When you’re craving a tasty sandwich but don’t have time to venture to your nearest Jimmy John’s or Subway location, there’s nothing that comes in handy more than pre-packaged, pre-sliced deli meat. And perhaps there’s no more recognizable brand in the game than Hillshire Farm. However, even with nearly 100 years of experience under its belt, not all of its products are worth stocking up on. While Hillshire Farm’s Ultra Thin Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken Breast and Ultra Thin Sliced Lower Sodium Oven Roasted Turkey Breast are some of the best options around, its Ultra Thin Sliced Roast Beef came in last place in our ranking of 12 Hillshire Farm deli meats.
On its website, Hillshire Farm proclaims that its “premium-quality thin sliced roast beef is sure to make any meat lover’s mouth water.” It also signals the high-quality ingredients and the absence of artificial preservatives and flavors, but we found that this beefy option tasted out of character when thinly sliced. After all, roast beef packs a major punch of flavor — one that didn’t quite translate in such small slices. In fact, in order to put together a deli-worthy roast beef sandwich with this product, a large percentage of the entire pack needed to be used.
Hillshire Farm customers complain of gristle in its roast beef
Online, reviews from major retailers echoed our findings. On Kroeger’s website, where Hillshire Farm’s Ultra Thin Sliced Roast Beef had a 3.3 out of 5 rating, customers complained of a bland flavor and mushy texture. Others reported on inconsistencies in the quality of the meat (a problem with other low-quality deli meat brands), and said that some packages contained more gristle and fat than others.
The product’s rating wasn’t much higher on the Hillshire Farm website, where it currently has a 3.4 star rating. “The beef was full of hard gristle, making it difficult to chew even though it was sliced ultra-thin,” one customer explained. Another added, “Every slice was mostly gristle. … This was such a huge disappointment.”
Over on Amazon, reviews were much higher, coming in at an impressive 4.5 out of 5 as users confirmed multiple purchases of the roast beef. That said, some noted that the product tasted overly salty and stated that their meat spoiled sooner than the best by date listed on the package.
