You will find this Jerky has great flavor, a sweet taste as it hits your palate followed by a mild amount of heat that will stay with you for a while after eaten. This Jerky is easy to consume as it is fairly soft and not fatty. This is my benchmark for a quality production Jerky.
Trader Joe’s promotes this Jerky as having no preservatives, no nitrates and no added MSG and no Artificial ingredients. Since this is a production Jerky, it is also packaged in a USDA Inspected facility and has the full Nutrition Facts on the package.
Ingredients are Buffalo, Sugar, Water, Soy Sauce, Flavorings, Apple Cider Vinegar, Salt, Paprika and Natural Smoke Flavoring. Flavorings and Natural Smoke Flavoring leave me wondering what else is actually in there as part of those two ingredients… but with that said, this Jerky is a great example of a quality production Jerky.
The Sodium and Value ratings for a serving size of 1 oz fall right in the middle of the pack. With Sodium at 280 mg and $2 an oz. The package is 3.5 oz and a retail price of $6.99 (Feb 2015). Trader Joe’s private labels many quality products and offers them at competitive prices, their Buffalo Jerky Sweet & Spicy is no different.
A few years back Trader Joe’s became somewhat infamous by selling their Charles Shaw brand wine affectionately known as “2 Buck Chuck”. So I am now calling this Jerky the new 2 Buck Chuck. It’s a base line for good Jerky that is sold in retail stores.
Will it win any awards or blow your mind? No, but the good news is this Jerky is a solid value and is readily available in over 400 locations across the U.S. This a great place to start your Jerky journey while avoiding shipping costs. Overall we are giving this Jerky a 3-Star rating and would recommend it to anyone who has $7 and a Trader Joe’s nearby. http://www.traderjoes.com