The next review on Savage Jerky Co. will be on a 2 ounce/56 gram bag of their sriracha flavored bacon jerky. This bag was graciously submitted for review by the Savage Jerky Co. team.
In 2013, the owners Brad and Michelle Summey took a road trip with some friends. Disappointed with the same old jerky selection available on the way, they decided to launch their own jerky company. The Savage Jerky Co. brand name was launched in 2014, where they are located in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Today, they carry nine different flavors, where the emphasis is on using good ingredients. In their words printed on the bag, “Jerky that didn’t contain ingredients that belong in a lab instead of a kitchen”.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Natural Bacon (Pork, Water, Salt, Turbinado Sugar, Celery Powder, Lactic Acid Starter Culture [Not From Milk], Sriracha Sauce (Ground Red Chili Peppers, Water, Sugar, Ground Garlic, Salt, Contains 2% or less of: Garlic Powder, Cultured Dextrose [For Freshness], Vegetable Extract [Potato], Natural Flavor, Vinegar, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum), Gluten Free Soy Sauce (Water, Soy Beans, Salt, Rice), Water, Red Wine Vinegar, Garlic, Spices. Allergen Warnings: Soy
This is a surprisingly good ‘natural bacon’ ingredient list. It is uncommon to see no sodium based preservatives used.
The liquid marinade is comprised of sriracha sauce, gluten free soy sauce, water, and healthy red wine vinegar. Admirably, both sauces used have good ingredient lists.
It is always great to see that very healthy and tasty garlic is used. Spices are also known to contain multiple health benefits.
The sugar level used here is reasonably high at 7 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. We would rather not see the sugar level exceed 3 grams. However, using turbinado sugar is an interesting choice, which is considered to be a minimally refined sugar. The salt level is quite high at 640mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky. In fairness, that is about an average salt level for bacon.
Kudos to Savage Jerky Co. for having no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservative. Further kudos in that there is no MSG added.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These are for the most part the same sized slices of bacon that you would buy in any store. They are sliced to a medium thickness. This texture could almost qualify for a soft and tender texture, but not quite. As with all bacon, there is a considerable amount of oily residue left on your fingers while handling these bacon strips.
The first taste detected is the sriracha sauce, which has a delicious flavor. It’s a bit spicy, nothing really more. This flavor is moderately sweet tasting, and the salt is at about a medium level. There is a light soy taste, and it also has a mild garlic taste. Overall, this is a great flavor that is much better tasting than store bought regular bacon.
This 2 ounce/56 gram bag sells online for $7.99. That works out to $4.00 an ounce, which rates as an expensive price. As bacon jerky goes, you are not going to find much of a better ingredient list. This is a must try flavor for any bacon fans out there that enjoy a little bit of spiciness.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This is a standard sized resealable bag. Everything is imprinted directly on the bag on the front, and the back, with one exception. The ingredient list is a professionally affixed label.
The Savage Jerky Co. logo is a silhouette of a bearded man (savage). Their slogans are “Hand-Crafted”, “Small Batch”, and “Eat like a savage”.
The only minor bag category missing is the jerky weight not being stated in grams. There is a great blurb printed about Savage Jerky Co., and how Brad and Michelle started their own jerky company.
Order their jerky online: www.savagejerky.com
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