Snack Review: Pemmican Steak Fajita Beef Jerky

A large chunk of my beef jerky history is limited to that of my younger days with convenience store Slim Jims purchased in the harsh fluorescent brightness following a night of rabble-rousing and debauchery. As my friend Andrew so wisely puts it, beef jerky is also “the meat of road trips.” I’m sure Kerouac ate it before scarfing down his pie a la mode, and maybe Neal Cassady had a slice in his back pocket as he trekked down that lonesome and fateful railroad track. But I digress.

There is something wild and romantic about jerky. Squatting on my haunches and gazing out over the prairie (my back yard) I anticipate the day’s cattle drive (lawn-mowing and dog-chasing), tear off a piece of jerky with my teeth and take a sip of steaming hot java. HooWEE! My testosterone levels go through the barn roof.

The Pemmican line of jerky features a wide variety of beef and pork. I sampled the new “marinade” style Steak Fajita. This beef jerky had the typical jerky format - thin, flat pieces of dried beef, but unlike other jerky I’ve tried, this was very tender. The steak fajita flavor was mild with just a hint of spice; however, the smoke flavor was a tad overpowering. A pleasant aftertaste followed, with a lingering and flavorful spice.

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Snack Review: Mariani Premium Chocolate Yogurt Raisins

You’d think after many years of mostly responsible consumerism, that I would heed the cardinal rule of grocery shopping: never shop hungry. I invariably break the rule at least once a month. Like this afternoon. And it wasn’t pretty.

The Mariani Premium Chocolate Yogurt Raisins were void of any taste resembling premium, chocolate, raisin, or yogurt. Chocolate yogurt I can tolerate, and I really enjoy plain yogurt-covered raisins, but these things were not at all what I expected. I could have simply eaten balls of wet Kleenex and enjoyed more flavor, and saved time and money, too.

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Snack Review: Bentley’s Premier Popcorn

Think of the tastiest kettle corn you’ve ever eaten in your life. Got it? Now take that, increase the deliciousness by ten to the power of yum, put it in a single-serving fresh-lock bag with a label featuring a full-color illustration of Bentley, a cute little Wire-haired Fox Terrier, and you have the eponymous Bentley’s Premier Popcorn.

The fresh-lock bags (in 3 and 4 ounce sizes) are no gimmicky ruse — this is some über-fresh popcorn. The Butter Pecan sample featured six large pecan halves tossed in with the lightly coated popcorn. Bentley’s is kettle roasted using only natural ingredients, and it shows: the result is a subtle yet satisfyingly sweet and buttery mixture, not overpowering or artificial.

The two available flavors, Toffee Caramel and Butter Pecan, feature the same secret recipe, but with the deceptively simple addition of roasted pecans to the latter. A new Cinnamon Almond flavor is expected soon.

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Snack Review: Guiltless Gourmet Chili Lime Tortilla Chips

When a label reads “certified organic” I know I’m in for an expensive snack, but one that’s bound to taste fresh and satisfying. These low-fat, low-calorie chips lived up the the guiltless moniker, and the only guilt I felt was in spending close to the price of a gallon of gas for a 7 oz. bag. The generous serving size of 18 chips is twice that of regular tortilla chips, while fat content is half of other chips, and there are no saturated or trans fats. Guiltless indeed, but watch out - these chips contain nearly double the sodium of standard ‘guilt-full’ chips. Oh well, everything’s a trade-off. Moderation, my friends, right?

I admit they are delicious, but the oven-baked crunch is a bit overwhelming. Apparently, some of the stone-ground corn had not been completely ground and I found myself crunching hard grains of corn between my front teeth long after finishing the chips. For those of you with dental work or “iffy” crowns, I would advise cautious chewing.

The natural lime flavoring was subtle with just enough of a citrus essence to be noticeable and not overbearing or artificial-tasting (hence the “natural” label). The chili pepper was a touch heavy-handed and too salty, but spicy enough to tweak the tongue while dissipating within two minutes.

I wouldn’t recommend these for your everyday tortilla chip needs, but if you’re looking for something different or want to impress your friends at your next South-of-the-Border-themed party (even though these chips are manufactured in Secaucus, New Jersey), the Guiltless Gourmet Chili Lime tortilla chips are a delightful alternative. Ole!

Guiltless Gourmet

Buy Guiltless Gourmet Chili Lime Tortilla Chips Online:

• at Amazon.com