Established in 2013, Smokehouse Jerky Co. has grown significantly over the past decade, becoming a leading private label provider for over 150 jerky and snack companies. Franco and Patti Fonseca assumed company ownership in 2017 and have since been dedicated to refining their jerky and snack lines. Operating under the name Tender Heifer Snack Co., Smokehouse Jerky Co. actively seeks new distributors nationwide and offers private label services.
With a diverse product range, Smokehouse Jerky Co. presents an array of options, including beef, bacon, game, and exotic jerky, as well as meat sticks. The brand Smokehouse Jerky Co. is distributed by Tender Heifer Snack Co., which is headquartered in Beaumont, California.
The next review on Smokehouse Jerky Co. will focus on a 3.5 ounce/99 gram bag of their Teriyaki flavored meat sticks. This flavor is described as being made from high quality beef, seasoned with various spices and herbs, and then slow cooked to perfection with no casing. The beef sticks were kindly submitted for review by co-owner Franco Fonseca.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Pork, Beef, Water, Sugar, Hydrolyzed Soy Flour Protein and Hydrolyzed Whey Protein, Dehydrated Soy Sauce (Soy Sauce {Water, Wheat, Salt}, Maltodextrin, Salt), Encapsulated Citric Acid (Citric Acid, Hydrogenated Palm Oil), Dextrose, Garlic and Onion Powder, Caramel Color Powder, Citric Acid, Natural Spice Extractives, Sodium Acetate, Sodium Diacetate, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite. Stuffed in Colored Collagen Casing . Allergen Warnings: Soy, Milk and Wheat
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. 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. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Good (8/10) rating.
Some healthy ingredients listed are onion powder, garlic powder, and spice extractives.
The sugar level is acceptable at 3 grams of sugar per 28 grams of meat stick. The salt level is reasonable at 290mg of salt per 28 grams of meat stick.
Unhealthy sodium nitrite is used as a preservative in this meat stick along with sodium erythorbate to lose a rating. This beef stick does not qualify to have no MSG added because the cheap, highly processed flavor enhancers hydrolyzed soy protein and hydrolyzed whey protein are used to lose another rating.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
SMOKEHOUSE JERKY CO. – TERIYAKI MEAT STICKS
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell only slight vinegar, and nothing else really. The meat stick looks like any other meat stick in size, girth, and hue. As you touch the meat stick. There is an ever so slight oily residue. When I bite into the meat stick, I am duly NOT impressed with either the “snap” (or, in this case, lack of snap), the rigidity of the meat stick, or, in this case, the total lack of rigidity.
The flavors I encounter are light salt, light pepper, and sweet, a little too sweet for me, but it is well within the parameters of a teriyaki flavor, so no deductions are forthcoming. I am detecting some of the typical teriyaki flavor, but nothing is jumping out at me. Absolutely nothing. This meat stick, to be kind, is rather bland, lacking much definitive flavor or “wow” factor.
I am not particularly enjoying this meat stick. Even the teriyaki flavor is not as intense as expected. Therefore, in good conscience, I cannot go higher than a 6/10, which I feel is already maybe too much credit for a lackluster meat stick. Gentlemen?
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
Smokehouse Jerky Co. – Teriyaki Meat Stick rests somewhere between a sweet meat stick and a half-assed attempt at a Teriyaki. I wasn’t too impressed as I could taste the smokiness and garlic, and there was not much depth of flavor.
The only redeeming quality is the splash of acidity, as it offsets some of the sweetness. I did not find any Asian flair. The texture has nothing to shake a stick at, and this experience is easily forgettable. I’d probably rate this jerky a 7/10 Taste Rating.
Here is what Mark had to say about this Teriyaki meat stick flavor from Smokehouse Jerky Co.: “Thanks Paul and Stéphane for the honest reviews. My experience with these meat sticks was different. I quite enjoyed the teriyaki aspect of this flavor. True in that there is no Asian flair, but for the record, I cannot recall any meat stick previously reviewed that had an Asian flair. The sweetness is prominent but within reason for a sweet-based flavor.”
“Also true in that the texture lacks a ‘snap’ to lose a rating. The soy and acidity are at a good level, and the garlic is at a mild level. There is not much else going on with the taste profile. With Paul at a 6, Stéphane at a 7, and myself at an 8 rating, a Decent (7/10) taste rating will be awarded”.
This 3.5 ounce/99 gram bag of meat sticks sells online for $9.99. That works out to $2.85 an ounce, which rates as an expensive price.
Bag Review
This non-resealable plastic bag has a label affixed to both the front and back. The label has a fairly detailed picture of a wooden shack with a “Smokehouse” sign.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. The only fact printed on this bag is “Made in U.S.A.”.
The only missing bag category is a best before date. A batch number is printed, which can translate to the best before date.
Order their jerky online: www.smokehousejerkyco.com
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