Jerkyology

Greetings, meat-eaters!

Today we’re gnawing our way through a bag of Woody’s Smokehouse Teriyaki Beef Jerky from the folks at Woody’s Smokehouse in Centerville, Texas.

Woody’s Smokehouse Teriyaki Beef Jerky

Woody’s Smokehouse, located mid-way between Dallas and Houston along I-45, sells a wide variety of tasty meats ranging from a veritable cornucopia of jerky and sausages to smoked cheeses and a bevy of country store snacks and treats.  You could easily spend an afternoon eating your way through the place.  Of course, their jerky is front and center as you step into one of their two sister stores (one each on the West and East side of the Interstate) with a good ol’ fashioned butcher’s case full of dried meats and other tasty treats.  With such a prominent place in their wares how great is their jerky?  Let’s find out what you get in this one:

Taste (B):  This is a deliciously smoky and savory jerky.  The seasoning brings out the best in the beef while also delivering a great flavor of its own.  The jerky is slightly sweet and superbly complemented by the onion and garlic.  This is a fantastically delicious jerky… but totally misses the mark for teriyaki.  There are none of the strong sweet or tangy soy flavors that are at the core of a teriyaki seasoning.  No fruity flavors either.  Having enjoyed Woody’s jerky before, there’s a real possibility that somebody mis-marked the bag.  Still, taking it for was it says it is, it’s a fantastically delicious jerky that doesn’t meet muster for teriyaki… and yet it’s still tasty enough to get a B.  MMmm.

Texture (A+):  This jerky is slightly tender and is original cut along the grain.  The jerky tears easily and is a joy to chew.  You get just the right balance between being a substantial piece of meat and being melt-in-your-mouth eatable.  This jerky makes the mouth happy.

Smell (B-):   The smell of this jerky is outstanding.  There’s a fantastic smoky aroma that, along with the beef itself, will get your mouth-watering all on its own.  If only it smelled remotely teriyaki like it’d be all the better.  So, while the smell would be a home run for another flavor of jerky, for this one it again fails to meet the mark.

Appearance (A):  With a dark brown color sporting a slightly reddish hue,  this jerky’s with-the-grain cut pieces look natural and delicious.  The pieces are cut into various ranging from a tasty morsel to a multi-bite chunk.   They looks outstanding and clearly show the quality of both the beef and the craftsmanship all at once.

Consistency (A+):  The folks at Woody’s Smokehouse can really make some jerky.  This is, bite for bite, a delicious and well-made treat.  The pieces are of a consistent, but not uniform, thickness giving an enjoyable variety as you make your way through the bag.  The taste and moisture, even with this deliberate variation, is absolutely the same.  You can see this pure expertise that the fine folks at Woody’s have brought to bare on this jerky in every bite.  It is simply exceptional.

Overall (B+):  If only this otherwise outstanding jerky actually tasted like a teriyaki seasoned jerky it would have easily had top marks clear across, but the fact that this jerky didn’t have any real traces of the labeled flavor really takes a lot out of the experience.  Still, the jerky is exceptionally made and fantastically enjoyable.  If you have the opportunity to take a trek down to Woody’s Smokehouse you will doubtless agree that they provide some of the finest jerky around.  We’ll probably try to pick up another bag of their teriyaki on our next visit to see if maybe this bag was just mis-labeled.  A re-review would be all sorts of fun.  Enjoy!

Howdy!

Today we’re sampling a bag of Teriyaki Beef Jerky strips from Texas Meat Packers, a purveyor of fine meats just down the road in Richardson, Texas.

Texas Meat Packers Teriyaki Beef Jerky Strips

This is a Go Texan jerky, made right here in the Lone Star State.  We picked this one up at The Great State Fair of Texas and expect it to be a great example of meaty goodness.  Does this jerky provide a treat worthy of our chew?  Let’s see what you get with this one:

Taste (B+):  This is an enjoyably sweet jerky, with the brown sugar and regular sugar flavors nicely set against a bit of garlic and onion.  There’s a slightly smokey quality to it, too, that helps to round out the taste in a nice way.  None of the flavors are particularly strong, but the overall flavor is solidly tasty.   The only detractor here is that for a Teriyaki jerky there’s no discernible fruity taste to speak of.  Still, it’s a really pleasantly sweet jerky.

Texture (A-):  This jerky is slightly tender, sliced very thin, and easy to bite and chew.  It’s on the dry side so it’ll give your jaw a bit of a workout, but it’s definitely a great feeling jerky to eat.

Smell (B-):  This jerky smells nice.  You get a whiff of the brown sugar and smokiness first with a bit of the savory scents afterward.  The scent does a good job setting up the taste and, overall, works well.

Appearance (B+):  This natural style jerky looks good.  It deep dark brown color with a combination of cut and natural edges.  The pieces range in side from a couple bites to jerky dust, with the tiny bits looking to be more the result of normal handling than anything else.  It’s an appetizing treat to behold.

Consistency (A):  This jerky is cut thin and the flavor is exactingly tasty through and through.  The Texas Meat Packers folks clearly know their craft and skillfully made a quality product.

Overall Impression (B+):    This is a really nice jerky.  Sliced thin and sweet like you like it, you’ll definitely do well with a bag of this great jerky.  We’re going to keep an eye out for more from our friends in Richardson in the hope they have other tasty treats waiting.  Pick up some of this great jerky if you can and enjoy!