Avalon Meat Candy is a veteran-owned, USDA-certified jerky company renowned for its innovative take on traditional beef jerky. Founded by Christian Petersen in April 2016, the brand emerged from his quest to create the perfect jerky after experiencing frequent shortages at his favorite store in Huntington Beach, California. Leveraging his background in the Coast Guard and his electrical business, Petersen began crafting jerky as gifts for clients, eventually becoming a full-fledged enterprise. Avalon Meat Candy distinguishes itself with its signature “crispy jerky chips,” offering a light, crunchy texture that deviates from the traditional chewy jerky. These chips are hand-cut, wafer-thin, and slow-cooked to perfection, providing a unique snacking experience.
The company uses 100% Angus beef, ensuring every bite’s rich, robust flavor. Flavors range from bold options like Ponzu Sriracha and Kalbi to classics like Original and Honey Garlic. Petersen emphasizes sourcing top-quality meats and local ingredients, such as honey and spices, to create their jerky. The company goes through approximately 400 pounds of top sirloin each week.
Avalon Meat Candy also offers custom flavors, catering to customer preferences, and extends discounts to veterans and police officers as a token of appreciation. Beyond their crispy jerky chips, Avalon Meat Candy’s product line includes traditional jerky cuts, snacks, dog treats, sauces, and fruit rolls. I had the pleasure of meeting Christian at his storefront, where I was given an educational tour of this United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved plant and its great setup. This Avalon Meat Candy brand is distributed under the same name as Avalon Meat Candy, and it is located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The first review on Avalon Meat Candy will focus on a 1 ounce/28 gram bag of their Ponzu Sriracha flavored Angus beef jerky. This flavor is described as using a tangy Ponzu sauce with a kick of sriracha and a crunch of garlic! The jerky was kindly submitted for review by Master Chef/Owner Christian Petersen.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Angus Beef Sliced Thin, Aloha Ponzu Sauce (Soy Sauce [Water, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Fermented Soybeans, Caramel Coloring, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate as preservatives], Yuzu Citrus Juice, Katsou-Bushi [Dried Shaved Bonito Flakes], Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate as preservatives], Salt), Water, Lime Juice, Sriracha (Chili, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Acetic Acid, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Bisulfite as preservatives, Xanthan Gum), Garlic Topper (Garlic, Soybean Oil). Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
The Angus beef used is ethically raised, meaning it is guaranteed to be free of growth hormones and additional antibiotics. The cattle have partial free range access to roam about and graze on grass the way nature intended. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Very Good (9/10) rating.
The liquid marinade used here is comprised of a fair brand of Aloha ponzu sauce, water, healthy lime juice, and an alright brand of sriracha sauce.
The sugar is acceptable at 4 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky for a hot based flavor, as we have here. The salt level is a little high at 390mg 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 qualify to have no sodium nitrite or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is salt. Admirably, there is no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
AVALON MEAT CANDY – PONZU SRIRACHA BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I believe I am smelling the sriracha. The pieces vary in size, there are small, medium, and large pieces, and they are likely the thinnest strips of jerky I have ever seen. If I’m not careful, the jerky will all shatter. It is (very) dry, a good thing, and there is no oily residue left on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky I taste salt at a good level, pepper, also at a good level. There is minimum sweetness, and the garlic and onion flavors are mild at best. I most definitely am picking up on the sriracha flavor, it is coming through in spades. I had to google the word “ponzu”, and after reading that it is a Japanese sauce with tang and citrus flavors, I then noticed that I am picking up on the tang as well as the citrus.
This particular flavor of jerky is da bomb, it is ridiculously succulent, and I absolutely love both the texture and the flavor. Without a doubt, this jerky is getting a well-deserved 10/10.
Here is what Mark had to say about this Ponzu Sriracha Angus beef jerky flavor from Avalon Meat Candy: “Thanks Paul for the complimentary taste review. I agree with everything except the garlic level. I would not say a mild level at best, it is at a moderate level and a big selling point for this flavor. Tangy is a good way to describe this flavor. While the citrus flavor tastes foreign to me, it tastes downright delicious.
The sriracha sauce is at a light to mild level. I can barely detect the heat from the chili peppers. The heat level does not exceed a 1 out of 4 on the heat scale. The overall taste profile is very well-balanced and complex, which leaves you wanting more.
As Paul mentioned, this is the thinnest jerky we have reviewed. True that this jerky texture qualifies to be crispy, but crumbles in your mouth with no effort would be more accurate. This jerky texture would be very appealing to those having trouble chewing with their teeth.
One significant aspect of these strips being sliced so thin is the illusion that you are getting much more jerky than you are with the sheer amount of thinly sliced strips. Take a bow, Avalon Meat Candy, this truly is a unique jerky product and flavor. A slam dunk, grand slam unanimous Excellent (10/10) taste rating will be awarded. A very enthusiastic two thumbs up!!👍👍”
This 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag of jerky sells online for $17.00. That works out to $6.80 an ounce, which rates as a very expensive price.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This black, resealable plastic bag has something imprinted on the front of the bag and has labels affixed to the front and the back. The logo of the Avalon Meat Candy has a bull’s head in the center. The bag has various illustrations of flowers displayed.
A slogan printed could be “Signature Collection”. Some facts printed on this bag are “Real Hickory Smoked”, “Gourmet Beef Jerky”, “Citrus N’ Garlic”, “Crispy Jerky”, “Nevada”, and “Veteran Owned”.
Some missing bag categories are the jerky weight not stated in grams, soy/wheat allergen alerts, and a blurb about Avalon Meat Candy or this flavor. A phone number is provided for customer inquiries to the credit of Avalon Meat Candy.
Order their jerky online: www.avalonmeatcandy.com
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