Meat Artisan is a premium meat company focused on bringing high quality, specialty meats and gourmet jerky products to consumers who appreciate exceptional sourcing and craftsmanship. The company’s philosophy is built around finding some of the finest meats from around the world, including premium Wagyu beef, and creating a farm-to-table experience for home cooks, chefs, barbecue enthusiasts, and meat lovers. Meat Artisan emphasizes working with farms and producers that focus on responsible practices, animal care, and superior genetics to deliver meats with distinctive flavor, marbling, and texture.
The brand’s jerky line follows the same luxury meat approach, positioning jerky as more than a typical snack. Meat Artisan produces specialty jerky made from premium ingredients, including Australian Wagyu beef and uncured bacon, with an emphasis on clean label qualities such as no added MSG, no added nitrates or nitrites, and gluten-free formulations. Their products are designed for consumers looking for a gourmet jerky experience with richer flavor and a higher end meat profile compared with traditional snack jerky brands. The company’s mission is to make restaurant quality meats more accessible while celebrating the craftsmanship behind sourcing, preparing, and enjoying exceptional food.
This Meat Artisan brand is distributed under the same name as Meat Artisan, and is located in Olney, Illinois. This Meat Artisan brand is manufactured by the private label company Boyd Specialties, located in Colton, California.
The first review on Meat Artisan will focus on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of Jalapeno flavored Australian Wagyu beef jerky. This flavor is described as balancing sweet natural honey with mild jalapeño heat for an addictive flavor combination. The bag was purchased online from Amazon.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Wagyu Beef, Honey, Tamari Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Salt, Sugar), Water, Brown Sugar, Jalapenos, Liquid Hickory Smoke (Water, Natural Hickory Smoke Flavor), Apple Cider Vinegar (Apple Cider Vinegar Diluted With Water to 5% Acidity), Garlic (Garlic, Water), Onion Powder, Sea Salt, Ground Pepper, Celery Juice Powder, Jalapeno Powder. Allergen Warnings: Soy
This Wagyu beef sourced from Australia is a highly prized, premium beef known for its exceptional marbling, tenderness, and rich flavor. As a result, the cattle are guaranteed to have free range access and be ethically raised. Therefore, the ingredient rating starts at an Very Good (9/10) rating.
The liquid marinade consists of healthy honey, a good brand of gluten-free tamari sauce, water, liquid hickory smoke, and super healthy apple cider vinegar.
Some healthy ingredients added are garlic, black pepper, and onion powder. The heat is achieved from jalapeno peppers and jalapeno powder.
The sugar level is good at 2 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is very low at 125mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, salt is the main preservative, and to a lesser extent celery juice powder. Admirably, this flavor does qualify to have no MSG added.
Excellent (10/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
MEAT ARTISAN – HONEY JALAPENO AUSTRALIAN WAGYU BEEF JERKY
When I open the bag I smell sweet, and not much else. The jerky is soft and moist, and it leaves some oily residue on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky, I taste mild salt, too much sweetness, mild pepper, and garlic, and not much else. I do not pick up on the Wagyu beef flavor, it is masked by the intense sweetness. I do taste the jalapeño, but it is milder than most jalapeño flavors. I can’t say honestly that I am much impressed with this flavor, it is too sweet. A 7/10 would be most accurate, but I am willing to go as high as a 7.5/10, which would round up to an 8/10. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Honey Jalapeno Wagyu beef jerky flavor from Meat Artisan: “Thanks Paul for the honest taste review. A honey based flavor is supposed to have sweetness, and that sweetness is by no means intense. The heat from the jalapeno peppers is at a decent level. The heat would rate at a 2 out of 5 on a heat scale, typical for a jalapeno based flavor. In the background is a mild level of soy sauce and a light smoked flavor.”
“The natural flavor of beef has no processed taste, but you cannot tell that you are eating prized Wagyu beef. The overall taste profile is well-balanced, and a mild level of garlic fits in beautifully. I personally loved this flavor and could not get enough with a clean taste profile. Two enthusiastic thumbs up. With Paul at an 8 and myself at a 10, a Very Good (9/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 3 ounce/85 gram bag of jerky sells for $16.99, which equates to $5.66 an ounce. That rates at an expensive price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This black resealable plastic bag has everything imprinted on the bag itself, both on the front and back. On the front, there are some high resolution pictures of honey and jalapeno peppers on the front. The spiciness is rated a 1 out of 4, and the sweetness is rated a 2 out of 4.
A slogan printed might be “Purveyors & Provisions”. Some facts printed on this bag are “Gluten Free”, “No Added MSG”, “No Seed Oils”, “No Nitrates or Nitrites added”, “Natural Smoke Flavor Added”, “10g Protein”, “Family-Owned Company”, and “Made from Premium Australian Wagyu Beef”.
The only missing bag category is a soy allergen alert.
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