This next review on the Stonewall’s Jerquee brand of jerky will be on a 1.5 ounce/42 gram bag of their BBQ “Beef” flavored vegan jerky. This jerky is actually not vegan certified, but is unclear as to why. The bag was purchased at a Heritage Natural Market store in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
This Stonewall’s Jerquee brand of vegan jerky is distributed by Lumen Soy Foods, LLC, based out of Lake Charles, Louisiana. They sell multiple types of meatless products, as an alternative to real beef jerky. There are two lines of vegan jerky available, where the Stonewall’s Jerquee brand is advertised as being juicier with a soft and tender texture, and it is microwaveable. All of their products are vegan except their BBQ “beef” jerky.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Defatted Soy Flour, Purified Water, Soybean Oil, Tomato Concentrate, Autolyzed Yeast, Molasses, Fructose, Honey, Spices (BBQ Spice, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Allspice, Coriander, Ginger, Lemon Powder, Dry Mustard, White Pepper, and/or Red Pepper), Liquid Smoke (Soybean Oil & Natural Wood Smoke Flavor), Potassium Sorbate (A polyunsaturated fat used to preserve freshness). Allergen Warnings: Soy
By weight, defatted soy flour is the main ingredient used here. Unlike most soy products sold in North America, the soy used here is advertised as being non-GMO (genetically modified organism).
There are a number of healthy spices used such as onion powder, garlic powder, allspice, coriander, ginger, white pepper, and red pepper.
The sugar level is a bit on the high side at around 3.3 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is acceptable at around 291mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does not qualify to be sodium nitrite free. Unhealthy potassium sorbate is used as the main preservative, apart from salt. Admirably, this jerky does qualify to have no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These pieces of jerky are small in size, and sliced to a medium, almost thick thickness. There is a chopped and formed type of soft and tender texture, which results in easy to chew jerky pieces. There are no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky does leave an oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a mild soy flavor. Both the black pepper and salt are at moderate levels. There is not much sweetness. As for a barbecue flavor, there is not all that much present. Some other spices are apparent, but nothing stands out.
For a flavor advertised as “Beef”, there is no resemblance to beef at all. It has an unnatural taste, which would not appeal to everybody. Overall, it misses on both the barbecue and beef flavors. The taste rating will be judged on this being a vegan jerky product, and not compared to a beef jerky product.
This 1.5 ounce/42 gram bag was purchased for $1.72. That works out to a cheap price at $1.73 an ounce. This jerky might be appealing to a vegetarian, but certainly not all vegans.
Bag Review
This non-resealable plastic bag has everything imprinted on the bag itself, both the front and back. The logo is of a cowboy winking, with a cactus plant in the background.
Their slogan is “The Tasty Vegetarian Snack”. Some facts printed on this bag are “All Natural”, “Animal Free”, “Gluten Free”, and “0g Trans Fats”.
All major bag categories are covered. There is no blurb printed on this bag about the Stonewall’s Jerquee brand name, or this flavor.
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