The chief and founder, Blair Swiler, is a chef. Initially, Blair only made jerky for his family using a proprietary smoking process. Then his business partner and now co-founder, Dennis Riedel, realized the potential of selling “Filet in a Bag”. In their words, it is “Jerky Done Right”. They aspire to only make the best jerky they can, and they don’t believe that anything, or anyone, should ever stop improving.
Chef’s Cut is celebrated for its gourmet-style offerings crafted from premium, high-quality cuts of meat such as beef, chicken, pork, and turkey. Known for its high protein content, low fat, and minimal carbs, the jerky is a favored choice among fitness enthusiasts and those following keto or low-carb diets. The brand prides itself on using natural ingredients and avoiding artificial additives and preservatives. This Chef’s Cut brand name is distributed by RSJ Ventures LLC, and they are based out of New York.
The next review on Chef’s Cut will focus on a 1.7 ounce/48 gram bag of their Original flavored beef biltong. This flavor is described as using just seven carefully selected ingredients, resulting in an equally delicious biltong, whether you’re from Cape Town or Cape Cod. The bag was purchased at a Meijer grocery store in Port Huron, Michigan.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Vinegar, Salt, Spices, Rosemary, Mushroom Powder, Cultured Celery Powder (Celery Powder, Sea Salt.
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.
Keeping up with South African traditions of making biltong, healthy vinegar is the only liquid used in the marinade.
There are some healthy ingredients added such as spices, rosemary, and mushroom powder.
The sugar level is perfect at 0 grams of sugar per 48 grams of jerky. The salt level is acceptable at 400mg of salt per 48 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite. Instead, minimally processed sea salt is the main preservative used and to a lesser extent vinegar and cultured celery powder also acts as a preservative. Admirable, this biltong has no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell little, maybe a slight scent of a certain spice (maybe coriander?). The biltong is sliced into small pieces, and it is cut thin, like most other biltong. It looks like most other biltong as well. There is no oily residue left on your fingers when handling either.
The first flavors I encounter are salt, at a good level, next to no sweet, also a good thing. I also taste pepper, possibly slight garlic, and I believe I am tasting the coriander as well.
Overall, I am tasting what I normally taste when consuming biltong, although in this case, I am not as blown away as I usually am. It is tasty, but not quite as tasty as I’ve gotten used to. I believe an 8/10 is the most accurate and appropriate grade I can give.
Here is what Mark had to say about this original beef biltong flavor from Chef’s Cut: “Thanks Paul for the honest review. I agree with most of what you stated. I do not necessarily agree that this biltong resembles most biltong. With biltong being air-dried, other biltong typically has a smoother texture. Some biltong makers dry their product for 14-21 days, but I feel that this biltong was dried much faster based on the slightly rough texture.”
“I found the sourness from vinegar to be on the low side, which is a big component of biltong. As Paul stated, this is not quite your vintage flavor of biltong but an enjoyable snack nonetheless. I believe that Paul was correct in that underrated coriander was present. Common to most biltong, there is no sweetness present, which we appreciate. A unanimous Good (8/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 1.7 ounce/48 gram bag was purchased for $4.19, which works out to $2.46 an ounce. That rates as a cheap price.
Bag Review
This resealable plastic bag has everything imprinted directly on the bag itself, both on the front and back. There are no labels affixed to this bag.
The transparent window to view the jerky is shaped like a bull.
There is a graphic of a bull on the front. On the back is a high resolution picture of jerky strips on a cutting board lathered in barbecue sauce.
A slogan printed on this bag could be “Say Hello To Biltong”. Some facts printed on this bag are “Zero Sugar”, “Not a Low Calorie Food”, “Air Dried Beef”, “Paleo Friendly”, “Simple Ingredients”, “26g Protein”, “0g Sugar”, “USA Sourced Beef”, “Premium Beef”, “Unique Spice Blend”, “Certified Gluten-Free”, “Made With Real Ingredients”, “No Nitrites Added”, “Made in USA”, and “Sliced Thin”.
There are no bag categories missing. There is an excellent blurb on the back that explains biltong. To the credit of Chef’s Cut, an email address is provided for customer inquiries. Chef’s Cut provides handles for Facebook and Instagram.
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