The first review for Smoky Mountain Trail Grub will be on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their garlic pepper flavored beef jerky. Their jerky is described as from an old fashioned smoky mountain smoke house in the valley of smoky’s. This bag was kindly submitted for review by the owner, Lawrence Wittmer.
This Smoky Mountain Trail Grub brand is distributed by Jerky Snack Shack. After retiring in 2008, Lawrence moved to Florida and noticed that there were no jerky makers at a local flea market. His jerky caught on, and in 2013 he moved to Northern Georgia. By 2015, the Smoky Mountain Trail Grub was launched in Helen, Georgia. It is only a few miles away from the Appalachian Trail, where their jerky is a big hit for the hikers.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Top Round Beef, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Ketchup (Tomato Concentrate {Water, Tomato Paste}, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder), Brown Sugar (Molasses, Sugar), Vinegar, Granulated Garlic, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
The beef used is guaranteed to be ethically raised, meaning free of growth hormones or additional antibiotics. Also, as a big plus, the cattle have a considerable amount of free range access to graze on grass, and roam about.
The liquid marinade is comprised of a decent soy sauce, a not so healthy ketchup, and healthy vinegar. It is unfortunate to see that the ketchup uses the cheap sweetener corn syrup. Even worse, the highly processed sweetener high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is used.
The healthy vegetable garlic is used, along with garlic powder. Some people refer to black pepper as the King of Spices.
The sugar level is a little on the high level at 4 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is quite high at 470mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is salt. Admirably, there is also no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips are mostly medium in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is fairly dry, and requires some effort chewing, but within reason. There are no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a good level of garlic, where you can tell that fresh garlic was used. There is a moderate amount of saltiness. A mild level of soy is present, as is a mild sweetness. Interestingly, the ketchup gives sort of a mild tomato taste that blends very well with the other flavors.
As for the peppered level, it is at a light to mild level. If this flavor were just named garlic, it would receive a perfect taste rating. Being a garlic pepper flavor, the peppered does not live up to its billing. Overall, this is a great tasting jerky, which reminds you of homemade jerky.
A 3 ounce/85 gram bag sells online for $7.99. That works out to $2.66 an ounce, which rates as a somewhat expensive price. This jerky is recommended as worth your money to find out how great garlic tastes with jerky.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This is a standard resealable plastic bag, with a label affixed on the front, and nothing on the back. The label depicts a picture of a wooden shack with a “Smoke House” sign, and a mountain landscape in the background.
The slogan is “Mountain Man”. Some facts displayed on the bag are “No Nitrates”, “No MSG Added”, “High Protein”, “Low Fat”, “Old Fashion Recipe”, and “Made in the U.S.A.”.
The majority of bag categories are covered here. Missing categories are a best before date, the jerky weight not stated in grams, no web site provided, and no blurb printed about the jerky or flavor. There is a batch number printed that could translate to a best before date. Admirably, an email address is provided for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.jerkysnackshack.net
Leave a Comment