Sun’s Beef Jerky is a jerky maker with a distinctly personal and global origin story. It began with Suntharee, born in Khon Kaen, Thailand, who inherited her family’s beef jerky recipe from her mother. After emigrating to the U.S., she adapted the original deep fried method to dehydration, making the jerky leaner and shelf stable, better suited to American tastes. In March 2000, encouraged by her niece, she set up a booth at a local outdoor swap meet and sold out of her first batch of Teriyaki beef in just two hours.
As people loved the flavor, repeatedly described as “Thai style”, she added “Thai Style” to the packaging. That label helped build the brand identity, and demand quickly grew. From producing just 10 pounds of jerky at a time to now more than 200 pounds weekly, Sun’s emphasizes freshness by only making what they can sell. Sun’s Beef Jerky also prides itself on customer driven variety: they’ve made jerky from beef, buffalo, chicken, pork, elk, alligator, squid, and tofu. This Sun’s Beef Jerky brand is distributed under the same name of Sun’s Beef Jerky, located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The first review on Sun’s Beef Jerky will focus on a 4 ounce/113 gram bag of their Thai Hot #10 flavored beef jerky. This bag was purchased at the Sun’s Beef Jerky store in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef Round, Chili, C&H Granulated White Sugar, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt, <0.1% ), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative)), Less Than 2% of: Chicken Bouillon (Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Corn Starch, Potassium Chloride, Powdered Cooked Chicken, Sugar, Sugar, Natural Flavor, Sugar, Chicken Fat, Palm Oil, Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Caramel Color (Contains Sulfites), Maltodextrin, Dehrdrated Parsley, Citric Acid, Turmeric (Color), Paprika Oleoresin (Color)), Garlic, Black Pepper, 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 only an alright brand of soy sauce.
Some healthy ingredients added are dehydrated parsley, turmeric, paprika oleoresin, garlic, and black pepper. The vague term natural flavor is listed, which can contain both healthy and unhealthy ingredients. The heat comes from chili peppers, which are considered healthy when eaten in moderation.
There are no nutritional facts provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite added. Instead, salt is the main preservative. This jerky does qualify to have no MSG added because monosodium glutamate is used outright, along with the unhealthy synergistically flavor enhancers disodium guanylate and disodium inosinate to lose a rating.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
SUN’S BEEF JERKY – THAI HOT #10 BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell absolutely nothing. There are only two pieces. One is huge, and the other is medium in size. The texture is on point (just as our forefathers intended), and there is no oily residue left on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky, I immediately taste salt at a great level, minimal sweetness, decent garlic and pepper, maybe slight onion, and then the heat kicks in, and oh baby, it’s at a significant level as well. You can see the chili flakes on the jerky strips, and I believe I also taste a hot sauce (maybe that has something to do with the makers using the #10). Fan-frickin’-tastic!!
What a delectable combination of intense flavors coming out, and with the scrumptious heat, is making this a no-brainer 10/10. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Thai Hot #10 beef jerky flavor from Sun’s Beef Jerky: “Thanks Paul for the glowing taste review. I 100% agree with everything stated. This jerky totally delivers on the heat aspect. The heat would rate a 3 out of 4 or a 3 out of 5 on the heat scale. The texture is awesome, being borderline crispy, which is tough to bite into, but then crumbles in your mouth rather than being tough to chew. Thankfully, there is minimal sweetness present.”
“The natural beef flavor has no hint of tasting processed. The overall taste profile is well-balanced, where yes, the heat stands out, but everything else blends in beautifully. I can find no complaints at all, and this jerky is downright addictive. A unanimous slam dunk Excellent (10/10) taste rating will be awarded. Take a bow Sun’s Beef Jerky, a very enthusiastic two thumbs up!!👍👍”
This 4 ounce/113 gram bag of jerky sold for $10.00, which equates to $2.50 an ounce. That rates as a cheap price.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This clear plastic resealable bag has a label affixed to the front and nothing on the back. There is a somewhat high resolution picture of the owner.
There are no slogans or facts printed on this bag.
Some missing bag categories are a blurb about this jerky or flavor, an establishment number, a barcode, and a nutrition facts table. To the credit of Sun’s Beef Jerky, phone numbers are provided for customer inquiries.
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