Iowa Smokehouse began as a small snack food distribution business in 1984 when founder Lee Holsman borrowed $5,000 (with his sister as cosigner) to buy a Volkswagen Rabbit and $3,000 worth of jerky and other snacks. Over the years, Lee’s son Aaron joined the business, and together they developed the Iowa Smokehouse branded line of meat snacks, jerky, meat sticks, steak bites, kippered slabs, and summer sausage.
Iowa Smokehouse positions itself around four key pillars: looks, quantity, quality, and price. Unlike many jerky brands that use large bags with little content, Iowa Smokehouse “puts a lot of product in a little bag.” Their beef jerky is cut thick and kept tender rather than overly leathery. Despite its growth and wide distribution, Iowa Smokehouse maintains that it remains led by the same founding family, with Lee, his wife Gayle, Aaron, and Aaron’s wife Laura still involved in the business.
This Iowa Smokehouse brand is distributed under the name PWI, located in Albia, Iowa. This jerky is manufactured by Weaver Meats Inc. and is located in Painesville, Ohio.
The first review on Iowa Smokehouse will focus on a 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag of Honey Jalapeno flavored beef jerky. This flavor is described as combining the smoky, savory goodness of premium beef jerky with the sweet heat of Lola’s® Fine Hot Sauce, and a touch of honey adds the perfect sweetness to balance the jalapeno’s fiery kick. The bag was purchased at a Beef Jerky Outlet store in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Sugar, Honey, Salt, Contains 2% or less of Red Jalapenos, Habanero Peppers, Garlic, Lime Juice, Distilled Vinegar, Liquid Aminos (Vegetable Protein, from Soybeans, Water), Jalapenos, Paprika Extract, Sodium Nitrite, Papain, Lola’s Fine Hot Sauce Seasoning (Citric Acid, Spices including Dehydrated Jalapeno, Maltodextrin, Salt, Sugar, Dehydrated Bell Pepper, Dehydrated Garlic, Vinegar Powder (Maltodextrin, and White Distilled Vinegar), Natural Flavors, Extractive of Paprika. Allergen Warnings: Soy
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 healthy honey, healthy lime juice, super healthy distilled vinegar, and Lola’s Fine Hot Sauce Seasoning.
Some healthy ingredients added are garlic, papain, and paprika extract. The vague term natural flavors is listed, which can contain both healthy and unhealthy ingredients. The heat is achieved from habanero powder, which is considered healthy eaten in moderation. The heat is achieved from red jalapenos pepper, habanero peppers, and jalapeno powder.
The sugar level is very high at 10 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 high at 550mg 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 does qualify to have no sodium nitrite added, as sodium nitrite is used outright as a preservative to lose a rating. Admirably, this jerky does qualify to have no MSG added.
Average (5/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
IOWA SMOKEHOUSE – HONEY JALAPENO BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell natural beef, and maybe a hint of vinegar. The pieces are small to medium in size, and they are sliced to a medium thickness. The jerky is rigid and chewy, just as our forefathers intended. There is no oily residue left on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky I taste salt, at a decent level. I also taste the honey, but it is not too prevalent, it is at a decent level. I also taste pepper and garlic, to a lesser degree. I am also very much picking up on the jalapeño flavor, it is coming through in spades. The jerky is very tasty, and I am actually experiencing a bit of a “Wow!!” factor, a definite 10/10. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Honey Jalapeno beef jerky flavor from Iowa Smokehouse: “Thanks Paul for the upbeat taste review. I generally agree with everything that Paul stated, except for the ‘wow’ factor. As Paul stated, the heat is at a good level. The heat would rate a 2 out of 4 on the heat scale. The taste of honey is at a light level at best. Lola’s Fine Hot Sauce Seasoning brings a nice flavor to the table.”
“The natural beef flavor has no hint of tasting processed. The heat dominates the overall taste profile, which is fine for a jalapeno flavor. With Paul at a 10 and myself with a lack of honey and ‘wow’ factor at an 8, a Very Good (9/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
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 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag of jerky sells online for $8.49, which equates to $3.43 an ounce. That rates as an average price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This black plastic non-resealable bag has everything imprinted on the bag, both on the front and back. There is a somewhat high detailed picture of a bottle of Lola’s Fine Hot Sauce Seasoning on the front.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. Some facts printed are “Made with Solid Strips of Beef Naturally Smoked and Tenderized with Papain”, “Made with Lola’s Fine Hot Sauce Seasoning”, “9g Protein”, “100 Calories”, “No Artificial Flavors or Colors”, and “Gluten Free”.
The only missing bag category is a blurb about this jerky or flavor.
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