Max Jerky – Sichuan Chili Crisp Beef Jerky
Bitter: ⭐✰✰✰✰
Salty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰
Sour/Tangy: ⭐✰✰✰✰
Sweet: ⭐⭐⭐✰✰
Umami: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰
Heat: ⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰
Quick Flavor Notes: Salty, sweet, soy, umami
Texture: Good chew and moist
Recommended: Conditional
Ingredients: Beef, Brown Sugar, Soy Sauce (Water, Salt, Soybeans, Alcohol), Chili Crisp (Soybean Oil, Chili, Onion, Soybean, Spices), Worcestershire (Distilled White Vinegar, Molasses, Sugar, Water, Salt, Onions, Anchovies, Spices), Fermented Black Beans, Spices
Max Jerky is the brainchild of Max The Meat Guy, a YouTube cooking presenter specializing in inventive meat cookery. After studying abroad in China he fell in love with jerky and the varieties there and decided to start his own jerky company featuring global flavors. His Sichuan Chili Crisp jerky is the spiciest one on offer, though still only rated as medium heat. I’m a fan of Sichuan flavors and chili crisp so decided it would be fun to try. Available in both chicken and beef versions I of course chose beef as when it comes to jerky beef or other red meat options are always superior to fowl.
Starting off with beef, as it should be, the second ingredient is unfortunately brown sugar. One of my biggest issues with most commercial beef jerky is that it’s far too sweet and contains far too much sugar. Jerky should be a healthy high protein snack and loading it up with sugar is counteractive to that. After the sugar however things look up as Max Jerky Sichuan Chili Crisp Beef Jerky is loaded with umami ingredients – soy sauce, the chili chili crisp which is the foundation for this jerky’s flavor, Worcestershire sauce, and fermented black beans, also known as douchi. The aroma is primary of soy sauce and Worcestershire. The texture is moist for a beef jerky, not quite as moist as tender as the steak style jerkies, but moreso than many of the mass market offerings, and has a satisfying chew without being tough.
Soy sauce and the brown sugar are the primary flavoring elements. Despite the name Sichuan Chili Crisp Beef Jerky is more sweet than spicy. There is a tiny hint of chili oil and chili flavor as you chew, but for a jerky billed as being chili crisp flavored I wanted the chili flavor to be much more prominent. There’s also a distinct lack of one of one of the major defining flavors of Sichuan cuisine – Sichuan peppercorns. They’re not listed explicitly in the ingredients, and it’s possible they’re included in the “spices” in the chili crisp, I can’t taste them if they’re there, and there’s no numbing sensation coming from this jerky. On a positive note what this jerky does have in spades is deep rich umami flavor. Between the soy sauce, chili crisp, and douchi it’s very craveable even if not actually spicy in any way or having flavors that I’d identify as remotely Sichuan. It does taste on the salty side, though that’s common with jerky as well, especially those using a soy sauce marinade.
This is one I’m torn on the recommendation of. On one hand it does taste good, but on the other it doesn’t taste like what the bag says it does. I’ll leave this with a conditional recommendation. If you want a tasty vaguely-Asian flavored beef jerky with a good texture that’s also on the sweeter side, check it out. If you’re looking for something that actually tastes like Sichuan chili crisp or has heat, give it a pass. If you do decided to buy some it’s worth to watch the Max the Meat Guy videos because he does give out significant discount codes for his jerky line during them.
