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 experience in the electrical business, Christian began crafting jerky as gifts for clients, eventually developing it into 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 has a 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 impressive 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 next review on Avalon Meat Candy will focus on a 1 ounce/28 gram bag of their Garlic Parm flavored Angus beef jerky. This flavor is described as being cheesy with a hint of garlic and a fluffy, light texture. The jerky was graciously submitted for review by Master Chef/Owner Christian Petersen.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Angus Beef Sliced Thin, Aloha Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Sugar, Fermented Soybeans, Caramel Coloring, Sodium Benzoate), Water, Distilled White Vinegar, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Paprika, Garlic Parmesan Topper Parmesan Cheese (Parmesan Cheese [Pastreurized Part Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes [Microbial]], Powdered Cellulose [To Prevent Caking], Potassium Sorbate [To Protect Flavor]), Granulated Garlic, Parsley Flakes, Fried Garlic (Garlic, Highly Refined Soybean Oil). Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat, and Dairy
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 as 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 soy sauce, water, and healthy distilled vinegar.
Some healthy ingredients added are parmesan cheese, granulated garlic, parsley flakes, and fried garlic.
The sugar is acceptable at 2 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is kind of high at 490mg 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 – GARLIC PARM BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell slight garlic and nothing else. The slices are medium to large in size, and they are sliced razor thin. The jerky is extremely dry, and it leaves no residue of any kind.
When I bite into the jerky I immediately taste decent salt, minimal sweetness, decent pepper, and garlic, along with slight onion, but I am not tasting the parmesan at all. This is quite a tasty treat, but it is not quite as advertised. I love the paper thin texture, the overall flavor, but it is lacking in the parmesan flavor. Therefore, I can go no higher than a 9/10.
Here is what Mark had to say about this Garlic Parm Angus beef jerky flavor from Avalon Meat Candy: “Thanks Paul for the bang on taste review. I wholeheartedly agree with everything. The garlic flavor is light tasting, but I cannot deduct a rating because it is advertised as having a hint of garlic. Both Paul and I love the thin, crispy texture of these jerky strips. I too find the parmesan cheese taste to be faint, if not distant to non-existent.”
“The natural beef flavor is at a good level with no hint of tasting processed. The overall taste profile is not overly complex but blends well together. I also found this to be a very enjoyable treat. A unanimous Very Good (9/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
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.
Very Good (9/10) – 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”, “Crispy Angus Jerky Chips”, “Cheesy N’ Garlic”, “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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