In 2018, current CEO James Napier, being a knee down amputee, was determined not to let that disability affect him. James reached out to a friend, fellow patriot, serial entrepreneur, and current COO Lance Wood. Together while eating some special hot sauces at a local barbecue, James thought that he could sell these hot sauces in collaboration with their wives, where everybody brought a certain skill set to the table, The Patriot Brands LLC was launched shortly afterward selling> 12 hot sauces. Just two weeks later, requests were coming in for similar specially designed labels. Quickly, the branding side of the company was added with an in house graphic design to sell labels at a fraction of the cost. Eventually, an in-house fulfillment center was added to further reduce costs. James then resurrected his dream of selling jerky. Being a local mom and pop shop with great capacity as a full service meat processor, James had secretly been working on perfecting some jerky flavors. Teaming up with trusted FDA certified processor Grill To Kill with their decades of experience manufacturing jerky, this The Patriot Brands Jerky was officially launched, and sold to the USA, Australia, Ireland, Britain and the United Kingdom. This jerky is distributed by The Patriot Brands LLC, and they are located in Cuba, Missouri.
The next review on The Patriot Brands Jerky will focus on a 3 ounce/84 gram bag of their Carolina Reaper Freedom Fire flavored beef jerky. This flavor is advertised as using Patriot Brands signature Carolina Reaper Tears of Freedom hot sauce to be very spicy yet full of jerky flavor. The bag was graciously submitted for review by COO Lance Wood.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, BBQ Jerky Seasoning (Sugar, Salt, Dextrose, Spices, Tomatoe Powder, Onion and Garlic Powder, Corn Starch, Natural Smoke Flavor, (Contains Citric Acid, Spice Extractives, Vinegar, Hot Sauce (Contains Carolina Reaper & Habanero Chiles, Vinegar, Molasses & Salt, Sodium Nitrite.
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 consists entirely of a healthy Carolina Reaper Tears of Freedom hot sauce made exclusively by The Patriot Brands LLC.
Some healthy ingredients are added such as garlic powder, onion powder, tomato powder, spice extractives, and spices.
The heat is achieved from using Carolina reaper peppers and habanero chili peppers. Hot peppers are healthy if eaten in moderation, which flush toxins out the body.
The sugar level is at our upper acceptable limit for a hot based flavor with 4 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is very high at 700mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does not qualify to have no sodium nitrite added, as sodium nitrite is used outright to lose another rating. Admirably, this jerky qualifies to have no MSG added.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These slices are medium to large in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is more so on the dry side, and it requires a reasonable amount of effort to chew. There is a distinct aroma of a hot sauce emanating from these slices, which is downright inviting.
The first flavors noticed are salt, garlic, tomato, and natural beef flavor. Quickly the heat starts to take notice in a big way. It’s not the type of heat that burns your tongue, but has quite the after burn. Eating more strips of jerky increases the heat level even more, making the spiciness borderline intense.
The spiciness eventually levels off at a 4 out of 5 on the heat scale. With Carolina Reaper peppers being the world’s hottest pepper, the spiciness level is still within reason to be very enjoyable without being overwhelming. A mild level of sweetness helps to distract from the spiciness to a small degree. Also consistent is a mild level of a hot sauce that is delicious tasting, and the tomato powder is a fantastic addition.
Paul was blown away with this flavor stating: “The first flavors I encounter are salt, pepper, garlic, and oh wow, we have an intense heat kicking in. Patriot Brands sure was not kidding about the Carolina reaper spice, it’s grabbed me by my face mask and pile driven me in to the turf. I’m being unceremoniously sacked 20 yards behind the scrimmage line by an angry stick of beef jerky. Even with the intense heat, I am still detecting some natural beef flavor. Patriot Brands has scored a touchdown with this delicious and extremely spicy flavor of beef jerky. An emphatic 10/10, without question.”
Stephane was a little less enthusiastic with this to say: “I did enjoy this Patriot Brands – Carolina Reaper Freedom Fire Beef Jerky a great deal, I like the BBQ/Tomato flavor. Although there is a legitimate spicy kick to it, the spiciness is still very manageable. The natural meat flavor is still present without being overwhelmed by the spiciness. I appreciate the way the spiciness builds up and not before having the opportunity to taste and develop an appreciation for this flavor profile. My only slight complaint is that I wish there would be more acidity in order to better balance the other flavors and make the taste POP. Aside from this small caveat, I really appreciate the Patriot Brands – Carolina Reaper Freedom Fire Beef Jerky and I am all in favor of a Very Good (9/10) taste rating.”
While this flavor is quite enjoyable and hits it with the heat, I tend to agree with Stephane here. An extra splash of vinegar could go a long way here in sprucing up this flavor profile. Any fan of hot based jerky flavors are bound to love this Carolina Reaper Freedom Fire flavor, which entices you to purchase a bottle of this Patriot Brands signature Carolina Reaper Tears of Freedom hot sauce.
A 3 ounce/85 gram bags sells online for $7.99. That works out to $2.66 an ounce, which rates as a borderline average price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This clear plastic resealable bag has a label affixed to the front, and nothing on the back. With The Patriot Brands LLC being so patriotic, it is no surprise whatsoever that the colors of the USA flag red, white and blue are used.
There are no slogans or facts printed on this bag.
The majority of bag categories are covered here. Missing is a blurb printed about The Patriot Brands Jerky and this Carolina Reaper Freedom Fire flavor, Also missing is a best before date, but a sticker on the back is likely the batch number, which could translate to a best before date.
Order their jerky online: www.thepatriotbrands.com
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