The first review on Kurtzie’s will be on a 2 ounce/56 gram bag of their original flavored beef jerky. This bag was purchased at a Mac’s Convenience Store in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
This jerky is distributed by Kurtzie’s Gourmet Deli, who are located in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. This jerky is actually manufactured by The Great Canadian Meat Factory acting as a private labeler, located in Whitby, Ontario, Canada. The Great Canadian Meat Factory was founded in 1992, and have grown to one of the largest lines of meat snacks in Canada.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Water, Sea Salt, Organic Cane Sugar, Brown Sugar, Spices, Molasses, Yeast Extract, Flavourings, Garlic, Cultured Celery Powder, Smoke.
The beef used is not guaranteed to be free of growth hormones or additional antibiotics. Also, the 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 Good (8/10) rating.
The liquid marinade uses only water. Healthy garlic is used, which is from the allium family, and interestingly aids people differently depending on the individual body’s needs.
The sugar level is high at 6 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less. The salt level is also high at 435mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. However, that is ignored because minimally processed sea salt is used.
This jerky qualifies to have no sodium nitrate, or any other similar preservative. Instead, apart from salt, cultured celery powder is used as the main preservative. It is somewhat controversial because celery contains naturally occurring nitrates. Admirably, minimally processed sea salt is used, which is high on minerals and trace minerals.
This jerky qualifies to have no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These pieces of jerky are small in size, and sliced to an average thickness. The beef is processed in that there is no natural grain to tear these strips along. There are no signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first tastes detected are light levels of garlic and onion. A mild level of black pepper fits in nicely. There is a moderate level of saltiness that can become overbearing if you eat enough. A mild to moderate level of sweetness remains consistent.
As for the beef itself, it has a slightly processed taste. Even without sodium nitrite, the beef is still quite pink in the middle. Overall, a pleasant flavor, but just not a lot of natural beef flavor.
This 2 ounce/56 gram bag of jerky cost $5.99. That works out to $3.00 an ounce, which rates as an expensive price. This jerky is a reasonable buy with no MSG or preservatives used.
Bag Review
This plastic bag has everything imprinted directly on the bag itself, both on the front and back. There is only a small bar code sticker affixed to the back.
The slogan would appear to be “Handcrafted”. There are a number of facts printed on this bag such as “No Added Preservatives”, “Quality”, Soy/Gluten Free”, “High in Protein”, “Low in Fat”, and “Gluten Free”.
The majority of bag categories have been covered. Only missing is that the jerky weight is not stated in ounces, and a best before date. There is a decent blurb printed on the back about this flavor. As per Canadian laws, there are French translations provided.
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