The next review on Crazy Horse Jerky will focus on a 2 ounce/56 gram bag of their steakhouse flavor. This jerky was kindly submitted for review by Cara Wenrich, the wife of the owner, Dave Wenrich.
The Crazy Horse Jerky brand name is manufactured and distributed by Crazy Horse Jerky LLC who started their business in 2009. They are located in Hellam, Pennsylvania, which is known as Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Their 19th century jerky recipe was passed down from four generations. The signature of Crazy Horse Jerky is that their jerky is smoked in small batches with fruitwoods or maple in a smoker that was actually built by the owner Dave Wenrich.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Water, Worcestershire Sauce (Distilled White Vinegar, Molasses, Water, Sugar, Onions, Anchovies, Salt, Garlic, Cloves, Tamarind Extract, Natural Flavorings, Chili Pepper Extract), Soy Sauce (Water, Salt, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Corn Syrup, Caramel Color), Corn Syrup, Steakhouse Sauce (Tomatoes, Raisin Paste, Distilled Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Crushed Orange Purée, Dried Garlic and Dried Onions, Herbs and Spices, Caramel Color, and Xanthan Gum), Smoke. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Anchovies
The beef used here is partially grass fed, originating from both the USA and Canada. That qualifies this jerky to be free range. The beef is believed to have been ethically raised, meaning no growth hormones and no additional antibiotics are given.
The liquid marinade consists of water, a good Worcestershire sauce, a poor soy sauce, and corn syrup. Our preference would be that no corn based products be used in jerky.
There is no nutrition facts table provided. As a result, the exact sugar and salt level are unknown.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, salt is the main preservative used.
This jerky does not qualify to be MSG free because the soy sauce uses the highly processed flavor enhancer hydrolyzed soy protein. Being hydrolyzed also means that it is an unhealthy type of trans fat.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips of beef are borderline thick. They are rectangular shaped, and long in size. The texture is dry, but just barely, which results in jerky that is easy to chew. There are no signs of fat in this jerky, and handling this jerky does leave some oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is easily the smokiness. The steakhouse sauce is slightly sweet, and quite pleasant tasting. With this flavor not being that sweet tasting, there is a good deal of natural beef flavor.
There is a moderate soy taste, and the saltiness level is light. While the black pepper is visible on these jerky strips, it only has a faint peppery taste. Overall, the combination of flavors work wonderfully, leaving you wanting more.
You can purchase a 4 ounce/113 gram bag online for $8.49, which works out to $2.12 an ounce. That rates as an average price. This flavor is fully recommended as worth your money.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
We have an ordinary transparent plastic bag here. A label is affixed to the front, and nothing is on the back. There is no easy of way opening this bag, where you need a sharp object such as a knife or scissors.
On the label is the Crazy Horse Jerky logo, with what looks like a stallion on its hind legs. The four beef jerky flavors are displayed, where somebody takes a marker to circle the appropriate flavor. Then the jerky weight in ounces is manually written. While not printed on the bag, one of their slogans is “Crazy Good!”.
There are quite a few bag categories missing here. It should be noted that this is a vacuum sealed bag, the best way to keep jerky fresh. Missing bag categories are slogans, bar code, nutrition facts table, jerky weight stated in grams, ingredient list, allergen alerts, a best before date, an easy to open bag, a blurb about Crazy Horse Jerky, and no jerky maker address details.
The steakhouse flavored 4 ounce/113 gram bag listed at the bottom was part of the online purchase that I made in 2011 that cost $8.49, still the same price today, which is admirable given how much the price of beef has risen. This bag is larger than the 2 ounce/56 gram bag, where it should be noted, the minimum size you can order online is 4 ounces/113 grams.
Order their jerky online: www.crazyhorsejerky.com
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