Louisville Vegan Jerky Co. and Their Bits

Last week I was knee deep in very important internet research (fine, I was on Reddit while procrastinating on moving the laundry from the washer to the dryer) when a word caught my eye.

Bacon.

Normally this wouldn’t phase me as anyone who has spent more than six seconds on Reddit knows that bacon, cats and strangely enough, Nicholas Cage are words that you’re going to see thrown around like confetti when the ball drops on New Years. It was the word that came before Reddit’s animal product of worship that actually made me stop and pay attention.

Vegan.

As it turned out, The Louisville Vegan Jerky Co. was sending the first 20 people who responded an advance sample of a new vegan bacon product that they were going to be releasing in a couple of months like some soy based, smoky faux meat Willy Wonkas. Already the purveyors of three types of soy based jerky with flavors like Bourbon Smoked Spicy Chipotle and Sriracha Maple, I hopped on that offer like the Three Amigos hopped on their horses.

 I wanted my vegan bacon Golden Ticket. I was gonna ride that glass elevator of smoky deliciousness to the freaking moon.

The minute this puppy showed up I tore into it and held it to my nose like a sommelier taking in the sophisticated bouquet of a rich Merlot. I’m serious, I stood in my kitchen huffing it like a delinquent. It smelled both mapley sweet and satisfyingly smoky, promising all the complexity of bacon with none of the saturated fat or cruelty of its muse.

After about a nanosecond of deliberation I decided that these bits were about to get a one-way ticket to baked potato town.

With just a drizzle of some cashew based cheddar, vegan sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh rosemary, I piled the potato high with the bacon bits, exited that the soybeans in the ingredients were not only non-GMO but the ingredients list was also locally sourced.

These were the best fake bacon bits I’ve ever had the pleasure of placing into my face. The texture was moist, almost jerky-like (which makes perfect sense considering their source) and the spice mix was spot on. I immediately began to dream of tossing them into a spinach salad or adding them into a tofu omelet. Really, it took everything I had not to just plop down on the couch and eat them straight from the bag while I watched Botched.

Did I say Botched? I meant Through the Wormhole. I was watching Through the Wormhole.

When these bad boys come out, I can promise you that I will be buying them immediately and often. Thank you Louisville Vegan Jerky Co!

To check out their non-GMO, gluten free jerky offerings and to watch for when this bacon hits the market, be sure to check out their website at http://www.louisvilleveganjerkycompany.com/