Ed’s Roadhouse Jerky – Sriracha Wasabi – review

Ed’s Roadhouse Jerky comes in an astounding 30+ different flavors. They make everything from “Plain” or “Sweet Black Pepper” to “Devil’s Tongue Jalapeño Habanero” and “Inferno Ghost Pepper with Scorpion”. Yes, and everything in between, including Raspberry, Maple, Apple and Chipotle flavors, among the many others. Today, we are tasting their Sriracha version of jerky called:

Sriracha Chili with a Wasabi Twist

What a perfect start for us at HotSauceDaily to begin a review of Ed’s Roadhouse Jerky with their “Sriracha Chili with a Wasabi Twist” flavor. We opened the pouch not expecting much of an authentic taste. After all, how do you marry jerky AND Sriracha sauce AND wasabi all in one meat? But within 2 bites we were blown away. After 4 bites, we were ready to just eat the whole package – savoring the wonderful flavors and heat levels.

The very nature of making flavored jerky of this fashion certainly leads to some uneven flavors among the pieces. But that does not mean uneven quality or taste; simply that some pieces have more horseradish, some more wasabi, some more jalapeño heat. There is even a strong black pepper taste on some of the pieces.

Ingredients: angus beef, fresh red jalapeños, fresh thai peppers, wasabi, fresh horseradish, salt, sugar, water, soy bran, wheat, garlic, molasses, vinegar & natural flavorings spices

Texture & Appearance: – Thin cut bite sized pieces about 1 – 2 inches long. Consistent color, with variable grain. Specks of spices and some small pepper seeds adhere to some of the pieces. Very few pieces had any visible fat. Shape, cut, and sizes are all about even.

Taste Straight Up: – After some extensive sampling and testing (i.e. eating half of the bag right away) we grew to enjoy the many different flavors and heat levels that each piece would bring. Like a dysfunctional family (and we mean that lovingly), some pieces were hotter than others, some spicier with more of the wasabi flavor, some were sweet from the sugar and molasses, and some had a tinge of a vinegar zing with a good dose of fresh black pepper.

Heat Level: – Our heat rating is low for a few reasons, and this is not a bad thing, just suffice it to say you’ll enjoy this jerky for its flavor, but not for the heat. Consistent with the inconsistency, some pieces were ‘hotter’ than others, some spicier – some had more wasabi or black pepper, or jalapeño heat, or were more sweet… well you get the picture. Let me repeat, this “all over the map” flavor by pieces was not undesirable by any means. If anything, it added to the “homemade” taste and quality that makes for a great hand-crafted product.

Label/Graphics: – We give the label and graphics a high mark for simplicity. It’s jerky. In a pouch. The label is small enough so that you can easily see the product inside the pouch. The ingredients are clearly listed, the title and flavor are bold, and when you add their slogan “Nobody Beats My Meat”, well, how do you top that? Kudos for a classy, simple package.

Overall Rating (Final Thoughts): Having published HotSauceDaily.com since 2007, this is our first jerky review. So while we are no experts by any means, we know what we like, and have to award Ed’s Roadhouse Jerky – Sriracha Chili with a Wasabi Twist – our highest overall rating of – based on overall flavor and enjoyment.

We would like to have had more of the Sriracha and Wasabi flavors stand out. You know, in a burn the back of your nasal passages kind of way, but that would probably be overkill and take away from the enjoyment of this flavorful jerky. Maybe Ed knows what he’s doing after all.

Ed’s Roadhouse Jerky – Sriracha Chili with a Wasabi Twist – like all of their flavors of jerky, is available in 4, 6 and 8 ounce pouches, as well as 1 pound packages.

Visit EdsRoadhouseJerky.com to see the other 30+ flavor offerings and for your jerky shopping fix. And tell him HotSauceDaily sent you!