Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Jim's Jerky - BBQ Bites

jims jerkyLast in the series on Jim's Jerky are these BBQ Bites. See my previous reviews of their Garlic, Chilli, and Safari varieties.

Jim's Jerky is a brand of Temba Meats based out of Charlton, Queensland, Australia. Read my previous review of their biltong. The company is run by Jim and Cathie Tanner who bought the meat processor in 2004. Temba Meats is what produces Jim's Biltong and Jim's Jerky. Temba Meats was previously operated by a South African couple who made biltong and jerky in small quantities.


Beef, sugar, salt, hydrolysed vegetable protein, coriander, spices


The first thing I taste from the surface of these pieces is a light saltiness, followed by a faint bit of BBQ seasoning. There's also a light touch of coriander seed noticeable.

The chewing flavor starts with a stronger coriander seed flavor, a slightly increased saltiness, and a little bit more noticeable BBQ seasoning. There's maybe a touch of natural meat flavor coming in.

For being marketed as a "BBQ bites" beef jerky, this doesn't really belt out much of a BBQ flavor. I do pick up a light bit of BBQ seasoning, but overall this doesn't give me thoughts slow-roasted smoked meat with gobs of sticky, sweet, tangy, and bold sauce dripping down my forearms.

Otherwise, this seems to taste much like the company's Safari Bites, which seems to be their base flavor. It's mostly a flavor combination of coriander seed and salt that I'm tasting. When comparing this side-by-side with the Safari Bite, this does have a noticeable difference in flavor, but only lightly noticeable.

This package of BBQ Bites contained several pieces with a fair amount of fat, providing more fatty flavor than a natural meat flavor. Otherwise, there's only a hint of natural meat flavor in all of these pieces.

The level of saltiness in this feels to be at a moderate amount.

Overall, what you're going to notice in this is much like the flavor of the company's Safari Bites, mostly a blend of coriander seed and salt. There's a just a touch of BBQ seasoning, and very light touches of natural meat flavor.

Meat Consistency

These are slices of whole meat, sliced into small, bite sized pieces, sliced medium thickness.

This is a dry jerky with a dry surface feel. They have a light amount of flexibility, but will crack open with a little bit of bending. It's a bit chewy to start off with, but overall it tends to be easy to eat due to how small the pieces are.

The chewing texture starts off feeling dry and stiff. There's a fair amount of initial chewing resistance. After several chews, it starts to break down and soften up. Once chewed down a soft mass, it has a meaty feel, though not quite like eating a piece of steak. Some pieces are mushy, like a steak cooked rare, others tend to stay a little dry, not really meshing together.

Most of these pieces appear to be very lean, seeing no bits of fat anywhere. However, I did encounter a number of pieces with a fair amount of fat, providing a fatty flavor. I don't feel anything unchewable, nothing stringy, and no tendon gristle.

It's also very clean eating. No residue on my fingers, and the small bite sized pieces don't require any tearing or biting off.

bbq beef jerky

bbq jerky
Snack Value

Jim's Jerky sells these BBQ Bites at a price of $40.00 AUD for a 500g package. That works out to $0.080 per gram.

For general jerky snacking purposes, at the $0.080 per gram price, it seems to present a decent value. I'm getting an average amount of snackability due to an overall satisfying flavor, an average chewing texture, though easy eating and good meat consistency. That price seems to be at the lower end of other Australian jerky brands I've found online, and it's only because of that lower price that it manages to offer some value.

As a BBQ beef jerky, at the same $0.080 per gram price, it's a weak value. I'm not getting much BBQ flavor from this.


beef jerky nutritionI'm giving this an average rating.

These BBQ Bites from Jim's Jerky seems to provide mostly the same flavor as their Safari Bites, which I believe is the company's base flavor. When comparing these two flavors side-by-side, I notice very little difference. The BBQ Bites seems to provide a touch more seasoning flavor, but hardly anything that I would associated as being BBQ.

Otherwise, this jerky largely provides a combination of coriander seed and salt flavors. There's a little bit of natural meat flavor, along with an occasional bit of fatty flavor.

If anything, it's just a tiny bit more flavorful than the Safari Bites.

My recommended beer pairing for this, go with the Samuel Adams Boston Lager, or the Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale.

Rating: Average

Buy this online:


Post a Comment