Sweet & Spicy Buffalo Jerky

I recently tried Trader Joe's Sweet & Spicy Buffalo Jerky, which I purchased a few weeks ago for $5.49 (which for four ounces I think is a complete bargain). I was pleased to see buffalo jerky being offered for two reasons: I love the taste of buffalo, and buffalo is much healthier than beef. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that this jerky had less than half as much sodium as standard jerky products.

The jerky had the perfect texture. It was not at all gristly, but it was still sliced thin and had a very authentic jerky texture. The taste was also pleasantly surprisingly. Sweet & Spicy jerky often seems to only offer one of those two flavor experiences. Although this jerky wasn't very spicy (though I do have high tolerance for spice), I thought the seasoning was the perfectly complement to the sweet flavoring the jerky offered. I can honestly say this is one of the 5 best jerky products I have ever tastes (and I have had hundreds), and this will definitely be a regular purchase from this point forward.

Teriyaki Turkey Jerky

Ever since I was a child, I have had a particular weakness for jerky of (almost) any kind. I can enjoy anything from tofu jerky to squid jerky, but I now frequently find myself annoyed by the consistency of many jerkies.

Perhaps as I've gotten older my tastes have changed, but I no longer care for a gritty jerky texture, and often regret eating jerky after my (admittedly sensitive) gums seem to become raw by the irritation of tiny jerky splinters burrowing between my teeth and the incessant flossing action that follows.

In recent years, I've found myself trying to expand even further, in hopes of finding more jerkies that with offer a more pleasant texture. But truth be told, I'll still buy any jerky I see that I can't recall trying. And this is exactly what happened when I stumbled along Trader Joe's modest jerky selection during a recent shopping trip.

I quickly grabbed one of each variety, which consisted of Teriyaki Turkey Jerky and Buffalo Jerky (which I have not yet tried). I recently broke open the Turkey Jerky, and was immediately pleased when I noticed the  smooth and soft texture of the jerky piece I was gripping. The texture was extremely chewy, but had a lovely softness to it, with no hard splinter pieces. This continued through the rest of the bag, and even those small pieces that broke off had a pleasant texture.

As for the taste, I wouldn't exactly call it teriyaki. I only really tasted the soy sauce, and a strong sweetness, which is not like the more mild sweetness I usually encounter with teriyaki sauces and flavorings. Although it's not a classic teriyaki, I did enjoy the flavor and found the sweetness to be complementary to the soy sauce and natural turkey flavor.

As for the price, it was $4.99 for a 4 ounce bag. This is slightly less than the standard brands I see at the grocery store, and about the same as the budget friendly store brands. However, the quality was far superior in my opinion, so I was quite pleased with the cost per ounce. I will definitely be buying this jerky again, and will most likely add it to my regularly Trader Joe's shopping list.