Customer Reviews

Nesco BJV-24 24-Pack of Jerky Spices in 4 Assorted Flavors

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I hope some of you will find something here useful, heretical views and all ;^) !

The Nesco spices are typical of other pre-packaged jerky mixes. While I don't share the concerns others have about the presence of nitrates/nitrites, and I am not personally impacted by MSG (although I sympathize with those who have adverse reactions to it), I do want to give a heads up to any Celiac sufferers out there that the Teriyaki flavor contains wheat. This isn't really a big surprise as most Teriyaki sauce also contains wheat, but I thought it was worth pointing out.

For those who are concerned about the nitrates/nitrites, and who disagree with my view (and that of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Cancer Society and the National Research Council) that they are benign, and even beneficial, I would like to point out that they are there to protect you against food poisoning.

However, the spices and the cure are packaged separately, so it is possible to leave the nitrates/nitrites out entirely. Of course, you are taking a (potentially fatal) risk when you do so. It is true that you may be running your dehydrator above the 140 degree mark, but the temperature is not uniform throughout your dryer. I do process whole cuts (not ground) without cure, but the meat has been carefully handled, and I use a torch to pre-treat the exterior of the meat before drying (or cooking at very low temperatures, as the case may be).

All and all, this is a complex topic, and I would suggest a lot of reading about the issues of food safety before making a choice to leave out using a cure.

Here is a reading list for those who are interested:

The FDA "Bad Bug Book" available free on the web. Search for "Bad Bug Book: Introduction
Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook
The "Bad Bug Book""

Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food

Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing

Worth searching for on the web: "low temperature cooking", "nitrates (nitrites) vegetables", and "no nitrates (nitrites) added"

As for the ingredients of the Nesco Seasoning, here is what the packaging lists:

(Apologies in advance for typos and transcription errors:)

ORIGINAL FLAVOR:
DEXTROSE, SUGAR, SALT, SPICES, NATURAL HICKORY SMOKE FLAVOR, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN,DEHYDRATED ONION, DEHYDRATED GARLIC, LESS THAN 2% OF CARAMEL COLOR, SILICON DIOXIDE, CALCIUM SILICATE

TERIYAKI FLAVOR:
SUGAR, SOY SAUCE POWDER(SOYBEANS, SALT, WHEAT, MALTODEXTRIN), DEXTROSE, SALT, SPICES, MSG, 2% or LESS SESAME OIL, DEHYDRATED GARLIC, DEHYDRATED ONION, NATURAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, SILICON DIOXIDE

HOT-N-SPICY FLAVOR:
DEXTROSE, SALT, SPICE, SUGAR, NATURAL HICKORY SMOKE FLAVOR, DEHYDRATED ONION, DEHYDRATED GARLIC, MSG, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, LESS THAN 2% NATURAL FLAVOR, CARAMEL COLOR, SILICON DIOXIDE, CALCIUM SILICATE

(Note that none of the above flavors contain nitrates/nitrites, they are all in the separate CURE packets, listed next.)

CURE: SALT, SODIUM NITRITE(0.62%)

If you do choose to leave the cure package out, you may want to add some table salt if you like a salty jerky flavor. Just be sure you understand the issues involved - nontyphoidal Salmonella, Clostridium Botulinum, and their various cronies are not your friends. And if anyone eating your jerky is immune compromised, then please do not leave out the cure. After all, what is worse - your scientifically unfounded fear that one day they may get cancer from the preservatives, or the risk that they will drop dead in the here and now from a pathogen that flourished in a slightly too cool dehydrator?

Anyway, these seasonings make jerky that tastes good, and while making your own seasonings from scratch is probably a better choice, the little packets are very convenient when you are tired or in a hurry.

Bon Appétit and best wishes to all !

The packets are extremely convenient and takes the guessing out of how much seasoning to use. However, after eating the jerky, I developed a few sores in my mouth. I emailed NESCO to get a list of the ingredients and there is MSG and sodium nitrate in the packets. If you are someone that cares about your health, these are not items that you would want to ingest on a regular basis or at all.

This is our favorite jerky spice mix and use it so much it was more convenient and much more affordable to order in a large quanity. My only complaint was that it was short product quantity. Amazon couldn't have been better in sending out another order to take out what was missing and return the rest. The second order was also short. 18 cure packages instead of 24. So order with confidence but make sure you count it.

These flavors are very tasty, and every batch of Jerky I have made with theses flavors has received praise! The variety pack is a great starter set. I am giving this 4 stars instead of 5 because I would rather have a smaller cheaper set to start with until I find my favorite flavors. Or a set of the same size with more varieties (as there are more flavors that are not included with this set).

Great assortment. cracked pepper is good. Teriyaki is very good. Hot and spicy is almost a bit too spicy but good flavor. Original is still the best. Really good stuff!

These 4 Jerky spices are super easy to prepare-mix with water add your fresh meat & marinate for 12-24 hours in the fridge. All are excellent in flavor and make fantastic home made fresh Jerky. The clear favorite with my family & friends is the Garlic & Cracked Pepper style, closely followed by all the other flavors. I gave a less than perfect score because the Teriyaki flavor tastes almost the same as the Original flavor(both are delicious), I expected more of a soy sauce/tamari taste and it seemed a little lacking only in that perspective. I bought the big box because I wanted lots of flavors, variety and the ability to make a bunch of jerky...I would buy this again, but I won't need to for a while!

A great value for a great product.I have purchased other jerky seasoning kits,and nothing comes close to this.My only disappointment (and it was minor) was that I didn't really care for the teriyaki,as it was a little bland.We have a NESCO dehydrator, and these two go hand in hand.

This is great stuff and makes the best jerky. I use it all the time and the flavor is awesome.

My husband loves to make jerky with his new dehydrator and these spice packets make it quick and easy to mix up and cure the meat. We did not really like the flavor or the smell of the Teriyaki but the other three flavors are great. To be fair, we usually do not like anything flavored with a teriyaki seasoning so it's not surprising that we did not care for it here either. The pricing on this item makes it a great value. This combined with buying meat on sale makes for a nice quantity of jerky at an affordable price that you just couldn't touch if buying prepared jerky in a store.I may not purchase this combination again since we do not like all the flavors but I will definetly purchase more of this brand of seasoning from Amazon.

I really enjoyed this variety pack. It allowed me to quickly make several different types of jerky to choose my favorite (Cracked Pepper and Garlic is AMAZING). All of the flavors so far have tasted good. I've made the original, cracked pepper and garlic, and the Teriyaki flavors. The Hot & Spicy sounds good as well and I can't wait to try it. These spices work great with ground beef and the Nesco jerky gun, or mixed with water and used as a marinade for a sliced roast. The cure seems to work fine and the jerky has lasted several months in the freezer.