Country’s Finest is a Canadian maker of premium handcrafted meat snacks, known for its high quality beef jerky and dry sausage offerings that blend traditional craftsmanship with simple, natural ingredients. Their products, including lean, flavourful beef jerky and “Game Changers” dry sausage sticks, are made from carefully selected meats that are slow dried or slow smoked using real hardwood and old world techniques to achieve rich, authentic flavour and a satisfying texture.
Country’s Finest emphasizes protein rich, gluten free, and dairy free snacks with no fillers or shortcuts, appealing to jerky lovers who appreciate classic flavours and artisanal preparation. The brand is also active in local markets, where customers can experience and purchase their products directly. The Country’s Finest jerky brand name is distributed under the same name Country’s Finest, and it is located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
The first review of Country’s Finest will focus on a 2.8 ounce/80 gram bag of their Teriyaki flavoured beef jerky. This flavor is described as being marinated in soy sauce and brown sugar, with hints of ginger and garlic that offer a deliciously complex depth of flavours, a mixture of sweet and savoury, tangy and salty. The bag was purchased at St. Jacobs Market in St. Jacobs, Ontario, Canada.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Water, Soy Sauce Powder (Soy Beans, Salt), Spices, Caramel Colour, Spice Extracts, Flavour, Sodium Erythorbate, Vanilla Extract, Sodium Nitrite. 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 consists of just plain old water. The soy sauce is in powdered form.
Some healthy ingredients added are spices, spice extractives, and vanilla extract.
The sugar level is borderline acceptable at around 4.9 grams of sugar per 40 grams of jerky. The salt level is also acceptable at around 259mg of salt per 40 grams of jerky.
This jerky does not qualify to have no sodium nitrite added, as sodium nitrite is used outright, along with sodium erythorbate as preservatives to lose a rating. Admirably, this jerky does qualify to have no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
COUNTRY’S FINEST – TERIYAKI BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell sweet, and not much else. The jerky is basically medium in both size and thickness. The jerky is mostly dry and chewy, as our forefathers intended. There is no oily residue left on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky, I taste salt at a perfect level, and sweetness, also well within reason. The garlic and pepper flavours are a little less noticeable, but still very much present. I typically find teriyaki flavours too sweet, but that is definitely not the case in this particular teriyaki flavour. It is actually, and surprisingly, coming across as more salty than sweet, which, to me, is a good thing.
So, overall, not a slam dunk but an impressive enough flavour and balance to award an 8/10, possibly even a 9/10. We’ll settle on an 8.5/10, which rounds up to a 9/10. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Teriyaki beef jerky flavor from Country’s Finest: “Thanks Paul for the candid taste review. We agree that the sweetness level is typically higher in a Teriyaki flavor. That is not a complaint, as we are not big fans of overly sweet tasting jerky. This flavor comes across more as an Original flavor then a Teriyaki flavor. There is no Asian flair present, such as pineapple juice, sesame, or mirin/sake, other than soy sauce.”
“The natural beef flavor has no hint of tasting processed. The overall taste profile is somewhat simple, with soy sauce, sweetness, and salt dominating. This flavor tastes good and is enjoyable, but there is only some ‘wow’ factor present. Both Paul and I are at a unanimous 8.5, which will round up to a Very Good (9/10) taste rating.”
This 2.8 ounce/80 gram bag of jerky costs $7.00. That works out to $2.48 an ounce, which rates as a cheap price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This clear plastic bag has a label affixed to the front and a sticker on the back. The bag is vacuum sealed, which is the best way to keep the jerky fresh tasting.
A slogan printed could be “Premium Quality Meats”. Some facts printed on this bag are “Rich in Protein” and “Gluten Free”.
Some missing bag categories are a blurb about the jerky or flavour, an establishment number, and a barcode. As per Canadian law, French translations are provided.
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