Vermont Smoke & Cure has been consciously crafting delicious smoked meats using premium meat, spices, herbs, and simple local ingredients since 1962. Their meat snacks are made in small batches, hand crafted and slow cooked for over 18 hours. Half of their sticks are smoked using maple, hickory, and/or cob woodchips in their Smokehouse to add a unique flavor. Smoking tenderizes meat to give it that extra burst of flavor. Smoking is an art that has been around for hundreds of years and requires patience and practice.
Their cooking process starts by naturally fermenting (or preserving) their products as they mix the meat with their various high-quality spices. This slow-fermentation process delivers the tangy flavor that is their brand’s signature. Then they undergo an intense, small batch hardwood smoking process that has rich smoky flavors. Smoking enhances flavor and color contributing to product freshness and resulting in a premium flavor experience. The products are smoked at around 120°F to reach the required minimum internal temperatures. This brand of Vermont Smoke & Cure meat sticks is distributed under the same name of Vermont Smoke & Cure, and it is based out of Hinesburg, Vermont.
The first review on the Vermont Smoke & Cure meat sticks will focus on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their Original flavored beef pork sticks. This flavor is described as being a fan favorite crafted with fresh cracked pepper, garlic, and mustard seed for easy snacking taste. The bag was purchased at a Target store in Oxnard, California.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Pork, Sea Salt, Less Than 2% Of: Spices, Sugar, Cherry Powder, Celery Powder, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (Not From Milk), Garlic Powder. Encased in Colored (Beta Carotene, Caramel), Beef Collagen Casing.
The beef used is not guaranteed to be free of growth hormones. Also, the beef is not guaranteed to have at least partial free range access to graze on grass.
The pork used is guaranteed to be raised ethically with no antibiotics and no added hormones. This pork is not guaranteed to have at least partial free range access to roam outside. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Very Good (9/10) rating.
There are some healthy ingredients used, such as spices (which include mustard seed and cracked black pepper), cherry powder, and garlic powder.
The sugar level is perfect at having no sugar per 28 grams of meat stick. The salt level is a little high at 380mg of salt per 28 grams of meat stick. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less per 28 grams of meat stick. However, minimally processed sea salt is used, so the salt level is ignored. This meat stick does qualify to have no sodium nitrite. Instead, sea salt is the main preservative and, to a lesser degree, healthy celery powder. Commendably, this meat stick does qualify to have no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
VERMONT SMOKE & CURE – ORIGINAL BEEF PORK STICKS
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I bite open the wrapper I immediately smell vinegar, very typical for a meat stick (pepperette). The meat stick is smaller than I am used to when it comes to a meat stick. Therefore the circumference is lesser as well. The meat stick is a bit light in hue and leaves a slight oily residue on your fingers.
When I bite into the meat stick, there is no “pop” to the collagen casing. The meat stick sure tastes excellent though. I taste salt, at a very good level, very little sweet, a good thing, garlic, vinegar, some natural beef, WOW!!! This meat stick has certainly hit on the WOW!!! factor, it is teeming with tremendously salivatory flavorness. I know flavorness is not “officially” a word, but for our purposes it is.
Guys, crack open the packaging and dig in. These meat sticks ROCK!!!
A definite 10/10 and a very enthusiastic two thumbs up!!👍👍. Gentlemen?
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
The Vermont Smoke & Cure Beef & Pork Stick is absolutely delicious. The flavor profile is simple yet complex at the same time. The flavors are well balanced and in the background. The beef and pork shine, while the black pepper and other more subtle notes paired with the acidity/sourness brings a ton of deliciousness and freshness to the product. The salt is prominent without going overboard, and the smokiness beautifully ties all the flavors.
The Aroma and texture are fantastic, I find there is a slight snap to the meat stick, and the smell speaks volumes about what the upcoming experience will be.
I can’t find any fault, and I had no worries when I saw Made in Vermont USA. This little delicacy certainly deserves an easy 10/10 Taste Rating.
Here is what Mark had to say about this original meat stick flavor from Wisconsin Smoke & Cure: “Thanks Paul and Stéphane for the detailed taste reviews. Hard to disagree with either of you here. True in that salt is the dominant taste but within reason. The overall taste profile could be described as subtle but somehow seems to work. The texture has a little ‘snap’ to it, but not all that much.”
“For me, it was lacking that ‘wow’ factor, but at the same time, I cannot say definitively what any issues are other than the aforementioned lack of ‘snap’ in the texture. With Paul and Stéphane at a 10 rating, and myself at a 9 rating, an Excellent (10/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 3 ounce/85 gram bag costs $4.99. That equates to a price of $1.67 an ounce, which rates as an average price.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This resealable white plastic bag has everything imprinted on the bag itself, both on the front and back. No labels are affixed to this bag. There is a high resolution picture of the meat stick on the back.
A slogan printed on this bag is “Mini Size Big Flavor”. Some facts printed are “Beef & Pork Raised Without Antibiotics”, “Gluten Free”, “90 Calories”, “6g Protein”, “1g Carbs”, and “Made in Vermont”.
There are no missing bag categories. A good blurb is printed on the back and front about this flavor. Admirably, Vermont Smoke & Cure provides a toll-free phone number for customer inquiries.
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