Note: For a live taste review, open Phil’s Beef Jerky – Hickory Beef Jerky (Recipe #2).
The first review for Phil’s Beef Jerky will focus on a 4 ounce/113 gram bag of their hickory flavored beef jerky purchased online in 2012. Phil’s Beef Jerky is located in Tye, Texas, which started in 2008. They support troops serving overseas, where Philip Morgan himself is retired military. He knows how grateful the troops are to receive his jerky. There are currently four flavors available: Mild, Hot, Teriyaki and Hickory.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Marinade (Water, Natural Hickory Wood Smoke, Salt, Onion, Garlic and Black Pepper, Polysorbate 80 and Dimethylpolysiloxane, Acitic Acid, Vinegar, Hydrolyzed Corn & Wheat Gluten Protein (a wheat derivative), Sugar, Molasses, Caramel Color, Soybean Oil (a soy derivative), Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, Propylene Glycal, Papain, Sodium Citrite, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate). Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat
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 used here is comprised of water, healthy vinegar, and soybean oil. The natural hickory wood smoke is listed third on the ingredient list by weight, which must have used a lot of smoke.
Concerning is dimethylpolysiloxane, which acts as an anti-foaming, anti-caking agent, and emulsifier. While it is a fairly common ingredient in the fast food industry, it is not believed to be healthy at all. Then we have tetrasodium pyrophosphate, another emulsifier, which is a highly contentious ingredient, not believed to be healthy for consumption. Lastly, we have propylene glycol, a derivative of oil. In our opinion, no derivative of oil should be in our food supply.
There are some healthy things to like in this ingredient list such as onion, garlic and black pepper. The most interesting ingredient in this list is papain, which is an enzyme found in the papaya fruit. Papain is widely used in the food industry to tenderize meat.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt level are unknown. This jerky was not sweet tasting, leading us to believe that the sugar level was reasonable.
While this jerky does not use sodium nitrite outright, there are some unhealthy preservatives used such as sodium citrite and sodium benzoate. To a lesser degree, citric acid also acts as a preservative. The quality of how citric acid is manufactured can vary widely.
This jerky does not qualify to be MSG free. Both the highly processed flavor enhancers hydrolyzed wheat gluten protein and hydrolyzed corn protein are used. They are considered to be a form of MSG. Even worse, being hydrolyzed makes them an unhealthy type of trans fats.
Fair (4/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Note: For a live taste review, open Phil’s Beef Jerky – Hickory Beef Jerky (Recipe #2).
This jerky had large slices of jerky, comparable to large slabs of beef. They were sliced to a medium thickness, almost thick. There were some signs of fat on this jerky that added to the overall flavor. Handling this jerky left no oily residue on your fingers.
The hickory flavor definitely stood out here. There was a moderate soy flavor, and this jerky was only mildly sweet tasting. There was also a good deal of natural beef flavor.
This 4 ounce/113 gram bag sells for $8.75. That works out to $2.19 per ounce, which rates as a borderline average price. The ingredient list has since changed, where this particular recipe is no longer for sale.
Bag Review
We have a clear, resealable, transparent bag here. To the credit of Phil’s Beef Jerky, this bag is vacuum sealed, to ensure freshness. One of the best ways possible to help preserve jerky, where oxygen is the enemy of jerky.
There is a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. On the label there are no fancy graphics, just plain old fonts. Nothing wrong with that, this bag does its job effectively by being vacuum sealed, you don’t always need a flashy design. While not printed on the bag, their slogan is “Best Little Jerky Plant in Tye Texas!”.
There are some bag categories not covered. Missing are a bar code, nutrition facts table, slogans, a blurb about Phil’s Beef Jerky, originality, logo, graphics, and a wheat allergen alert. The best before date is interesting, it is actually the packaged date, where Phil’s Beef Jerky will stay fresh for one year, in part to being a vacuum sealed bag.
Order their jerky online: www.philsbeefjerky.com
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