Jim Dandy Beef Jerky – Peppered Beef Jerky

The first review on Jim Dandy Beef Jerky will focus on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their peppered flavored beef jerky. This bag was purchased at a gas station in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

This Jim Dandy Beef Jerky brand name is distributed under the name of Jim Dandy Snack Foods Co. They are based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This jerky brand was launched in 1995 by the owner Denny, aka Jim Dandy. A loose definition of Jim Dandy is an excellent or notable person. Jim Dandy spent many years in the food snack industry. This jerky is almost certainly made by the very large private labeler Monogram Meat Snacks LLC. based out of Memphis, Tennessee. That technically makes this a stock recipe.

Ingredient Review

Sprayed with Potassium Sorbate Solution to Help Protect Quality. Ingredients: Beef, Soy Sauce (Water, Salt, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Potassium Sorbate), Water, Brown Sugar, Salt, Pepper, Vinegar, Garlic Powder, Red Pepper, Sodium Nitrite.    Allergen Warnings: Soy

The liquid marinade only consists of water and soy sauce. While there are many different soy sauce recipes to choose from, the recipe used here is on the very bad side. On the good side, healthy garlic, black pepper, and red peppers are used.

Admirably, there is no sugar used in this jerky. The salt level is believed to be extremely high at 580mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less.

It is disappointing to see that potassium sorbate is listed twice in the ingredient list. Potassium sorbate acts as a preservative, and is similar to sodium nitrite. On top of that, sodium nitrite is also added.

This jerky does use MSG in the form of hydrolyzed soy protein, which is a flavor enhancer. It is considered to be both a type of MSG, and an unhealthy trans fat.

Fair (4/10) – Ingredient Rating

Taste Review

These strips are surprisingly uniform in size, about 3 inches in length. Most strips are sliced thin. There is an extremely dry texture, but being sliced thin, it is relatively easy to chew. There are no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.

The first taste detected is a moderate soy flavor. That is followed by a good deal of hickory smoke flavor. This flavor is not sweet tasting at all, which really allows the hickory and natural beef flavors to stand out.

The peppered level starts off at a mild level, and builds to a moderate level as you consume more strips. As advertised, this jerky is salty tasting for sure, which is a good mix with the peppered flavor. There is also a good mild garlic flavor present. Overall, this jerky is flavorful and tasty leaving you wanting more.

This 3 ounce/85.7 gram bag cost $6.49, which works out to $2.16 an ounce. That rates as an average price. This jerky is recommended from a taste perspective, but not from a health perspective.

Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating

Bag Review

This plastic bag only has a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. The most important quality is that this bag is vacuum sealed, the best way to keep jerky fresh tasting.

Their slogan is “Hillbilly Deluxe”. The only fact printed on this bag is “Hickory Smoked”.

A number of bag categories are missing such as the bag is not resealable, no slits to easily open this bag, a nutrition facts table, allergen alerts, a blurb about the jerky, and the jerky weight is not stated in ounces. Admirably, a phone number is provided for customer inquiries.

Alright (6/10) – Bag Rating