Howdy!
Today’s tasty treat is a bag of Golden Island Mandarin Orange Pork Jerky purchased at the local Costco.
Golden Island Mandarin Orange Pork Jerky
Golden Island has been sold by Costco for a number of year, and they’ve been in the Jerky business for over 50 years. Their specialty is all-natural pork and beef jerky with a real emphasis on flavor. As an all-American jerky with a focus on quality and taste, how does this one stack up? Let’s see what you get with this one:
Taste (A-): This pork jerky has a nice, predominately sweet flavor. There’s a sugary sweetness at first that becomes fruity after a bit with both a bit of pineapple and orange easy to discern. The slight saltiness is perfectly balanced against the sweetness and it all blends expertly. This tastes great.
Texture (B+): The pieces are cut along the grain and are exceptionally tender. It’s easy to bite and chew while never feeling insubstantial. You can feel some of the sugars on the surface of pork giving it a vaguely candy like feel in your mouth. The moisture content, typically a bit higher in pork jerky, is just spot on, too.
Smell (B): The aroma is one of fruit-meat. Yes, that sounds peculiar but it’s really quite pleasant. The various fruits are prominent in the smell with a bit of a soy undertone. It does a good job in conveying the flavors of the meat.
Appearance (A-): This pork jerky looks delicious! It has a medium brown color with a slight sheen. The pieces are natural cut and range in size from a few bites to several inches long. Cut with the grain of the meat, this jerky looks very tasty.
Consistency (A-): This is a pretty sizable bag of jerky and, bite for bite, the Golden Island folks delivered great taste and obvious quality. The moisture content varied very little throughout the bag and the flavoring was only inconsistent on a few pieces that seem to have stuck together while being prepared leaving the adjoining surfaces’ less thoroughly seasoned. It’s a very minor thing, mind you, and even those pieces were delicious.
Overall Impression (B+): What a treat, this meat! Golden Island makes a quality product that is both delicious and fun to eat. If you see a bag of this outstanding jerky you’ll do well to make it yours. Eat and enjoy!