In 2013, I made an online purchase for a 4 ounce/113 gram bag of Route 66 regular flavored beef.
Route 66 is made and distributed by Route 66 Beef Jerky based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Their jerky is advertised to be ‘All Natural’. Instead of having myself describe Route 66 Beef Jerky, this is copied straight from their web site:
“Matthew Chavez started making the best beef jerky in 1988 at the meat market where he worked in the North Valley area of Albuquerque. To keep up with the ever-increasing demand, his operation has since moved into a facility that employs nine people, who now produce more than a ton of beef jerky each month for both the retail operation at Route 66, and the Old Santa Fe Trail wholesale label.”
Ingredient Review
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 smallest commercial ingredient list possible, just beef and salt are used. The Route 66 Beef Jerky web site does explicitly state that the beef used is USDA inspected. Only having two ingredients certainly helps with the profit margin.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. It would seem safe to assume that there is 0 grams of sugar used in this jerky. The exact salt level is unknown, but this jerky did taste salty.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, salt is the preservative. Admirably, this jerky also qualifies to have no MSG added.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
This jerky is extremely dry, almost to the point where it is crunchy. Each piece is very thin, and most pieces are rather large strips. All strips are easy to chew, where this jerky almost melts in your mouth. Handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
There is a salty taste to this jerky. The most noticeable taste is the beef itself, which is generally the aim with an original flavor. Overall, a very pleasant, mild, original flavor.
I paid $7.50 for this 4 ounce bag of jerky. That works out to $1.87 an ounce, which would rate as an average price. This jerky is a decent buy.
Bag Review
We have a fairly tall, narrow bag here. For a 4 ounce/113 gram bag, it is surprising that this bag is not resealable. The label itself is small, about 1/4 of the bag. Their logo is a route 66 highway sign.
Their slogan is “Land of Enchantment”. Facts printed on this bag are “All Natural”, “No Preservatives”, and “General Store”.
Most bag categories are covered. Missing is a nutrition facts table, and a blurb about Route 66 Beef Jerky. Kudos to Route 66 Beef Jerky for displaying a phone number on their bag for customer inquiries.
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