo, California.
The next review on Ray’s Own Brand will focus on a 4 ounce/113 gram bag of their teriyaki flavored beef jerky. This flavor is described as being sweet, savory and delicious, to allow the delicious taste of the California beef to come through. The bag was kindly submitted for review by co-owner Nina-Marie Cattaneo.
Ingredient Review
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.), Black Pepper, Spices, Garlic, & Celery Powder. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
The cattle used are confirmed to have about 85% free range access to graze on grass, and roam about. Based on the information provided from the fine folks at Harris Ranch, the cattle qualify enough to be ethically raised. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Very Good (9/10) rating.
The liquid marinade consists only of an average teriyaki sauce. It is disappointing to see that the Worcestershire sauce uses the highly processed cheap sweetener high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to lose a rating.
There are some healthy ingredients added such as black pepper, spices, and garlic.
Admirably, there is 0 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is somewhat high at 450mg 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 is confirmed as having no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, salt is the main preservative, and celery powder to a lesser extent with its naturally occurring nitrates. Commendably, this jerky has no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag, I smell sweet. The pieces are cut medium in size, but are almost like slabs, they are quite thick. The jerky is soft and dry, and it leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first flavors I encounter are salt, pepper, garlic, mediocre sweet, which is preferable, normally teriyaki flavors overdo it on the sweet, but that is not the case here. The natural beef flavor is very prominent, another plus, as far as I’m concerned. I am severely enjoying this flavor, it is hitting on all the right notes. It definitely qualifies for the Inhalometer, a term used to describe how ridiculously delicious treats are consumed, such as what we have here.
For mediocre food, we chew slowly and consume a beverage, to wash it down. For decent food, we chew at a regular rate, so as to try and enjoy. For incredibly tasty food, we just inhale it, because it’s way too delicious to savor, we’re just barreling through it, craving for more. This particular flavor of jerky definitely qualifies, kudos to Ray, you’ve created quite the feasting pleasure here. A 10/10 gentlemen. Two thumbs way up…👍👍
Here is Stéphane’s take: “The texture of the Ray’s Own Brand teriyaki beef jerky is great and the garlic really comes through nicely. Alas, I couldn’t taste the teriyaki flavoring, any Asian flair or sweetness, as this is somewhat expected from a Teriyaki flavor. In fact, this jerky tasted much more like an original flavor.”
“For all these reasons, I am at an 8/10 taste rating. In some ways, it’s like Justin ‘Small Potato’ Trudeau … not as advertised.”
Here is what Mark had to say about this teriyaki beef jerky flavor from Ray’s Own Brand: “Thanks Stéphane and Paul. I agree with both of you to a certain degree, including Trudeau (T2). While this flavor tastes excellent, along with the great hand sliced thick texture, the teriyaki aspect does not come across that well. Primarily it’s lacking in sweetness, and it’s hard to fault Ray’s Own Brand on purposely using a low amount of sugar. This flavor is more akin to an original tasting flavor, and a great one at that.”
This 4 ounce/113 gram bag sells online for $9.00, which works out to $2.25 an ounce. That rates as a cheap price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This non-resealable plastic bag has a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back.
A slogan printed on this bag is “Ray’s Hand Cut, All Natural”. Some facts printed on this bag are “High Protein”, “No MSG, Gluten and No Sugar Added”, “No Nitrates or Nitrites added except those naturally occurring in Sea Salt & Celery Powder”, “Minimally Processed, No Artificial Ingredients”, and “Our Beef Is Raised, Harvested & Processed in the U.S.A.”.
The only bag categories missing are the plastic bag being not being resealable, and no blurb printed about Ray’s Own Brand, or this teriyaki flavor. To the credit of Ray’s Own Brand, a toll free phone number is provided for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.raysownbrand.com
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