It all started with providing jerky to brave pioneers who often walked every step of the 2000 mile long grueling Oregon Trail. Tillamook Country Smoker has been in business for over 50 years. According to Tillamook Country Smoker, the original Oregonians, the Native Americans indigenous to the area, taught settlers how to make jerky. Back in the 1970s, two local farming families, the Smiths and Giengers, joined the Crossleys to take Tillamook Country Smoker from backyard to business.
Their factory opened its doors in 1975. From there, they took it one handshake, one store, and one state at a time to slowly but surely put their beef jerky and meat sticks on shelves and counters across America. The Tillamook Country Smoker jerky brand name is manufactured and distributed by Tillamook Country Smoker Inc., located in Bay City, Tillamook County, Oregon.
The next review on Tillamook Country Smoker will be on a 6.5 ounce/184 gram bag of their zero sugar original flavored beef jerky. This flavor is advertised as being a zero sugar beef jerky in their Original flavor, bringing the great taste of their real, hardwood smoked jerky but with 0g of sugar, 0g of total carbs, and 14g of protein per serving. The bag was purchased at a Target store in Oxnard, California.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Contains Beef, Gluten Free Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Rice, Salt), Beef Broth, Flavorings, Vinegar, Cultured Celery Powder (Celery Powder, Sea Salt), Granulated Garlic, Salt. Allergen Warnings: Soy
The beef used is not guaranteed to be free of growth hormones or additional antibiotics. Also, the beef is not guaranteed to have at least partial free range access to graze on grass. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Good (8/10) rating.
The liquid marinade consists of a good brand of gluten-free soy sauce, healthy beef broth, and healthy vinegar.
The vague term flavorings is used, which may include both healthy and unhealthy ingredients.
The sugar level is perfect at 0 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is high at 520mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating.
This jerky qualifies to contain no sodium nitrite or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Also, as a bonus, and kudos to Tillamook Country Smoker, this jerky qualifies to have no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
TILLAMOOK COUNTRY SMOKER – ORIGINAL BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell ketchup and soy. The pieces are small to medium in size, and they are sliced to a medium thickness. The jerky is dry(ish) and soft(ish), and there is no oily residue left on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky I am met with more than I expected, especially since it is advertised as original. I taste copious amounts of salt, pepper, garlic, and onion, but to a lesser degree, slightly sweet, not so much a kick as a tang in the background, and lots of natural beef.
D*mn gents, this flavor absolutely is packed with the “Wow!!” factor. I am duly impressed. My taste buds are being treated to a culinary masterpiece, a “flavourful Picasso” if you will, we have a WINNER here… I can, with a clear conscience (not to mention a salivating mouth), award this flavor of jerky with a resounding 10/10, a sure fire, first round ballot jerky hall-of-fame inductee if we ever decide to create a jerky hall of fame. A very enthusiastic two thumbs up!!👍👍 Gentlemen?
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
The TCS – Original Beef Jerky is amazingly and fantastically delicious and tasty. The flavor is rich and buttery, and the profile is complex and bold. The saltiness is noticeable and still remains within reason. This is beef jerky ladies …not Girl Scout cookies!
This absolute little wonder is excessively addictive and tastes like FREEDOM to me! I rate this delicious and Spirit Lifting Delicacy a well-deserved 10/10 Taste Rating.
“The natural beef flavor comes across well with only a tiny hint of tasting processed. I disagree that the beef has buttery flavor. Whether or not I award a 9 or 10 rating, it would be overruled by Stéphane and Paul’s 10 ratings. An Excellent (10/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 6.5 ounce/184 gram bag of Tillamook Country Smoker original beef jerky flavor sold for $11.69. That works out to $1.80 an ounce, which rates as a cheap price.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This professional looking resealable bag has everything imprinted onto the bag itself, both on the front and back. There are no labels affixed to this bag.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. Some facts printed on this bag are “0g Total Carbs”, “Made With 100% Premium Beef”, “No Artificial Sweeteners”, “Gluten Free”, “No MSG Added”, “No Nitrites Added”, “14g Protein”, “0g Trans Fat”, and “Made With Real Hardwood Smoke”.
The only bag category missing is a soy allergen alert. There are some good blurbs printed on the back about this jerky and flavor. To the credit of Tillamook Country Smoker, they provide a toll free phone number for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.tcsjerky.com
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