Less Flavorful And Nutritious, Hormel Hard Salami Stix Flop.

The Good: These do not taste bad.
The Bad: Bland, Not at all healthy, Expense, Environmental impact.
The Basics: A poor meat treat, Hormel Hard Salami Stix are not quite worth picking up.


When I start reviewing a new (to me) type product, I truly do leap into it wholeheartedly. This month, in addition to reviewing cheeses, which have been one of the review types I brought with me from the site I used to write for, I have now started reviewing meats. That actually began with my review of Hormel Turkey Pepperoni Stix (reviewed here!) and when I picked those up, I also picked up the Hormel Hard Salami Stix that I am now reviewing. Unfortunately, the Hard Salami Stix did not grab me and looking over the nutrition facts on the package, I became more dismayed.

I found the 3.75 oz. (5-stick) pack on clearance for $1.99 (regularly $3.99) and picked it up. In addition to not having the most vibrant or interesting taste, the health aspects, the expense and environmental impact of it makes it impossible to recommend the Hard Salami Stix.

Basics

Hormel is a manufacturer of meat products like pepperoni and jerky. The intent of the Hormel Stix is for the meat snacks to be their own snack, not a component (like pepperoni traditionally is).

Hormel’s Hard Salami Stix are a processed meat product. The package contains five 5 1/2" sticks that are each 1/2” in diameter. The individual sticks have easy to open wrappers that peel open, like cheese sticks. The five Stix are connected with perforated wrappers that make them very easy to separate. At a regular price of almost $1.00/ea., with such unenvironmentally responsible wrappings, it is hard for a cheap, healthy, environmentalist to justify these meaty snacks.

Ease Of Preparation

Hormel Hard Salami Stix are a processed meat product, so basically, one opens wrapper and they begin devouring them. These are supposed to be refrigerated after opening, but given that they are each a single serving, they can be easily consumed in one sitting.

Taste

The Hormel Hard Salami Stix made me realize what a distinctive scent salami has to it. It doesn’t smell like pepperoni or bologna; it is its own meaty scent that defines its own flavor and aroma. Predictably, Hormel Hard Salami Stix have exactly that scent.

On the tongue, Hormel’s Hard Salami Stix are not terribly hard and their initial flavor is overwhelmed by the very bland casing that makes them taste more like a cold hot dog than anything else. Inside the casing, the Hard Salami sticks are meaty and salty and they taste like a slightly saltier and greasier version of salami than I can recall. The flavor is pretty much exactly what one expects from salami, except a little saltier.

Nutrition

Hormel Hard Salami Stix are a terrible choice for balanced nutrition. A serving size is considered one meat stick. In the recommended serving, there are 90 calories, 70(!) of which are from fat. This snack has 15% of one's daily recommended saturated fat intake and 15% of the RDA of sodium. On the plus side, it does have four grams of protein.

These are Gluten-free, but not marked as Kosher (I’m not sure why, the ingredient list does not indicate what might violate that diet, unless the collagen casing is what does it?). This meat snack is made primarily of beef and pork, salt and dextrose. That makes it mostly natural, but it does have preservatives that are not natural.

Storage/Cleanup

I’m not sure how long these last because I purchased them on clearance as they would have expired today. I would be surprised if these actually had a very short shelf life, given how salty they are and how many preservatives they have.

Hard Salami Stix are a meat product and given how greasy they are, they will undoubtedly stain clothes, especially light ones. Barring that, cleanup of nonporous surfaces is as easy as wiping them with a damp cloth. Also, unless one eats them right out of the package, the Hard Salami Stix necessitate the washing of one’s hands after they are done consuming them.

Overall

Hormel Hard Salami Stix simply did not grab me and lacks nutritional elements to make a difference, making it easy to not recommend.

For other salty snacks reviews, please check out my takes on:
Pecos Bill’s Teriyaki Beef Jerky
Yancy’s Fancy Steakhouse Onion Cheddar
Totino’s Pepperoni Pizza Chips

2.5/10

For other food and drink reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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