The Don Spicy Original Beef Jerky

The Don is the self-proclaimed “Godfather of all Jerky” and they drive the point home on the package with the Green, White and Red Italian flag stripes and the 45 (ish) caliber pistol artwork used in place of the “r” in Jerky. Proclaiming these are gangsters just like the Sopranos. This Jerky is marketing by The Don Jerky Factory hailing from the mean-streets of Arcadia, California.

This is one of the most ‘transparent’ Jerkys on the market as the packaging is clear except for the applied label.  You can flip over the package a clearly see the Jerky you about to consume. It is USDA packaged with full disclosure of the nutrition and ingredients which are printed ever-so-small on the label. The first thing you notice when you tear open the package is the strong smoky aroma. The ingredients add a little insight to the Italian connection as the list includes both anchovies and tomatoes! This is a spice mixture not seen regularly in Jerky.

The texture of the Don is dry to the touch and firm with little resistance as you tear it apart. When you put a piece in your mouth you will notice there is little to no flavor on the tongue. It’s dry and the flavor needs to be released but when you start chewing finally a rush of flavor hits your pallet. As your mouth begins to moisten the tangy Worcestershire and hint of tomato flavor is readily apparent this is followed quickly by the heat of the aged cayenne hot sauce used in the recipe.

The meat has a strong chew bordering on tough, several pieces in the bag left muscle tissue that didn’t easily break-down. Some people will look at this as the ‘bonus chew’. You can work this little nugget in you mouth for quite a while and it will keep releasing its flavor until it is discarded or swallowed whole.

 

I purchased this Jerky at one of my favorite watering holes “The Beach Ball” in Newport Beach. The 2 oz bag was $4.00 at the bar (March 2015) and that puts it right in the middle of the value range at $2 an ounce. This is not a sweet jerky but with both Corn Syrup and High Fructose Corn Syrup included in the ingredients the carbs come in pretty high at 8 grams and the Sodium comes in at 410 mg per ounce.

At a 2.5 overall score, I wouldn’t go out of my way to seek out and purchase The Don Spicy Original but it is a value-driven salty snack to go with a cold beverage while sitting at the bar looking out at the Newport Pier.

The Don Spicy Original Beef Jerky