Lee’s Market was founded in 1962 on the premise of providing quality products at a convenience to customers in the Newport, Michigan area. Since then, they have grown to a staple in Southeastern Michigan for jerky, as what many of their customers believe to be “The Best Jerky Around”. All their artisan jerky is 100% USDA approved, hand sliced, house-brined, and wood smoked.
Currently, Lee’s Market is owned by husband and wife Danny and Carrie Bergmoser. The jerky choices are beef, poultry, elk, or venison, with about a dozen flavors available. Lee’s Market is one of Southeastern Michigan’s best kept secrets. This Lee’s Market jerky brand is distributed under the same name as Lee’s Market, and it is located in Newport, Michigan, USA.
The next review on Lee’s Market will focus on a 8 ounce/226.8 gram bag of their Bloody Mary flavored beef jerky. This flavor is described as being an out-of-this-world flavor that will spice up this signature cocktail. The jerky was graciously submitted for review by the co-owner, Carrie Bergmoser.
Ingredient Review
Beef, Soy Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Salt, Spices, Molasses, Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Garlic Powder, Sugar, Tamarine, Natural Flavors, Green Bell Pepper, Dextrose, Onion, Tomato Powder, less than 2% Soybean Oil Dried. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Anchovies
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 is comprised of gluten-free soy sauce, a good brand of Worcestershire sauce, and healthy vinegar.
Some healthy ingredients are added, such as spices, garlic powder, green bell pepper, onion, and tomato powder.
The sugar level is acceptable at 2 grams of sugar per 28g grams of jerky. The salt level is permitted at 330mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite. Salt is the main preservative. Admirably, this jerky does qualify to have no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
LEE’S MARKET – BLOODY MARY BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell vinegar and soy. The pieces are long and quite thick. The jerky is somewhat rigid and chewy, close to what our forefathers intended.
When I bite into the jerky I immediately detect salt, at a good level, along with pepper, which is at an intense level (which I love), next to no sweet, vinegar, soy, garlic, and natural beef.
This jerky tastes ridiculously tasty. The only concern I have is I don’t taste the “Bloody Mary”. I’ve drank enough Bloody Marys in my time to know what it tastes like, and I don’t detect it here. Did I possibly wait too long to do the review, and the flavor dissipated, or was it not there to begin with? Either way, I have to critique it as I taste it.
I could eat vats of this flavor, so I want so badly to give it a 100/10, but I have to deduct a point for the lack of a “Bloody Mary” flavor. So I will rate it as a 99/10 (just kidding, a 9/10).
Gentlemen, we have a bonafide winner flavor here, I can’t get enough of this flavour.
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
Lee’s Market – Bloody Mary Beef Jerky is flavorful. I do notice some of the ingredients normally found in Bloody Mary. The celery, Worcestershire/anchovies are present, with the celery flavor taking the lead. The soy sauce is not overdone, which is excellent. This jerky is rather salty, and I wish the tomato flavor would better come through, as it is very light at best. The celery could be toned down a couple of notches and let the other flavors breathe. I do enjoy the touch of spiciness, the aroma, and texture, as they are a definite plus.
Overall, I did enjoy the Lee’s Market – Bloody Mary Beef Jerky, and I wish the flavor of tomato would be amped up and in the lead with the celery in the background. The touch of spiciness is a nice touch. I’d rate this jerky 8/10 Taste Rating.
Here is what Mark had to say about this Bloody Mary beef jerky flavor from Lee’s Market: “Thanks Paul and Stéphane for the candid taste reviews. I agree with some aspects of both of your reviews. Yes, the texture is excellent, again akin to eating steak strips out of a bag. I am not a fan of Bloody Mary, only due to the overwhelming taste of tomato juice. I love tomatoes in a cooked form but certainly not tomato juice. A disappointment was that there was barely any tomato flavor, a precursor for a Bloody Mary flavor. Tomato juice can bring a lot to the table with jerky.”
“The soy/Worcestershire sauce dominates here, along with a strong salty/peppery flavor. I barely picked up if any on spiciness, anchovies, or celery flavor, but celery can be challenging to detect. I truly enjoyed this flavor, but the overall taste profile seems to be off and could easily pass as an Original flavor. I would have loved to see the tomato flavor in the forefront, but it is a distant afterthought. With Paul at a 9 taste rating, myself and Stéphane at an 8, a Good (8/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 8 ounce/226.8 gram bag of beef jerky sells for $16.49. That works out to $2.06 an ounce, which rates as a cheap price.
Bag Review
This clear nonresealable plastic bag has a label affixed to the front and nothing on the back except a batch number sticker. There is an illustration of a pig holding two knives on the front. The bag is vacuum sealed, the best way to keep jerky fresh tasting.
A slogan printed is “Hand Crafted And Michigan Made”. There are no facts printed on this bag.
Some missing bag categories are a blurb about this jerky or flavor, slits to easily open the bag, a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) stamp, and a best before date, although there is a batch number provided. To the credit of Lee’s Market, a phone number is provided for customer inquiries. A QR code is displayed linking to Lee’s Market website.
Order their jerky online: https://leesmarketjerky.com
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