Lee’s Market was founded in 1962 to provide quality products conveniently to customers in their Newport, Michigan area. Since then, they have become a staple in Southeastern Michigan for jerky, as 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. For over 30 years, Lee’s Market has been testing and perfecting their various jerky flavors and types to ensure that every bite is as satisfying as the first.
Lee’s Market is one of Southeastern Michigan’s best kept secrets. Husband and wife Danny and Carrie Bergmoser own Lee’s Market. The jerky choices are beef, poultry, elk, or venison, with about a dozen flavors available. 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 an 8 ounce/226.8 gram bag of their Original With Horseradish flavored beef jerky. This flavor is described as featuring their house specialty brine but with added horseradish for an extra kick! The jerky was kindly submitted for review by the co-owner, Carrie Bergmoser.
Ingredient Review
Beef, Water, Distilled Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Molasses, Caramel Color, Sugar, Spices, Anchovies, Monosodium Glutamate, Less Than 2% Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Natural Flavors, Tamarind Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Nitrate. 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 water and healthy distilled vinegar.
Some healthy ingredients are added, such as anchovies and spices, which include black pepper. The vague term natural flavors is used, which could contain healthy and unhealthy ingredients.
The sugar level is very low at less than 1 gram of sugar per 28g grams of jerky. The salt level is off the charts high at 780mg 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 does not qualify to have no sodium nitrite added as similar preservatives potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate are used to lose a rating. This jerky does not qualify to have no MSG added as monosodium glutamate is used outright to lose another rating. The highly processed, cheap flavor enhancer hydrolyzed soy protein is used to lose another rating.
Fair (4/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
LEE’S MARKET – ORIGINAL WITH HORSERADISH BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell soy. The pieces, as is common with Lee’s Market, are long and thick. You can see that the jerky (by its hue) is full of marinade.
When I bite into the jerky strips I am immediately struck by the high salt content, but I love salt, so no issue. I also taste the garlic, the pepper, next to no sweetness (a good thing), and copious amounts of natural beef. As per usual, with all Lee’s Market products we have tried to date, these strips of jerky are ridiculously tasty, not to mention extremely addictive. However, I take umbrage with the fact that I am by no means picking up any horseradish flavor.
If it didn’t mention it in the flavor name, I would not deduct any points, but since it is explicitly stated, I feel compelled to deduct a point. But outside of that, this flavor is crazy addictive and insanely tasty, so a well-deserved 9/10 in my opinion. Gentlemen?
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
Lee’s Market – Original with Horseradish Beef Jerky is tasty for a good reason. This jerky and its abundance of flavor enhancers is akin to fishing in a barrel when it comes to taste. It is loaded with salt, flavor enhancers, and I don’t see any technical prowess or expertise in this product. I am having trouble finding words for what I taste. I can’t really speak of a rich, deep, or balanced flavor profile, let alone any horseradish flavor. I can’t even tell if there is any horseradish at all. I do enjoy these thick strips and the texture of this jerky.
I was really looking forward to this jerky review, and I am rather disappointed in Lee’s Market – Original with Horseradish Beef Jerky. We’ve tasted some good jerky from Lee’s Market in the past, and this one is a failure in my own opinion.
A better name for this jerky may have been Lee’s Market – Flavor Enhancers Beef Jerky. I do enjoy the size of the strips and texture, and regretfully, it feels and tastes like something you’d do to hide something else. It’s like the Apples at the Fair dipped in a Caramel or Candy coating to hide the fact they are bruised all over.
I rate this jerky a 7/10 Taste Rating, as I like flavor enhancers as much as the next guy, but I am in no way blown away.
Here is what Mark had to say about this Original With Horseradish beef jerky flavor from Lee’s Market: “Thanks Paul and Stéphane for the honest taste reviews. I lean more toward Paul here. Agreed that the texture is great, which is akin to eating steak strips. True in that there is next to no sweetness present, a good thing in our books. An issue that there is arguably too much salt present. While I was on the fence with the level of saltiness, in the end, I agreed not to deduct a point as it was enjoyable.”
“Completely absent is the taste of horseradish. It was disappointing to have no trace of the distinct, strong flavor of horseradish. Other than that, I very much enjoyed this flavor. A surefire sign was my portion being devoured in no time. I half agree with Stéphane in that the overall taste profile seems to be off a bit, but not enough to deduct another rating. With Paul and I at 9 ratings, and Stéphane at a 7 rating, a Good (8/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 8 ounce/226.8 gram bag of beef jerky sells for $16.79. That works out to $2.10 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, 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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