Shantyman Premium Jerky is a Southern-inspired beef jerky brand that focuses on crafting flavorful, small-batch products with bold seasoning profiles. Their lineup features a variety of beef jerky flavors, such as Sweet & Spicy, Dill Pickle, Whiskey, Black Pepper Sea Salt, Teriyaki, Hickory, and Habanero, as well as meat sticks for those who prefer a firmer, snackable texture.
Their product catalog also includes merchandise, indicating a lifestyle branding strategy rather than just focusing on snack food. Overall, Shantyman Premium Jerky seems to strike a balance between bold flavor experimentation and quality, appealing to jerky lovers who want both classic chews and some zesty surprises. This Shantyman Premium Jerky brand is distributed under the name The East Mississippi Trading Co., located in Tupelo, Mississippi.
The first review on Shantyman Premium Jerky will focus on a 2 ounce/57 gram bag of Habanero flavored beef jerky. This flavor is described as being their best selling, spicy, premium Habanero Beef Jerky that is USDA approved, tender, and bursting with flavor. The bag was purchased online.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Brown Sugar, Teriyaki Sauce (Soy Sauce [Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt], Wine, Sugar, Water, Salt, Onion Powder, Spice Extractives, Succinic Acid, Garlic Powder), Spices, Water, Granulated Garlic, Lemon Juice, Habanero Powder, Vinegar Powder, Celery Powder (Celery Juice Solids, Sea Salt). Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
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 is comprised of a decent brand of teriyaki sauce and healthy lemon juice. The vinegar is in powdered form.
The only healthy ingredient added are spices. The heat is achieved from habanero powder, which is healthy if eaten in moderation.
The sugar level is extremely high at 11 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. Our preference is 4 grams of sugar or under per 28 grams of jerky for a hot based flavor as we have here. The salt level is a little high at 380mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky to lose another rating. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky qualifies to have no sodium nitrite or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is salt and celery powder to a lesser extent. Admirably, this jerky does qualify to have no MSG added.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
SHANTYMAN PREMIUM JERKY – HABANERO BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell very little. The pieces are medium to large in size and are sliced rather thin. The jerky is not quite what I would call dry and chewy, but it is not soft either. It is somewhere in between. The jerky is orange(ish) in color, and it leaves a slight oily residue on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky, I taste salt at a medium level, sweet, a little too intense for my liking, but well within reason. I also taste slight garlic and slight pepper, along with the habanero kick. It is not crazy hot, but it is definitely more than mild.
Overall, I am quite enjoying this flavor, and, while not exactly hitting the “WOW!!” factor, it is better than most. A well deserved 9/10 in my opinion. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Habanero beef jerky flavor from Shantyman Premium Jerky: “Thanks Paul for the positive taste review. I agree with every point stated. The sweetness is arguably too high, but that is somewhat normal for habanero flavors, where sugar helps to dull the extreme burn from the habanero peppers. Another negative aspect of high sugar levels is that it mutes the natural beef flavor. I did not detect any hint of the natural beef flavor tasting processed, but at the same time, the taste of natural beef is drowned out the sweetness.”
“On a side note, with Paul mentioning that these jerky strips have an orange(ish) color, which is true, these jerky strips do not resemble what you see on the Shantyman Premium Jerky website whatsoever. This flavor indeed tastes good, but it lacks a ‘wow’ factor. With Paul at a 9 and myself a an 8.5, a Very Good (9/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 2 ounce/57 gram bag of jerky sold online for $10.00, which equates to $5.00 an ounce. That rates as a very average price.
Verhy Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This silver, plastic resealable bag has labels affixed to the front and back. The Shantyman Premium Jerky logo depicts a man carrying a stick over his shoulder with a bag.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. Some facts printed are “No Nitrates or Nitrites Added”, “No MSG Added”, and “Made in the U.S.A.”.
The only missing bag category is a blurb about this jerky or flavor. To the credit of Shantyman Premium Jerky, a phone number is provided for customer inquiries.
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