Lowrey’s – Original Beef Jerky

In 2009, while visiting Jacksonville, Florida, I purchased this 3 ounce/85 gram bag of Lowrey’s beef jerky at a convenience store. This review will focus on their original flavor.

The Lowrey’s brand name is manufactured and distributed by the very successful company Oberto Brands. They, of course, being famous for their wildly popular Oh Boy! Oberto jerky brand name. Oberto Brands operate from Kent, Washington, and started business in 1918. Today, Oberto Brands is among the world leaders in sales for meat snacks, with over 400 different snacks available.

Ingredient Review

Ingredients: Beef, Corn Syrup, Brown Sugar, Dextrose, Less than 2% of Hydrolyzed Corn and Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Sugar, Salt, Natural Smoke Flavor, Flavorings, Vinegar, Molasses, Sodium Erythorbate, Caramel Color, Citric Acid, Sodium Nitrite    Allergen Warnings: Soy

This jerky uses imported meat, meaning the beef could have come from Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Uruguay or The United States. The difference between 2014 and 2009, when I bought this bag of jerky, today it is not mandatory to state what countries the beef was sourced from. 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.

Other than vinegar and molasses, I do not like any other ingredient that is listed. We basically have beef mixed with sugar, where the remaining ingredients occupy 2% of the weight. I dislike how corn products are used in this jerky, corn should have no business being in jerky. Hydrolyzed soy protein and hydrolyzed corn protein are used, which are heavily processed flavor enhancers, worse than MSG.

The sugar level is somewhat on the high side at 5 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less. The salt level is extremely high at 570mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less.

As for preservatives, we have an abundance of them. Used are both sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrite, both known to be unhealthy. Citric acid is also used as a preservative to a lesser degree, which can be healthy, only if manufactured properly.

Very Bad (2/10) – Ingredient Rating

Taste Review

My apologies to Oberto Brands, back in 2009, I did not keep detailed taste notes. On the bag, it states that this jerky is an “exceptionally tender chew”. I do not recall this jerky being overly soft and tender. I did note that I liked both the taste and texture.

I paid $3.99 for this 3 ounce/85 gram bag of jerky. That works out to a very cheap price of $1.33 per ounce. This style of jerky is not for sale anymore.

Decent (7/10) – Taste Rating

Bag Review

Overall, a professional looking bag with everything imprinted directly on the bag, common to very large jerky makers. This bag is wider than most, almost to the point where the bag is square in size.

The main slogans for Lowrey’s jerky are “Cattleman’s Cut” and “Big Beef”. The logo has a cows head with horns. This jerky is advertised to be 97% fat free, and high in protein. There is a nice blurb on the back describing Lowrey’s jerky.

All bag categories are covered, with a minor caveat that the jerky weight is not stated in grams. To the credit of Oberto Brands, they do provide a toll free number for customer inquiries.

Very Good (9/10) – Bag Rating