Greetings, y’all!
Today we’re sampling Stemmler’s Teriyaki Beef Jerky from Stemmler’s Meats in Ontario, Canada. This is the third of four generously donated jerky treats from our buddy up North, Doug L.
Stemmler’s Teriyaki Beef Jerky
Another of their small batch jerky, this tasty snack is anointed in the ever-appealing teriyaki. It’s one of the standard favorites and Stemmler’s Meats seems to be eager to please. How good is this stuff? Let’s see what you get with this one:
Taste (A-): This jerky’s flavor is really quite fun. At first, appreciating the flavor of this jerky seems a bit tricky. It’s sweet, but not very sweet. It’s savory, but just a bit. It’s got a great beef flavor that really comes through, but it gives way to the garlic and other seasonings after a short while. It takes eating a few bites and letting it all percolate a bit before you can really take it all in, but once you do it all comes together delightfully. The teriyaki flavor is just the right sort of sweet for this thinly sliced, very dry jerky and the overall taste is a well-orchestrated layering of complementary flavors. Tasty. ’nuff said.
Texture (C+): Dried through and through, almost to the point of being a bit crispy, this jerky starts out tough and requires a bit of work to eat . The pieces are cross-cut and are eventually enjoyable once you chew on them a bit, but it seems like the effort required is a bit too much.
Smell (B+): The smell, while relatively subdued, is pretty great. With jerky this dry you don’t get a really powerful aroma, instead you get a soft scent that is only detectable when the jerky is right in your face. That works just fine here. The smell is sweet, but still savory with the soy and sugars blending together well. It does its job in telegraphing the flavor ahead with great acumen.
Appearance (B+): This is a good looking jerky. The dark brown color shows a bit of the sugars’ hue and each of the deli-thin cross-cut pieces look appetizing.
Consistency (B): This is a well made jerky, without a doubt. The pieces are uniformly cut, the flavors are true from piece to piece, and the moisture content throughout the package is very well maintained. The only caveat is that while most of our sample was exceptionally consistent a couple pieces did seem to vary a bit overall. Mostly in moisture content. In fact, those pieces were a bit more pleasant than the rest, so it makes you wonder if this batch wasn’t made just a bit dryer than intended.
Overall Impression (B): Tasty stuff. No doubt about it. The Stemmler’s Meats folks have produced another delicious snack with their Teriyaki Jerky. While this package seemed a bit too dry, it was still very good eating and the flavor was just a delight. You’ll do yourself well to pick some up should the opportunity present itself. Enjoy!