Born and raised in Iowa, Lance Avery learned at an early age the importance of the pork industry in his native state of Iowa. With his chef background, Lance focused his efforts by combining his upbringing as an Iowan and his culinary expertise in Chicago to launch Big Fork. With his background as a chef and the passion of an entrepreneur, Lance came up with the idea of combining two great meats, bacon & sausage, to create a singular super meat called Bacon Sausage. Since then, Lance has continued to expand Big Fork’s product line by launching Chicago-centric sauces, pork sticks, and pork jerky.
Big Fork is a Chicago-based & family-owned company specializing in burger & hot dog sauces (Chicago style), keto-friendly bacon sausage, paleo meat sticks, and pork jerky. Using 100% Berkshire Hogs raised outdoors by small independent farmers in the clean Iowa air is a good start. They consider the heritage hogs “The 3%” since 97% of the hogs raised in Iowa come from confined feedlots. Their craft jerky is advertised to be paleo-friendly, keto-friendly, gluten-free, and smoked using a combination of hickory and applewood hardwoods. This Big Fork jerky brand is distributed under the name of Avery Innovations, LLC, and it is located in Chicago, Illinois.
The first review on Big Fork will focus on a 2.25 ounce/64 gram bag of their Maple flavored pork jerky. This flavor is described as being meaty, smoky, sweet, savory, & most importantly, craveable. The bag was purchased at a coffee shop inside a Hilton Suites in Chicago, Illinois.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Pork, Water, Cane Sugar, Maple Syrup, Sea Salt, Natural Flavors, Vinegar, and Celery Juice Powder.
The pork used is guaranteed to be raised ethically with no antibiotics or added hormones. This pork is not guaranteed to have at least free range access to roam about outside. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is an Excellent (10/10) rating.
The liquid marinade is comprised of water, healthy maple syrup, and healthy vinegar.
No healthy ingredients were added, as this product focuses on a simple ingredient list.
The sugar level is quite high at 6 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. Our preference is 5 grams of sugar or less for a sweet flavor like the one we have here. The salt level is high at 530mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. However, the salt level is ignored because healthy, minimally processed sea salt is used.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Admirably, this flavor does qualify to have no MSG added.
Very Good (9/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
BIG FORK – MAPLE PORK JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell nothing. None of the ingredients emits an odor. The pieces are small but thick. The jerky has a light hue and is dry. There is no oily residue left on your fingers when you handle this jerky.
When I bite into the jerky, I am met with salt and pepper at decent levels. The sweet is more prominent, but definitely within reason. I may be detecting slight garlic in the background, but not much else. I was expecting “maple pork” to taste a bit like bacon, but it does not.
As I consume more, I am not picking up much on the maple flavor. It is there, but only slightly, causing me to deduct a point.
While this jerky is okay, there is no real “wow!” factor here. It tastes alright but rather mundane, which causes me to deduct another point.
I am now consuming the last piece. Again, it is alright, but it does not get my juices flowing.
I believe “Alright” is considered a 6/10, whereas “good” is regarded as an 8/10. Honestly, this jerky is just alright, so it is a 6/10 to me. Gentlemen?
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
I’ve enjoyed the simplicity of the Big Fork – Maple Pork Jerky. This jerky is lightly sweet and salty, with a subtle maple flavor. The saltiness is also at an adequate level. The smokiness is rather forward and unmistakable.
The aroma of this jerky is primarily smoky, and the texture works well while extracting maximum flavor from the pork strips. The jerky has simple ingredients, and the flavor profile is straightforward. I’d rate this jerky a 10\10 Taste Rating.
Here is what Mark had to say about this Maple pork jerky flavor from Big Fork: “Thanks Paul and Stéphane for the candid taste reviews. I definitely lean towards Stéphane here. I have two minor issues here, which are technical in nature. First, this jerky is advertised to taste like bacon. In no way did this jerky taste like bacon, but the heritage hogs tasted terrific. Heritage hogs are known to taste delicious, and I 100% support that claim after tasting heritage hogs, which taste superior to feedlot raised hogs.”
“The second minor issue was the level of maple. Stéphane put it best describing it at a subtle level. Yes, there is the flavor of maple present, but it certainly could be at a much higher level for maple syrup lovers. I was quite surprised by Paul’s taste review as a diehard pork fan but did not pick up on the superior flavor of heritage hogs. True in that this was a simple taste profile, but there is nothing wrong with that. With Paul at a 6 rating, Stéphane at a 10 rating, and myself at a 9 rating ((10+9+6)/3=8.33), a Good (8/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 2.25 ounce/64 gram bag of jerky costs $8.95, which equates to $3.98 an ounce. That rates at an expensive price.
Bag Review
This resealable, professional-looking plastic bag has everything imprinted on the bag, including the front and back. The Big Fork illustrates a black hog, probably a heritage hog.
One slogan printed on this bag may be “Bacon-Inspired Pork Jerky”. Some facts printed on this bag are “100 Calories”, “11g Protein”, “Naturally Smoked”, “Craft Pork Jerky”, “Made in USA”, Soy Free”, “Gluten Free”, “Pork Used Without Antibiotics”, “No Artificial Ingredients”, “High in Protein” and “DBA – Big Fork Brands”. A graphic displays what’s inside: Pork, Water, Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, Celery Powder, Natural Flavors, Maple Syrup, and Vinegar.
All bag categories are covered. There is a great blurb printed on the back about this jerky and Big Fork. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest handles are given.
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