The next review on Golden Valley Natural will focus on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their black pepper flavored organic beef jerky. This jerky was kindly submitted for review by the Golden Valley Natural team.
This jerky is manufactured and distributed under the same name, Golden Valley Natural. They are located in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Since 1968, they have been the leading producer of natural and organic meat snacks in the United States. Their beef, buffalo, and turkey are sourced from 15,000 of the finest livestock, all ethically raised on the lush green pastures of the majestic western ranchland.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Organic Beef, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Soy Sauce (Water, Organic Soybeans, Salt, Organic Alcohol), Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Black Pepper, Sea Salt, Organic Paprika, Natural Smoke Flavoring, Organic Onion Powder, Organic Garlic Powder. Allergen Warnings: Soy
The beef used here is organic. That implies the cattle are ethically raised with no growth hormones or antibiotics. The cattle are grass fed, with free range to graze on grass the way nature was intended.
The liquid marinade consists of organic soy sauce, organic evaporated cane juice, and organic apple cider vinegar. This is certainly one of the better organic soy sauce ingredient lists you will find. Using organic evaporated cane juice is an interesting choice, which is one of the better sweeteners. Apple cider vinegar offers many health benefits.
There are healthy spices used such as organic paprika, organic onion powder, organic garlic powder and of course organic black pepper. Some people call black pepper the king of spices.
The sugar level is somewhat high at 5 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or under. The salt level is quite respectable at 270mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
As advertised, this jerky has no sodium nitrite added. Instead, primarily sea salt is the main preservative used. Sea salt is a far better choice than regular table salt, by offering essential and trace minerals. With further kudos to Golden Valley Natural, this jerky qualifies to have no MSG added.
Excellent (10/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips are mostly medium in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is somewhat dry, which results in fairly easy to chew jerky strips. There are barely no visible signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no residue on your fingers.
More than anything, the actual beef flavor stands out the most. The salt level is minor, and there is a light smoked taste in the background. This combination of paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder really adds a pleasant, mild taste.
As for the black pepper level, it starts off as not being that noticeable. The peppery taste does increase as you eat more strips of jerky, but never exceeds a minor level.
This 3 ounce/85 gram bag of jerky sells online for $6.19. That works out to $2.06 an ounce, which rates as an average price. Given that organic beef is used, this jerky should actually qualify to be a cheap price. We certainly recommend this jerky as worth your money if you want a healthy snack that is not overly peppery tasting.
Bag Review
This is a standard resealable plastic bag. Everything is imprinted directly on the bag, and there are no labels affixed. The background of the bag is interesting, with what looks like some woven fabric.
The Golden Valley Natural logo is a cowboy with a lasso riding a horse. Their slogan is “Flavor of the West”. Facts displayed on this bag are “No Artificial Ingredients”, “High Protein”, “Minimally Processed”, “Low Fat”, “Natural Smoke Flavoring Added”, “No Preservatives”, “No Erythorbate”, “No Added MSG”, “No Nitrite”, and “Beef Raised Without Added Hormones and Without Antibiotics”. There is a USDA Organic stamp, and also an Organic Gluten Free stamp displayed.
All bag categories are covered except one. There is no blurb printed about Golden Valley Natural, or this flavor. To the credit of Golden Valley Natural, they provide a toll free phone number for customer inquiries.
Order their jerky online: www.goldenvalleynatural.com
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