The next review on Little Bit Jerky will be on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their bad azz bit beef jerky flavor. This jerky was graciously submitted for review by one of the co-owners, Teresa Helmcamp.
The Little Bit Jerky brand name is distributed under the same name of Little Bit Jerky. They are located in Wichita Falls, Texas, and was launched in February 2016 by husband and wife Teresa and Robert Helmcamp. Robert has over 20 years of experience in the meat industry, where he started off as a butcher at age 19. Their jerky brand is proudly GO TEXAN certified, which is a program run by the Texas Department of Agriculture to promote products that are produced in Texas by family owned businesses. Today, they currently offer eight different beef jerky flavors, and one turkey jerky flavor.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Water, Natural Hickory Wood Smoke, Vinegar, Chili Pepper, Salt, Onion, Garlic, Black Pepper, Crushed Dark Red Chili, Hydrolyzed Soy & Corn Protein, Sugar, Molasses, Papain, Citric Acid, Smoked Paprika, Red Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Cayenne, Habanero. Allergen Warnings: Soy
This beef is sourced from Fort Worth, Texas. The cattle are guaranteed to have at least partial free range access to graze on grass, and roam about, just the way nature intended.
The liquid marinade is comprised of water and healthy vinegar. Their marinade is sourced from a 3rd party company, where Robert is currently working on developing his own marinade.
Using papain is an interesting choice, which is an enzyme from the fruit papaya. It is widely used in the food industry as a natural meat tenderizer.
The heat in this flavor is achieved from multiple sources such as chili peppers, crushed dark red chili peppers, cayenne pepper, jalapeno peppers, and habanero peppers. Hot peppers are healthy if eaten in moderation, which flush toxins out of the body.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt levels are unknown.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is salt. To a lesser degree, citric acid and vinegar also act as preservatives.
This jerky does not qualify to be MSG free, because the highly processed flavor enhancers corn and soy protein are used. Worse, being hydrolyzed, they are an unhealthy form of trans fats.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of jerky are mainly medium in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. There is a relatively dry texture, and it is reasonably easy to chew. There are no signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a mild soy flavor. That is followed by a mild level of black pepper, and a light level of onion/garlic. There is little sweetness, and a good deal of natural beef flavor that resembles a steak.
It does not take long for the heat to take notice. Soon your mouth starts to tingle with all of the chili peppers. Even the cayenne pepper is at a high enough level, contributing even more spiciness. On a heat scale, it would rate a 3 out of 4, and possibly higher. The only minor complaint with this flavor is that the salt level is a bit too high.
This 3 ounce/85 gram bag sells online for $7.49. That works out to $2.50 an ounce, which rates as a slightly expensive price. This jerky is recommended for people who enjoy a hot based flavor.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This clear, resealable plastic bag has a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. Easily the best aspect of this bag is that it’s vacuum sealed, which is the best method of keeping jerky fresh.
Their slogan is “Little Name, BIG Taste!” There are no facts printed on the bag. A GO TEXAN logo is displayed.
There are several bag categories missing such as a nutrition facts table, USDA inspected logo, allergen alerts, weight not specified in grams, bar code, a hole at the top to hang on hooks, best before date, and a blurb printed about Little Bit Jerky, or the flavor itself. To the credit of Little Bit Jerky, a phone number is provided for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.littlebitjerky.com
Leave a Comment