Avalon Meat Candy is a veteran-owned, USDA-certified jerky company renowned for its innovative take on traditional beef jerky. Founded by Christian Petersen in April 2016, the brand emerged from his quest to create the perfect jerky after experiencing frequent shortages at his favorite store in Huntington Beach, California. Leveraging his background in the Coast Guard and his experience in the electrical business, Christian began crafting jerky as gifts for clients, eventually developing it into a full-fledged enterprise. Avalon Meat Candy distinguishes itself with its signature “crispy jerky chips,” offering a light, crunchy texture that deviates from the traditional chewy jerky. These chips are hand-cut, wafer-thin, and slow-cooked to perfection, providing a unique snacking experience.
The company uses 100% Angus beef, ensuring every bite has a rich, robust flavor. Flavors range from bold options like Ponzu Sriracha and Kalbi to classics like Original and Honey Garlic. Petersen emphasizes sourcing top-quality meats and local ingredients, such as honey and spices, to create their jerky. The company goes through approximately 400 pounds of top sirloin each week.
Avalon Meat Candy also offers custom flavors, catering to customer preferences, and extends discounts to veterans and police officers as a token of appreciation. Beyond their crispy jerky chips, Avalon Meat Candy’s product line includes traditional jerky cuts, snacks, dog treats, sauces, and fruit rolls. I had the pleasure of meeting Christian at his storefront, where I was given an educational tour of this United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved plant and its impressive setup. This Avalon Meat Candy brand is distributed under the same name as Avalon Meat Candy, and it is located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The next review on Avalon Meat Candy will focus on a 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag of their Game Day flavored Angus beef jerky. This flavor is an ode to welcoming the Las Vegas Raiders football team to Las Vegas with a spicy original for your day at the stadium! The jerky was graciously submitted for review by Master Chef/Owner Christian Petersen.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Angus Beef, Aloha Soy Sauce [Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Sugar, Fermented Soybeans, Caramel Coloring, Sodium Benzoate as a preservative), Sugar, Mirin (Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Fermented Rice Seasoning, Vinegar, Sodium Benzoate: Less than 1/10th of 1% as a Preservative), Modified Food Starch, Granulated Garlic Powder, Tabasco (Distilled Vinegar, Red Pepper, Salt), Ginger Powder], Distilled Vinegar (Water, Vinegar), Brown Sugar, Cracked Black Pepper, Ground Black Pepper, Granulated Garlic, Distilled Vinegar, Morita Pepper, Habanero Pepper, Real Hickory Smoke. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
The Angus beef used is ethically raised, meaning it is guaranteed to be free of growth hormones and additional antibiotics. The cattle have partial free range access to roam about and graze on grass as nature intended. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Very Good (9/10) rating.
The liquid marinade used here is comprised of a fair brand of Aloha special sauce, which includes an average brand of soy sauce, a bad brand of mirin, and a well-respected brand of Tabasco sauce, and healthy distilled vinegar.
Some healthy ingredients added are black pepper, cracked black pepper, granulated garlic, morita pepper, and habanero pepper.
The sugar content is high at 7 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less per 28 grams of sugar. The salt level is somewhat high at 420mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky to lose another rating. 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 no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
AVALON MEAT CANDY – GAME DAY BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell natural beef, and nothing else. The pieces are sliced to a medium thickness and size. The jerky is dry and rigid enough to please our forefathers. There is no oily residue left on your fingers after handling these jerky strips.
When I bite into the jerky, I am tasting mild salt, mild sweetness, mild pepper and garlic, minimal onion. I am not sure what “game day” is supposed to entail, but I am actually enjoying this flavor, even though it is generally not blowing me away. It is good enough, but not great. I suppose this review is writing as a 7/10, but I am intrigued enough with the flavor to up it to an 8/10. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Game Day Angus beef jerky flavor from Avalon Meat Candy: “Thanks Paul for the honest taste review. I agree with everything Paul stated. This flavor tastes good, but does not blow me away. This flavor is described as being spicy, but the spiciness is faint tasting. The heat level does not exceed a one out of four on the heat scale. The flavor name Game Day is an ode to the Oakland Raiders football team moving to Las Vegas in 2020, for this snack to be eaten on Game Day!”
“While not overly sweet tasting, this flavor is a little too sweet tasting for my liking. The sweetness somewhat mutes the natural beef flavor, which has no processed flavor whatsoever. The overall taste profile is somewhat well-balanced, where no single flavor stands out. A unanimous Good (8/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag of jerky sells online for $12.00. That works out to $4.80 an ounce, which rates as an expensive price.
Bag Review
This resealable plastic bag has things imprinted on the front and back, and there is a label affixed to the back. The logo of the Avalon Meat Candy has a bull’s head in the center. There is an illustration of some cows on a farm on the back, and Las Vegas on the front.
A slogan printed could be “Thin Cut Gourmet Jerky”. Some facts printed on this bag are “Real Hardwood Smoked”, “Made in Las Vegas”, “Made with Aloha Shoyu”, “Gourmet Beef Jerky”, and “Veteran Owned”.
Some missing bag categories include the jerky weight not stated in grams, and no transparent window to view the jerky. A phone number is provided for customer inquiries to the credit of Avalon Meat Candy. A great blurb is printed on the back about this jerky.
Order their jerky online: www.avalonmeatcandy.com
Leave a Comment