DJ&A Back to Basics Smoked Chilli & Garlic Shiitake Mushroom Jerky Review

Food and Beverage
January 21, 2025

DJ&A Back to Basics Smoked Chilli & Garlic Shiitake Mushroom Jerky Review

By Keith

I’m a huge beef jerky fan. I’m a pretty big meat eater in general, but unlike many meat-loving Aussies, I respect those who have the conviction to go vegetarian or vegan. Having dated a few vegans and vegetarians in the past, I’ve had to eat a lot of their preferred meals and have developed a fascination with meat-free alternatives to typically meaty products.

For example, I love Smith + Daughters vegan restaurant in Collingwood, Melbourne, which specialises in plant-based meals based on typically non-plant-based dishes. The same goes for Lord Of The Fries, although sadly my local recently closed down.

So with that being said, I really like DJ&A Back to Basics Smoked Chilli & Garlic Shiitake Mushroom Jerky. It’s a great plant-based snack for those who miss jerky in their diets, however, whilst most good beef jerky is high in protein, this is mushroom-based, so it’s high in fibre instead.

What I like about eating this shiitake mushroom jerky is that it’s pretty similar to eating beef jerky, but gives me totally different nutrients, so I could theoretically eat both on the same day and not go overboard on either nutrient.

Review:

As this jerky is made out of mushrooms and not meat, it is much softer than quality beef jerky from somewhere like The Original Beef Chief or The Jerky Co. Being made of mushrooms, the texture rather than meat, it is much closer to the softer-eating and heavily processed Jack Link’s style of jerky or biltong instead. This isn’t a bad thing though, as chewing the tougher high-quality jerky can really wear my jaw muscles out, so this is a snack I can demolish a bag of in minutes.

In terms of flavour, this is incredibly mild. I definitely like my snacks hot and I think even those who do not like spicy food will find this fine to eat. I couldn’t taste any hint of garlic, which is a little disappointing, but probably good for the benefit of my coworkers whilst I eat these at my work desk.

Ultimately, I think this is a great beef jerky alternative and prefer it to Jack Link’s Beef Jerky and other highly processed supermarket brands of jerky. It’s definitely worth a try.

Is it Vegan?

I noticed that the packaging never claims to be vegan, despite all of the ingredients appearing to be vegan. The only one that is vague is Humectant 422, which is a solvent and sweetener in foods that are made from natural fats, which could be either animal fats or vegetable fats or oils. I’m certain it would be the one from vegetables though.

I would say the reason it cannot be classed as ‘vegan’ is due to the cross-contamination warning: “may contain: gluten, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, sesame, egg, fish, shellfish, lupins, celery, sulphites”. So if you are a vegan, you may want to consider if cross-contamination is a concern or not for you, otherwise, I’d highly recommend this, especially if you are someone who used to enjoy real beef jerky.