The next review for Ayoba-Yo will focus on a 4 ounce/113 gram bag of their traditional flavored beef droëwors. Droëwors is an Afrikaan name that translates to dry sausage, or more aptly a meat stick, and it has South African roots. This bag was graciously submitted for review by Wian van Blommestein, a member of the van Blommestein family, who owns this brand.
This Ayoba-Yo brand is distributed under the same name of Ayoba-Yo, and is based out of Oakton, Virginia. Ayoba-Yo is an informal term that translates to express amazement, agreement, and approval. Wian’s family moved to the USA from South Africa about 15 years ago, where they missed foods from South Africa. A few years later, they launched Ayoba-Yo. Their droëwors is a family recipe blend of coriander, cloves, salt and black pepper It is stuffed into a sheep casing, and then air dried. The recipe uses no artificial ingredients or preservatives, making it all natural, and having an authentic taste.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Vinegar, Water, Coriander, Pepper, Cloves. In a Sheep Casing.
The beef used is ethically raised, meaning guaranteed to be free of growth hormones. This 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 Very Good (9/10) rating. However, there is also a 100% grass-fed line of products available.
This liquid marinade is just healthy vinegar, and water.
The healthy herb coriander is used, also known as cilantro. Other healthy ingredients used are black pepper, and cloves.
The sugar level is excellent with having no sugar. The salt level is quite reasonable at 180mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. Worth noting is that healthy sea salt is used, which is high on minerals and trace minerals.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite used as a preservative. Instead, sea salt is the main preservative, and vinegar to a lesser extent. Admirably, there is no MSG added.
Very Good (9/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These droëwors are uniform in size, and resemble beef sticks. The texture is soft and tender, although the outer sheep casing is slightly crisp. It’s very easy to chew. There are multiple visible signs of fat that enhance the overall natural beef flavor. Handling these droëwors leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a great moderate level of tangy vinegar. Then a mild level of cloves, and a light level of coriander kicks in. The saltiness is mild to light, and the peppered level is faint.
A fair amount of fat from the beef accentuates the natural beef flavor. Overall, there is a great blend of spices, which captures its South African roots. It’s the type of product where you could consume a bag in no time.
A 4 ounce/113 gram bag sells online for $8.99. That works out to $2.25 an ounce, which rates as an average price. This flavor is certainly recommended as worth your money, where all fans of beef should experience the pleasure of trying droëwors.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This clear, resealable bag has a label affixed to both the front and back. Their logo is the words Ayoba-Yo, and described as using a paper bag type of font.
There is no slogan displayed. Many facts are printed on the bag such as “Authentic South African Recipe Proudly Made in the USA”, “All Natural*”, “*Minimally Processed”, “*No Artificial Ingredients”, “7g Protein Per Serving”, “80 Calories Per Serving”, “Gluten-Free”, “No MSG”, “No Nitrates”, “No Preservatives”, and “No Artificial Flavorings”.
All bag categories are covered with this bag. Their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram handles are provided.
Order their jerky online: www.ayoba-yo.com
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