Cherky – Jerky – Teriyaki
In recent years, Europe has seen the appearance of brands of Beef Jerky, of good quality. And what basically makes us think about the US of A and cowboys often comes from Eastern European countries like Estonia but also from Spain or Asia for the soy-based products. Which is rather good news for those who supplied themselves from the other side of the pond both in terms of price (shipping costs, import taxes, delays, etc.) and quality.
Presentation 
Today we will take a closer look at a product from the brand Cherky, a very recent Spanish company founded by three friends in 2017 and more specifically the teriyaki version of their Eco Beef Jerky.
First of all, their products are organic and preservative-free, which is not the case with all Jerky brands, even Estonian ones. We test quite a few food products with additives but if we did we would be sure to add a special mention to the article.
Ingredients
Ingredients: Lean beef cuts* (made with 222 g beef per 100 g), tamari sauce* (soy*, water, sea salt, Koji*), honey*, tomato paste*, apple vinegar*, onion*, garlic*, sea salt, white pepper*. *Certified organic ingredients.
Package contains oxygen absorber − not edible.
Product
Appearance
The Cherky Jerky comes in a non-resealable 30 g packet, it contains a not edible oxygen absorber. The strips of meat are rather thick and short and look like cubes, they are rather tender with a ratio of 2.22 (it takes 222 g of meat to make 100 g of Jerky) so they are not brittle due to being too dry but rather because of their texture which resembles that of a cooked chestnut, as can be seen in the photos. The fact that this jerky is rather fat with a drying ratio in the low average brings it closer to what can be found at The Meat Makers but with a more floury texture in my opinion.
Taste
Jerky without preservatives tend to be more salty / sweet than the others, so it must be taken into account in your daily intake and particularly in case of pathologies such as diabetes or hypertension; see the Nutrition facts table below.
Also beware of possible allergies mainly because of the soy contained in the different sauces.
As usual, the basic marinade is made from soy sauce (here tamari so gluten free) to which we add spices. The spices are quite discreet even if we can feel the sweet side. And once again, we are entitled to a rather classic Jerky with a teriyaki taste that is not too overwhelming that we can nibble on throughout the day. But as usual, having water nearby will not be too much if, like me, you manage to make your little 30 g packet disappear at lightning speed because the salt is still present…
Nutrition facts
| Average values for | 100 g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1146 kJ / 272 kcal |
| Fat | 6.38 g |
| of which saturates | 2.76 g |
| Carbohydrate | 10.03 g |
| of which sugar | 6.14 g |
| Protein | 43.5 g |
| Salt | 3.0 g |
Conclusion
It’s a good Jerky, well flavored and quite tender, however I’m a little less a fan of the texture which reminds me more of Beef Bars with that cooked chestnut side. The ingredients are mostly organic and its price is around € 3 per pack which is quite reasonable for the product and for the most greedy among us there is the possibility of finding stores that offer bulk discounts.
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