Costco is now selling Snake River Farms American Wagyu Beef Jerky and I had to give it a try. The idea of making beef jerky from Wagyu cattle seems kind of odd but I figured anything is worth trying once.
If you are short on time then the quick summary is that I do not like the product but my kids do.
What is American Wagyu Jerky?
Wagyu is a somewhat generic term for a breed of cattle from Japan that is renowned for its intense marbling and buttery texture. One of the most famous types of Wagyu beef is Kobe which comes from a specific prefecture in Japan.
Snake River Farms crosses breed Wagyu bulls with Black Angus cows to create a breed of cattle they call American Wagyu. This cross retains some of the intense Wagyu marbling while providing a more “beefy” flavor that American consumers are used to.
The Snake River Farms American Wagyu Jerky is made from these Wagyu/Angus cross cattle and comes from the leaner muscle groups such as the rump roast and eye of round.
Taste Test
The bag I bought had very large pieces of tender jerky. Right out of the bag the jerky had an extremely attractive appearance.
From a flavor standpoint, this jerky is sweet with a low salt concentration and no spiciness.
Mixed Family Member Responses
Personally I am not a fan of the flavor profile as “sweet beef” just doesn’t cut it for me. I love beef that is spicy and salty. Seriously, there is a reason that so many hardcore grill masters swear by just using salt and black pepper on steaks and briskets.
Regardless of what type of flavor profile you like, this jerky has a serious problem.
The jerky is extremely oily and greasy that is unavoidable given that it comes from a richly marbled breed of cattle.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the deep marbling that you get with Wagyu ribeye steaks and think they are succulent and delicious. It’s just that the marbling does not transfer well during the jerky making process. When I was eating this I was reminded of the unpleasant greasiness I got the few times I tried Bacon Jerky.
I will be buying Kirkland Steak Strips instead of Snake river Farms going forward.
My Son Liked the Jerky
My son said the concept of Wagyu jerky was extremely confusing but he liked the flavor and texture. While I did not like the oiliness he described it as “buttery jerky”.
My Daughter Liked the Jerky
My daughter liked the sweetness of the jerky and was a massive fan of the tenderness. She said that she doesn’t like most jerky because of how tough and chewy it is but the texture on this jerky was perfect.
Nutrition and Keto Considerations
The Snake River Farms Jerky has the following calories and nutritional information for a single 1 ounce serving:
- Calories: 130
- Fat: 10g (15% DV)
- Cholesterol: 20mg (7% DV)
- Sodium: 340mg (14% DV)
- Carbohydrates: 3g (1% DV)
- Protein: 7g
Just to drive home the point that this is a greasy jerky take a look at the fat content and how it ranks against other types of jerky and biltong that have been reviewed on this site:
- Snake River Farms Wagyu Jerky: 10g Fat
- Golden Island Pork Jerky: 2g Fat
- Stryve Biltong: 2g Fat
- Tillamook No Sugar Jerky: 1.5g Fat
- Lorissa’s Kitchen Steak Strips: 1g Fat
- Trader Joe’s Buffalo Jerky: 0.5 g Fat
- Trader Joe’s Turkey Jerky: 0g Fat
The other nutritional consideration is that the jerky has two types of added sugar (brown and cane). While the jerky only has 3g of carbs per serving a lot of folks will tell you that since there is added sugars this is not a keto friendly jerky.
Costco Value
The 10 ounce bag of Snake River Farms jerky cost me $14.99 at Costco which works out to a cost of $1.49 per ounce.
You can buy this exact same bag of jerky at Walmart for $27.99 which works out to a cost of $$2.79 per ounce.
This means that you will save $1.39 per ounce (50%) when you buy this jerky at Costco.
