Review: Jerky Snob

Jerky is one of those snacks that I have always held dear. There's nothing quite like chewing on a salty, spiced chunk of dried meat while you are camping, hiking, hunting, in the field on mission, or just sitting at home or at your desk at work. It's one of those snacks that kind of takes me back to my childhood.

My father used to let me help him make venison jerky when he would bring home a deer during hunting season. I still remember how it tasted and I still love venison to this day.

I remember going to our local convenience store with my grandfather and stocking up on jerky and other snacks every Sunday when he would would go to purchase a newspaper. To this day, jerky is still one of my all time favorite snacks. Its super easy to carry and lasts practically forever as long as its kept dry.

My love for jerky runs incredibly deep, which is why I was so excited to hear about Jerky Snob. Jerky Snob is a subcription service, much like Loot Crate or Birchbox, but specialize in one thing: JERKY!

But don't be confused. You will never find JackLinks or Matador in this box. No. Jerky Snob hand selects only the best craft jerky made with the finest ingredients (and no harmful additives or preservatives) and delivers them to your door monthly!

Jerky Snob offers 3 different subscription levels. Each one bills monthly and can be canceled at any time. For $15 a month you will receive 2 bags of jerky, for $27 you can get the 1/2 pound box (4 bags equaling at least 8 ounces) or for $54 you can get the 1 pound box (16 ounces) which will include 8 bags equaling a total weight of at least one pound.

Now that you have an idea of what the company does and how much it costs, let's take a quick look at a box.

I received the half pound box for review. The 4 bags in the box totaled to 8.5 ounces of wonderful salty goodness! The first one I'll share with you (yeah right!) is Three Jerks Filet Mignon Beef Jerky in Original flavor.

I have been told by several people that they don't prefer tender jerky. I, myself, am rather fond of it. This was by far the softest jerky I have ever tasted. Not only is it tender and succulent, but it's also some of the best damn tasting jerky I've ever put in my face! It was a little lacking in the salty department, but other than that was just the right amount of spice and flavor.

Next up  a flavor made by Lawless Jerky called Sweet Sriracha. This one wasn't what I was expecting. If you have ever had real Sriracha Sauce you know the level of heat that comes with it. I was thoroughly excited by that idea. It honestly turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. The jerky on its own was great but the Sriracha flavor and heat just wasn't at the level that I wanted it to be. I am a chili-head after all. So I can be a bit difficult to please when it comes to the level of heat that I like in a product that is intended to be hot.

Next up is another from Lawless called Aloha Teriyaki. Teriyaki is a great flavor for jerky in any world, especially for the sweeter blends. This one fell exactly where I wanted it to be. It wasn't over-poweringly sweet. The ratio of spices and teriyaki they use was spot on. This one is definitely worth checking out. I will note though that it was on the tougher side just as the other Lawless Jerky was.

Lastly is one that confused me a little. The Buffalo Wing flavor from Long Beach Jerky Company was fantastic. The flavor was great. There was just the right amount of that tangy, vinegar-based buffalo flavor mixed with a high salt flavor.

The thing that threw me off the most about it was the texture. This jerky wasn't chewy nor was it particularly soft. In fact it was a bit of both. It was dried to a level that caused the meat to literally disintegrate in your mouth. At first it is a bit difficult to bite into, but as soon as you do it just turns to dust. My wife absolutely hated this one.

I was so unsure about it that I couldn't decide. Next thing I knew the entire bag was gone and I was looking them up online to try to get more.

All in all Jerky Snob is a great concept for a subscription box. I understand that jerky is usually on the expensive side, especially for craft jerky using quality ingredients, but I feel like $54 per pound is a bit hard on my budget.

Looking on each brand's website, these four bags could be purchaged directly for a total of $28.96 plus whatever shipping and handling costs they have, making the contents of this particular box not a good bargain for its price.

I'd need to try a few more boxes to know whether or not that is typical.

I did thoroughly enjoy every bag that I was sent though. So there's a choice to be made. For a jerky lover such as myself? I would happily pay that price had I had more disposable income, just to have more opportunity to try several small craft jerky companies.

You can check them out for yourself at the links I've provided below. Until we MEAT again...

http://www.jerkysnob.com/
http://www.facebook.com/jerkysnob
http://twitter.com/JerkySnob
http://www.pinterest.com/JerkySnob/
http://instagram.com/jerkysnob/