Alien Fresh Jerky is a California based jerky brand and roadside attraction founded in 2000 by Luis Ramallo, blending traditional snack production with a highly distinctive, extraterrestrial themed retail experience. Originally launched as a small stand in Nevada before relocating to California, the company was built around the idea of offering “healthier” snack alternatives, such as beef jerky, nuts, dried fruits and trail mixes to travelers along major desert highways. Over time, Alien Fresh Jerky evolved into a major tourist stop between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, known as much for its immersive alien decor and novelty atmosphere.
The brand emphasizes handcrafted jerky made from premium cuts of beef without fillers or shortcuts, while positioning itself as both a snack producer and an entertainment driven destination. With its mix of kitschy branding, unconventional flavors, and a strong roadside presence, Alien Fresh Jerky stands out in the jerky market as a hybrid of food brand and themed attraction designed to deliver a memorable, “out of this world” consumer experience.
This Alien Fresh Jerky brand is distributed under the name The Ramallo’s Inc., located in Baker, California. This jerky is manufactured by Junior’s Smokehouse, and is located in El Campo, Texas.
The next review on Alien Fresh Jerky will focus on a 3.25 ounce/92 gram bag of their garlic flavored beef jerky. This bag was purchased at the Alien Fresh Jerky store located in Baker, California, just off the I-15 interstate.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Water, Sugar, Natural Flavorings, Brown Sugar, Salt, Beef Stock, Vinegar, Sodium Citrate, Soy Sauce Powder (Wheat, Soybeans, Salt, Maltodextrin), Sodium Nitrite. 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 water, healthy beef stock, and healthy vinegar. An alright brand of soy sauce powder is used.
The only healthy ingredients added are the vague term natural flavorings, which can contain both healthy and unhealthy ingredients.
The sugar level is borderline acceptable at 3 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is high at 580mg 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 not qualify to have no sodium nitrite, as sodium nitrite is used outright as a preservative to lose a rating. Admirably, this jerky does qualify to have no MSG added.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
ALIEN FRESH JERKY – GARLIC BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell very little, possibly soy or vinegar. The jerky strips are medium in size and are sliced medium to thick. The jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky, I taste salt at a good level. The sweetness is basically the same as the salt level, the pepper is similar, but the garlic is what is driving this car. The garlic level is great, but not too intense, this is turning out to be a very tasty experience. Not quite a “WOW” factor, but definitely worthy of a 9/10. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this garlic beef jerky flavor from Alien Fresh Jerky: “Thanks Paul for the accurate taste review. The only thing I may disagree about is the garlic being at a great level. It’s more a decent or perhaps a good level, strong enough not to warrant a taste rating being deducted, but by no means intense. While not overly sweet tasting, there is sweetness present, which is so unneeded for a garlic flavor that drowns out the natural beef flavor. I agree with Paul that the black pepper is at a good level.
“The natural flavor of beef has no hint of tasting processed. A light to mild smoky flavor is in the background complimenting the flavor. The overall taste profile is not overly complicated but well balanced with no flavors that stick out, other than arguably the garlic. As with Paul, I agree that there is not enough ‘wow’ factor. A unanimous Very Good (9/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 3.25 ounce/91 gram bag of jerky was purchased for $14.38. That works out to $4.42 an ounce, which rates as an expensive price.
Bag Review
This gold colored resealable bag has a label affixed to the front and nothing on the back. The Alien Fresh Jerky logo has an alien’s head in the middle. A picture of an alien riding a horse herding cows is depicted on the front.
A slogan printed on this bag is “The Best Jerky in the Universe”. Some facts printed are “Abducted in Texas” and “Texas Style”.
Some bag categories missing are a blurb about the flavor or jerky, the jerky weight stated in grams, and soy/wheat allergen alerts. To the credit of Alien Fresh Jerky, they provide a toll free phone number for customer inquiries.
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