Jack Links Beef Jerky Sweet & Hot (Morrisons) By @SpectreUK

I honestly don't know why I sometimes buy the odd packet of beef jerky. Maybe it's the hope that I'll like it one day, and I have to test that over time? I usually find beef jerky tough and fairly dry, so I'm hoping beyond hope that this Jack Links Beef Jerky Sweet & Hot is going to change that opinion. Though I have to admit that I've left this beef jerky at the bottom of my pile of things to write about to almost the best before date.

I workout at home a lot to try and rehabilitate from old injuries and operations such as on my knees and especially my shoulder after a bad car accident some years back. One reason I do like to try beef jerky now and then is because it is high in protein, which helps to fix my body after workouts. With 100% marinated, smoked and dried lean beef, Jack Links Beef Jerky Sweet & Hot fits the bill of a "ready to eat snack" worth trying.

On opening the packet there was a smoky barbecue aroma from the red pieces of dried lean beef inside. On first taste I was pleased to find that this Jack Links Beef Jerky Sweet & Hot was not like eating an old leather boot. Succulent and mouthwatering, this beef jerky also had quite a chilli kick to it. There was barbecue sweetness to start with, oodles of smokiness, and a gorgeous hot chilli burn into the aftertaste. Low on calories and high in protein too. Finally, I may have found a favourite.

Information on the packet: The 25g packet contained 68 calories, with 0.8g of fat, 5.3g of sugar, 10g of protein, and 0.63g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Speyside Salmon Jerky Sweet Chilli Pepper (Amazon) By @SpectreUK

I've tried beef jerky a few times in the past. I'm kind of indifferent to it. Sometimes I like the taste, and other times it has the texture and can taste a bit like trying to eat one of my old cowboy boots. Salmon Jerky sounds pretty interesting though. I don't know whether it may taste like someone's dried out swimming shorts after spending too long in the sea, but I'm willing to give it a go.

This Salmon Jerky Sweet Chilli Pepper flavour was produced by the Speyside Smokehouse in York. It's both high in protein and Omega 3, which should help to mend my muscles a little after my workout this morning, and also help oil my old joints at the same time. This Scottish salmon was smoked over beech wood and then marinated and seasoned with sweet chilli pepper.

On peeling back the top of the packet there was an overpoweringly strong smell of salmon, with a hint of sweet spices at the end of the aroma. As you can see from the photograph the almost fire engine red pieces of salmon jerky were softer in texture than some of the beef jerkies I've tried in the past, almost melt in the mouth. I say, 'almost' because the first piece I ate shredded rather than melted, with some bits sticking in-between my old teeth.

This Salmon Jerky Sweet Chilli Pepper tastes of strong smoked salmon to start with followed by more strong smoked salmon throughout the flavour. Followed by more strong smoked salmon into the aftertaste. If you don't like smoked salmon this salmon jerky is probably not for you. There was a sweet chilli spiciness to the smoked salmon flavour that struggled a little to work its way through the strong smoked salmon flavour, but hey, I can't say I didn't like this Salmon Jerky Sweet Chilli Pepper flavour. I'd definitely have it again.

Information on the packet; The 30g packet has 395 calories per 100g, with 19.3G of fat, 23.1g of sugar, 30.1g of protein, and 3.9g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Wild West Original Beef Jerky (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

This Wild West Original Beef Jerky has a "New Recipe". It says so on the packet. I'm probably reading too much into this, but I'm now not sure about the definition of "Original" in the title of this product. How can an "Original" flavour have a "New Recipe"? Also in my humble opinion; "Original" should mean "Original" flavour from way… way back in the Wild West when John Wayne was getting off his horse to drink his milk and shoot bad guys. So how can you have a "New Recipe" for an "Original" recipe and also "Legendary flavour" from the Wild West? Alternatively if it's the "Original" beef jerky from back in the Wild West and it had a "New Recipe" then, how come it's still in date? Pretty good shelf life…

It confused me even more when I flipped over the packet to find these "Wild West" Silverside steaks were marinated, smoked and cooked in the Scottish Highlands! Anyway… on opening the packet I have to say that these crisp sized flattened pieces of steak smelt divine. There was a juicy sweet and smoky barbecue smell from the open bag. I couldn't stop taking a whiff of them at first, and then I realised that I had to taste them. They are a little chewy to start with, but that should probably be expected from beef jerky. They have a strong smoky flavour to start with, and then the sweet barbecue marinade kicks in during the mouthwatering chewing of these beef jerky. I was certainly happy to have been to the gym in order to finish off these Original Beef Jerky with a New Recipe from the Wild West way over yonder in the Scottish Highlands!

Information on the packet;
This 70g packet contains 315 calories per 100g, 3.5g of fat, 20.6g of sugar, 3.6g of salt, and 37.8g of protein for those who are trying to fix their muscles after a workout at the gym (like me). Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Chipotle Chilli Chicken Jerky (M&S) By @SpectreUK

Well, here we are in 2019! As traditional in January many people will be joining or rejoining gyms everywhere to either start a healthy lifestyle or at least burn off some of the over indulgence that comes with Christmas and the winter season. This new 'eat well' Chipotle Chilli Chicken Jerky from M&S has 10.8g of protein per 25g packet, which is great for building muscles when lifting weights. It's also low in fat and calories to try to keep the weight off those bums and tums!

This Chipotle Chilli Chicken Jerky is Chipotle chilli marinated dried seasoned chicken breast with spices. And from the ingredients there are plenty of spices, from smoked paprika to Cayenne pepper, black pepper, cumin and of course Chipotle chilli. I was expecting some big flavour from these small red orange pieces of chicken jerky. There was a smoky paprika and chilli smell on peeling back the top of the packet. I'd forgotten how tough little dry pieces of jerky can be to eat. However, my mouth started to instantly water from the menagerie of marinating spices.

Although mild to none in chilli burn, this Chipotle Chilli Chicken Jerky is certainly packed full of flavour. Initially the smoked paprika is the dominating flavour followed closely behind by the Chipotle chilli and then other spices such as cumin, Cayenne and black pepper into the aftertaste. I can see how this Chipotle Chilli Chicken Jerky would appeal for an afternoon snack after a lunchtime workout. Happy healthy living, Folks! ;-)

Information on the packet;
The 25g packet contains 69 calories, less than 0.5g of fat, 5.2g of sugar, and 0.93g of salt. Please see photograph for ingredients.

King's Original Flavour Pro Strips - basically Vegan Jerky (Asda) by @NLi10

There are few things less appetising than bad meat.  Dried bad meat is possibly one of them - and as the majority of jerky style things I've tried over the years have been from this category I've been very wary of trying more.  I was on a wander around Asda and taking pictures of all the snack meat that was hanging from the shelves - usually in weird places.

Risky meat or Pom-Bears? Bears FTW

Luxury meat bag or savoury crackers? Possibly both - it is 100% succulent which is a claim that makes no sense.

Gluten free meat parcel or messed with beans?  Beans review to follow.

Now that badly described Protein is a thing there is certainly a market for meat in a bag.  I just didn't think I was brave enough to try more - until I spotted this.

Now I really have no excuse.  This is the brand that has been more appealing out of the options, and now it's Vegan.  I mean in theory it's vegan - it's made out of vegan friendly things - but its really not designed to be eaten by life-long meat avoiding vegans.  Even the bag avoids telling you it's vegan.

Mmmm - air dried strips of vegetable protein!

Just like Jack Bauer this only lasts 24 hours so you better be prepared to chew a lot or to share at least.  None of the people I shared this with (all carnivores - one halal) liked it enough to finish or ask for more.

And looking at the actual item you can kind of see why.  But... Like sun-dried tomatoes this is actually quite appealing.  Yeah - your going to be chewing for a bit before the flavour is unleashed but this is probably the nicest jerky I've had - in fact because it's vegan and you didn't have to kill cows it's jerky without being a jerk. maybe. who knows how kind they are to the flavourings they used.  

Looking back up it's all seemingly straight forwards - good quality vegan protein but flavoured and dried in salty, umami goodness.  I'm thinking I'd buy this again.  It may even make a nice freaky stocking stuffer.  probably not one for the trick or treaters but you'd get double horror as it looks a bit meaty and turns out to be vegan.

Kings Rib Eye Flavour Biltong (Sainsbury’s @Kingssnacks) By @SpectreUK

I've tried Beef Jerky before, but never Biltong. Looking up the difference between the two on the internet, and it seems to be more around curing the beef to create Biltong with salt, vinegar and spices, whereas Jerky is usually smoked, Biltong is not. Kings have marinated and air-dried these strips of lean British and Irish beef to produce their Biltong, with the smokiness added as flavouring.
This Biltong is promoted as having "supreme protein", and there are a couple of recommendations for building muscle from sports professionals on the back of the packet. I guess it must be to do with the fact that 220g of beef was used per 100g "of finished product". So what happened, did they push a cow through a car crusher?
Anyway, on opening the packet there was a spicy and smoky beef smell, with paprika and red pepper predominately. On tasting the thin strips of slightly reddened beef the spices shone through to begin with followed by a light smokiness to the beef, and then quite a sharp saltiness and perhaps a hint of rosemary moving into the aftertaste. There was a mild heat from the red pepper and paprika to these faintly chewy flavoursome strips of beef. I'd certainly have this Biltong again as a beefy snack with my lunch, especially on the side next to my tuna sandwich for some surf and turf action after a session at the gym.
Information on the packet
The 35g packet has 266 calories per 100g (less than 95 calories per packet), with 3.98g of fat, 5.9g of salt. This Biltong is gluten and allergen free. Ingredients included; beef, sugar, salt, spices, herb, dried red pepper, dried onion, yeast extract, preservative; potassium sorbate, and smoke flavouring.

Chilli & Lime Softer Beef Jerky (Waitrose) By @SpectreUK

The last time I ate beef jerky was on a train after a shopping trip. I'd picked it up from a shop in the station and thought I'd give it a go, been as though I'd never tried it before. It was like eating one of my old cowboy boots. I haven't looked back since… until now that is! This Wild West Deli Chilli & Lime flavoured beef jerky is sported as a softer variety of beef brisket, and it was marinated and smoked over applewood. I do love chilli and lime flavoured snacks and picked this up off the shelf in the local supermarket with the hope that (a) I would finally like beef jerky and (b) I'd find a meat snack I like that isn't pork scratchings that I can enjoy with a good beer.

On opening the packet I could see plenty of pieces of chopped up beef jerky. There was a sweet smoked smell from the beef, which I figured was the applewood. On taste this beef jerky is admittedly softer than the last variety, but I reckon beef jerky is just pretty hard anyway! It was fairly easy to chew though, which was an improvement as I needed a chainsaw to eat the last lot I tried. There was smokiness in the flavour, there was beef, of course, with a dash of lime followed by a medium chilli burn. This combination produced a particularly moreish sweet barbecue beef chilli and lime flavour that I really started to enjoy. Coupled with my beer I was pleased to find I do actually like beef jerky, well the softer variety anyway, and I would have this snack again.

Information on the packet;
The 50g packet has 315 calories per 100g, with 5g of fat, 33.1g of sugar and 1.7g of salt. See photograph for ingredients.

Jack Link’s Original Beef Snack [By @SpectreUK]

Knowing my love of all things red meat Cinabar passed me these packets which were very kindly sent to us to try. Produced by Jack Link's Meat Snacks this Original Beef Snack, described as a "tasty strip of select beef - seasoned, cooked & dried", I immediately thought this beef snack was akin to beef jerky. I tried beef jerky once before, bizarrely accepting a piece from an over generous stranger on a train on the way back from a shopping trip. I'm not afraid to say that I absolutely hated it. It was bone dry, sucking all the moisture out of my body as I tried to eat it at the same time as almost pulling my teeth out as I tried to chew it. I reckon that it was akin to trying to eat a piece of an old leather boot. And I mean old as in long worn out, fished from the bottom of a stagnant pond and then dried in the sun, sliced and wedged together in a packet and sold at a premium price. Suffice to say that when Cinabar showed me a packet of this Jack Link's Meat Snacks Original Beef Snack, I may have worried a little! However perhaps I could be wrong about this Beef Snack...?

Jack Link was established in 1885, so they must know what they're doing by now surely? The packet stated the snack is made with "quality beef", as opposed to poor quality! This quality beef is then finely chopped, seasoned, slow cooked and smoked. What did confuse me a little was that on the back of the packet it stated "100g Beef Snack is made from 142g beef". Cinabar explained that the beef would be dried and compressed to remove all the moisture from it to make it 100g. Presumably drying would be done throughout the cooking and smoking process, and compressing could be undertaken by making a surviving cow sit on it after cooking. Jack Link certainly take care in preparing this beef snack.

"So what does it taste like?" I hear you ask. Well I opened the packet and was first hit by a rather smoky smell mixed with beef. The long slim piece of beef had a reddish tint to it. I took a tentative bite and was surprised how succulent it was and also how moist it was, or at least how moist my mouth was with every bite. The Beef Snack certainly didn't dry me out like that first taste of beef jerky. It was chewy, smoky, beefily tasty with light hints of onion and garlic. I honestly found this Beef Snack a flavoursome moreish treat that renewed my faith in beefy snacks. I was rather glad on finishing it to find out that Jack Link had sent us several packets. I reckon the packet would fit in a lunch box quite happily next to your sandwiches etc... You could dice this Beef Snack and put it in a salad or several on a sandwich if you want a smoky meaty lunch or have it with a beer and a movie late at night. Maybe that beef jerky I tasted way back when was part of an old boot after all?

Information on the packet;
25g packet at 100g there are 312 calories, with 12.6g of fat and 21g of sugar. The high protein ingredients included; beef, sugar, soy protein, salt, maltodextrin, hydrolised vegetable protein, onion and garlic powder, smoke flavouring, flavouring, nitrite curing salt, rosemary extract and sodium erythorbate as antioxidants, and sodium citrate as an acidity regulator.

By Spectre

The Biltong Company - Original Sticks & Sweet Chilli Jerky [Review by @CaptainKindling]

The Biltong Company - Original Sticks & Sweet Chilli Jerky

Continuing with my new duties as Foodstuff Finds' designated carnivore, I was recently given a choice of a couple of products from The Biltong Company.  Originally from South Africa, Biltong is on the rise in the UK at the moment.  They do a range of different products, so to get a little bit of variety in both flavour and texture I chose their original sticks and sweet chilli jerky.

Seeing as it was in more managable, bite-sized chunks I started with the sweet chilli jerky as a lunchtime snack.  I am a big fan of both jerky and sweet chilli, but had never tried a combination of the two, so I had quite high expectations going into this one!  The first thing to notice is the size of the chunks - unlike your typical off-the-shelf supermarket jerky which tends to be finely shredded, the jerky in this pack came in very generous portions.  The 125g size bag was the smallest size available, and this still felt like it was more than enough to snack on for a few days.

To keep the meat well preserved the jerky was kept well-sealed, so when I opened the pack I was hit by a potent waft of both beef and chilli in equal measure.

As you'd expect with jerky, you need a decent set of teeth and strong jaw muscles to dig into it!  The sweet chilli taste hit me first of all, but as it softened up the beef flavour was released more and more, eventually leaving the chilli as a tingling aftertaste.  I managed to get through five or six pieces before my teeth started to ache, so I begrudgingly allowed the rest of the office to try a piece before popping the rest into a tub to return to over the following few days.  For my colleagues this was their first taste of jerky, and it was met with a positive reaction all round.

As a jerky fan I know that the natural flavour of dried beef is a very strong one, and so it's difficult to add a flavour which won't be completely overwhelmed.  In this case the chilli competes for its place very well, but I couldn't help but feel that the sweetness was lost amongst those two strong flavours.

After a few days of finishing off the jerky and letting my jaw muscles recover, I moved onto the Original Stick.  As the photo shows, this was just one solid slab of dried meat, which made it quite an inimidating prospect!  I was slightly tempted to just go nuts and have at it like a dog with a chew stick, but decided to be a bit more sensible and use a knife to cut off strips as and when I fancied a nibble.
As with the sweet chilli jerky, there was a strong aroma released as soon as I cut through the vacuum packaging.  On this occasion it was overwhelmingly peppery, and personally I found it a bit much!
I have to admit the overpowering aroma made me a little bit hesitant when it came to tasting time, but in fact it didn't taste nearly as strong as it smelled.  The pepper was there, though more as a complementary taste, allowing the full flavour of the beef to come through.  Being a dried meat product it was quite salty, but not as salty as many other products I've tried.  According to the ingredients label it did also contain worcester sauce and coriander, but neither of these were particularly apparent to my tastebuds.
In terms of the texture, it was actually surprisingly tender!  I'd geared myself up for another jerky-esque war of attrition going into this, but it was much softer and more managable on the teeth.  While I did decided to play the nice colleague and offer tasters around the office, I did feel as though this was something I could have selfishly tackled on my own!

To summarise I'd say that the sweet chilli jerky is something I could have as an occasional treat, but the original stick was something I could happily have on a regular basis.

The Biltong Company  does have a wide range of products to choose from starting from £2.80 for a 125g pack, so if you're a fan of dried beef or just fancy taking the plunge and giving it a try then they'll probably have something to take your fancy.

Jack Link's Chicken Snack Bits (Good Food Show, Birmingham) [By @NLi10]

Often we come across things that look and sound edible but that we just don't fancy that much. At the Good Food Show in Birmingham a stall was doing bags of import foods - 12 for £5 - so I grabbed a load of fun American stuff. Pretty much the last to be tried are these spicy Buffalo style chicken bits.

They are one of those space foods that is designed to survive an atomic blast (in fact I suspect that's how they kill all the bugs to make them last so long)! The package was small and unobtrusive so I took them out with me to a card event (Gatecrash Prerelease for those in the know) and had them between rounds.

They are a bit odd. The first flavour is spiciness, and then there is a series of odd aftertastes. Others tried them too, and some hated them and others were quite keen to have more. Alas the bag is quite tiny and is more of a morsel than a portion, which prevented further shares, but the flavour is certainly potent enough to provide hours of wonderment at what on earth the flavours were.

I can only describe the texture as not-chicken-like as it was both rubbery and flakey due to the drying process - I guess like beef jerky, but for chicken. If you were a cowboy out in the middle of nowhere and needed a tiny snack to keep you going then this would be fine (provided you had sufficient water - as they kind of suck moisture out of you) but as a normal person snack it's not great.

I also got the curry flavour which should be very similarly indescribable in it's curryness. We shall see.

By NLi10