It's called Turkey Perky Jerky and it's good stuff by any reasonable standard. But what's really amazing is that it's low -- really low -- in everything you'd want it to be low in. Like sodium. And calories.
There's also no preservatives. No nitrates. No fat. No MSG. Nothing in the ingredients list you can't pronounce.
So what makes it perky? Guarana. It's a natural ingredient added to energy drinks and there's apparently some in here, too. We don't care about that part.
What we do care about is that this is a meaty, peppery snack that's perfect for before or in between cigars. It's satisfying and even just a little salty. It's a heck of a lot more convenient and less messy than, say, smoked salmon. Plus, you can tote it with you to the cigar lounge or campground.
Compared to another national brand turkey jerky, a one-ounce serving of Perky has just 110mg of sodium vs. a whopping 490mg. And of course the other stuff has nitrates, which I might be willing to ingest under certain circumstances (like bacon) but not here.
The texture of individual pieces can vary from tough to tender. Each bag seems to contain a few pieces that are a little sinewy, but still tender. Some people may not like that but to me, it adds variety. The worst thing I can say is that the flavoring is vaguely teriyaki-like and some pieces tend to absorb it differently than others. For instance, the sinewy pieces tend to be a little more sticky and saturated in the stuff, whereas the most tender bits can taste a little under-seasoned by comparison. It's jerky for crying out loud, not fresh carpaccio, what do you want?
Turkey Perky Jerky is a good, savory, satisfying snack that would make a nice pre-game ritual with, say, a nice Padron. At around $5 a bag, it's not cheap, but then again, cheap jerky is dog food anyway.
Target stores often have it on sale for $4. If you go, maybe think about paying cash.
There's also no preservatives. No nitrates. No fat. No MSG. Nothing in the ingredients list you can't pronounce.
So what makes it perky? Guarana. It's a natural ingredient added to energy drinks and there's apparently some in here, too. We don't care about that part.
What we do care about is that this is a meaty, peppery snack that's perfect for before or in between cigars. It's satisfying and even just a little salty. It's a heck of a lot more convenient and less messy than, say, smoked salmon. Plus, you can tote it with you to the cigar lounge or campground.
Compared to another national brand turkey jerky, a one-ounce serving of Perky has just 110mg of sodium vs. a whopping 490mg. And of course the other stuff has nitrates, which I might be willing to ingest under certain circumstances (like bacon) but not here.
The texture of individual pieces can vary from tough to tender. Each bag seems to contain a few pieces that are a little sinewy, but still tender. Some people may not like that but to me, it adds variety. The worst thing I can say is that the flavoring is vaguely teriyaki-like and some pieces tend to absorb it differently than others. For instance, the sinewy pieces tend to be a little more sticky and saturated in the stuff, whereas the most tender bits can taste a little under-seasoned by comparison. It's jerky for crying out loud, not fresh carpaccio, what do you want?
Turkey Perky Jerky is a good, savory, satisfying snack that would make a nice pre-game ritual with, say, a nice Padron. At around $5 a bag, it's not cheap, but then again, cheap jerky is dog food anyway.
Target stores often have it on sale for $4. If you go, maybe think about paying cash.