Rock Ridge Jerky, created by husband and wife Chris and Kristina Hill, is proud to share their tasty brisket beef jerky journey with you. In 2017, they started their business and featured brisket beef jerky in their local farmer’s markets in Southern California. Enjoying the one on one in person and hands on way of starting a business in the good old USA! Along the way, find great people and customers you LOVE to eat our jerky. Laughing and visiting with weekly jerky lovers of all kinds! There is nothing like seeing a smile or a nod of the head that says hello as we yell out, “BRISKET BEEF JERKY”. What a great way to spend a sunny California day.
Chris and Kristina have been in retail with fairs and festivals for over 30 years. The brisket cut of beef used is sourced from California and is consistent, tender, and bursting with flavor. This Rock Ridge Jerky brand is distributed under the same name as Rock Ridge Jerky, and it is located in Marina Del Ray, California. This Rock Ridge Jerky brand is manufactured by the private label company Boyd Specialties, located in Colton, California, making this a stock recipe.
The next review on Rock Ridge Jerky will focus on a 7 ounce/198 gram bag of their Sea Salt Honey & Pepper flavored beef brisket jerky. This flavor is described as featuring a perfect blend of zesty spice and delicate sweetness. The jerky was kindly submitted for review by co-owner Kristina Hill.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Teriyaki Sauce (Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Wine, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Spices, Onion Powder, Succinic Acid, Garlic Powder, Sodium Benzoate (Less Than 1/10 Of 1% As A Preservative), Brown Sugar, Honey, Pineapple Juice (Pineapple Juice From Concentrate [Water, Pineapple Juice Concentrate], Ascorbic Acid [Vitamin C], Vitamin E, Vitamin A), Worcestershire Sauce (Distilled White Vinegar, Molasses, Sugar, Water, Salt, Onions, Anchovies, Garlic, Cloves, Tamarind Extract, Natural Flavorings, Chili Pepper Extract), Lemon Juice (Lemon Juice Concentrate, Lemon Emulsion, Sodium Benzoate), Granulated Garlic, Cloves, Ginger. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
This brisket cut of beef used is from cattle raised in California. 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 fair brand of teriyaki sauce, a well-respected brand of Worcestershire sauce, healthy honey, and healthy lemon juice. It is disappointing to see that the teriyaki sauce uses the highly processed sweetener high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to lose a rating.
While not a listed ingredient, some refer to black pepper as the King of Spices. Other healthy ingredients added are granulated garlic and ginger powder.
The sugar level is quite high at 9 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. Our preference is 5 grams of sugar or under for a sweet based flavor. The salt level is high at 490mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. However, the salt level is ignored because minimally processed sea salt is used here except for salt from the teriyaki sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
As advertised, there are no unhealthy preservatives used, where this jerky is confirmed as having no sodium nitrite. Admirably, this jerky has no MSG added.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
ROCK RIDGE JERKY – SEA SALT HONEY & PEPPER BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell what I believe to be raspberries. While I highly doubt raspberries are on the ingredient list, it is the closest to what I am smelling, right or wrong. The strips of jerky are large in size and sliced thin. The jerky is dry to the touch, and there is no oily residue.
The first flavors I encounter are mild salt, even though it’s advertised as sea salt, which typically has a more intense flavor of salt than normal salt, sweet, obviously mainly from the honey, as advertised, but not too extreme. As for the pepper, I have yet to really pick up on that taste. If it doesn’t rear its ugly head soon, it will cause a deduction of a point. I can visually see some flakes of pepper on the jerky, but it is not transposing itself to the flavor of the jerky. As I consume more, the pepper flavor is picking up a bit, but it is not prominent enough to warrant the “pepper” moniker in the listed flavor of the jerky.
While I am enjoying this flavor, it is not really offering much of a “Wow!” factor. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it “pedestrian”, but lacking the “Wow!” factor I can only rate it as an 8/10, or more accurately an 8.5/10. Hence, I suppose I should round up and give it a 9/10. Gentlemen?
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
The Rock Ridge Jerky – Sea Salt, Honey & Pepper Jerky is a tasty jerky. The jerky is reasonably sweet and it has a pleasant fruitiness. I appreciate the combination of sweet and fruity with the cracked black pepper flavor. It creates an interesting synergistic relationship between these flavors, as they complement each other very well. The flavor profile is simple and full of flavor with depth and complexity. The aroma is also awesome, and the texture is excellent.
I’ve really enjoyed the experience, and I believe the Rock Ridge Jerky – Sea Salt Honey and Pepper Jerky is a success. I highly recommend this little gem, and it’s an easy 10/10 Taste Rating from me.
Here is what Mark had to say about this Sea Salt Honey & Pepper beef brisket jerky flavor from Rock Ridge Jerky: “Thanks Stéphane and Paul for the detailed taste reviews. I forgot to tell Paul that a fair amount of black pepper fell off the strips, where normally I include some of that pepper in Paul’s portion. I am confident had the black pepper been included, Paul would not have complained about the light level of black pepper.”
“Stéphane’s taste review perfectly sums up my thoughts on this Sea Salt Honey & Pepper flavor. It’s a busy taste profile that works wonderfully while using the praised cut of beef brisket. With Paul at a 9 rating and myself and Stéphane at a 10 rating, an Excellent (10/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 7 ounce/198 gram bag of jerky sells online for $23. That works out to $3.29 an ounce, which rates as an average price.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This resealable plastic bag has a label affixed on the front and nothing on the back. The Rock Ridge Jerky logo has a man depicted dressed in entirely black.
There are no slogans printed. Some facts printed on this bag are “Gourmet Brisket”, “No Added MSG”, “Handcrafted”, “Made in USA”, “Solid Steak Strips”, “Soft”, and “Low In Fat”.
Some bag categories missing are a blurb printed about Rock Ridge Jerky or this flavor and no soy, wheat, or allergen alerts to lose a rating. You are encouraged to follow Rock Ridge Jerky on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Order their jerky online: www.rockridgejerky.com
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