We Style-Examined 14 Manufacturers of Beef Jerky—Right here Are Our Favorites

Each time starvation strikes on a highway journey, I attain for the meat jerky I maintain stashed in my glove compartment. It is a wonderful snack for lengthy drives and tenting journeys, but additionally one I might fortunately eat day by day, whether or not that is at my desk, a picnic, or throughout a film. The query is: Which model is value shopping for?

To seek out the easiest beef jerky, our editors sampled 14 completely different manufacturers that you simply’re more likely to discover at your native grocery retailer or on-line. Along with conventional beef jerky, we additionally included biltong, an air-dried, cured meat with South African origins. We emptied every jerky right into a bowl, then sampled them in random order with out realizing which was which. After snacking our method by way of many, many items of jerky, we tabulated the outcomes and topped an general winner, in addition to 4 worthy contenders that we would be completely happy to snack on.

The Standards

Nice beef jerky ought to, maybe unsurprisingly, style like beef. Every bit must be well-seasoned: smoky, peppery, and savory, with simply sufficient sweetness to spherical it out. It must be properly chewy however not gristly, and it shouldn’t be excessively smooth, tender, or moist. As our editorial director, Daniel, wrote passionately on Slack: “There’s nothing improper with having to chew beef jerky for some time. The truth is, that is a part of a real jerky lover’s pleasure: working the dried beef and slowly having it give method and launch its taste over time.” 

Although jerky is a handy snack, it should not be a fast one. Every bit must be strong and chewy sufficient to make downing a complete bag in half-hour unimaginable. Mushy jerky could also be a gasoline station staple, however true jerky followers know that is not what good jerky is meant to be. 

General Winner

Jack Hyperlink’s Authentic Beef Jerky

“Good beefy taste,” wrote Daniel, who additionally appreciated its chewiness. Our affiliate culinary editor, Laila, loved its well-balanced profile: smoky, peppery, and savory, with a touch of sweetness. Our senior social media editor, Kelli, preferred that the jerky had “some heft to it,” whereas our affiliate visuals director, Amanda, loved its “melty mouthfeel.” In the meantime, our senior editor, Genevieve, wished it have been extra balanced and fewer chewy, however appreciated the kick of spice.

Runners-Up

• 365 by Entire Meals Market Beef Jerky 
• Nation Archer Authentic Beef Jerky
• Krave Authentic Beef Jerky, Sea Salt
• Wegman’s Beef Jerky

Although not one of the beef jerkies have been fairly as scrumptious as our winner, our editors nonetheless thought the 4 runners-up above have been stable choices.

Finest Jerky for Gasoline Station Lovers: 365 by Entire Meals Market Beef Jerky

This jerky was an instantaneous crowd-pleaser for a lot of of our tasters. “Candy with a touch of smokiness,” Laila famous. Amanda additionally loved its smooth texture, noting that it reminded her of a basic gasoline station decide. Genevieve discovered it “not too candy, not too salty, properly balanced,” a Goldilocks decide. In the meantime, Kelli loved its balanced taste however thought it could not stand in for jerky: “Actually, I would not know this was jerky until somebody advised me. This might simply simply be a part of a beef dish at a restaurant.” Daniel agreed, including that it was a lot too mushy to cross for good jerky.

Finest Jerky for Individuals Who Do not Prefer to Chew: Nation Archer Authentic Beef Jerky

Should you’re not within the temper to chew, attain for Nation Archer Authentic Beef Jerky. “Only a slight chew, no have to tear and gnaw,” famous Kelli. Equally, Laila wrote, “Softer than anticipated with a shreddy pull slightly than a agency chew.” Daniel preferred the feel much less: “It is over-tenderized for me.” Whereas Kelli, Genevieve, and Amanda praised its smoky and salty taste, Daniel and Laila thought the general taste was simply “positive.”

Finest Jerky for Hardcore Beef Lovers: Krave Authentic Sea Salt Beef Jerky

Our editors all discovered one thing to like about Krave Authentic Sea Salt Beef Jerky. “Taste is nice, so beefy…clearly some fats in there delivering additional beef taste,” wrote Daniel, who additionally praised the “hefty items” with a “actual dried jerky chew.” Likewise, Laila loved the jerky’s shreddiness, which made it straightforward to drag aside. Amanda loved the well-balanced taste, and Genevieve appreciated its “beef-forward” notes.

Finest Jerky for Umami Followers: Wegmans Beef Jerky

Wegmans Beef Jerky was one other employees favourite. Laila loved the flavour of “delicate pepper and soy sauce notes, with a transparent umami presence.” Each Genevieve and Kelli discovered the feel satisfyingly chewy. Amanda, nonetheless, thought it had an uneven texture. If texture does not matter to you as a lot as wealthy, savory flavors, then this jerky is for you.

The Contenders

• 365 by Entire Meals Market Beef Jerky, Authentic
• Ayoba Conventional Beef Biltong
• Nation Archer Provisions Authentic Beef Jerky
• Kirkland Signature Premium Further Thick Steak Strips
• Epic Beef Bites, Sea Salt & Pepper
• Good & Collect Beef Jerk
• Jack Hyperlink’s Authentic Beef Jerky
• Kalahari Biltong Air Dried Thinly Sliced Beef, Authentic
• Krave Authentic Sea Salt Beef Jerky
• Nature’s Promise Natural Beef Jerky
• Righteous Felon O.G. Hickory Beef Jerky
• Snake River Farms Beef Jerky
• Dealer Joe’s Beef Jerky, Authentic
• Wegmans Beef Jerky, Authentic

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Every beef jerky we sampled is made with beef, sugar, salt, and a mix of seasonings. Some manufacturers additionally embrace soy sauce, beef inventory, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and celery powder, elements probably added to present their merchandise a extra complicated savoriness that salt could not ship by itself. One model makes use of wagyu, a premium breed of cattle well-known for its wealthy marbled meat. Many manufacturers comprise pineapple juice, which has bromelain, an enzyme in pineapple that may break down and tenderize robust proteins.

Our winner, Jack Hyperlink’s Authentic Beef Jerky, incorporates simply eight elements: beef, water, sugar, sea salt, yeast extract, flavors, cultured celery extract, and citric acid. In contrast to most of the manufacturers we sampled, it doesn’t comprise pineapple juice; it is probably why our editors discovered it satisfyingly chewy. It additionally doesn’t comprise liquid smoke, an ingredient that may impart an disagreeable synthetic taste when overused (though liquid smoke is constituted of actual smoke and never synthetic). Many manufacturers most likely use this ingredient to recreate the flavour profile of beef jerky made the old school method: by air- or sun-drying and smoking.

Editors preferring candy, tender jerky gravitated towards jerky made with pineapple juice. Many of those choices, together with two of our runners-up—Nation Archer and Wegmans—are smooth and straightforward to chew. These on our staff who’re self-described jerky purists, together with Daniel, gravitated in direction of manufacturers with out pineapple juice, which struck a cheerful medium: neither too moist and smooth, nor too dry and agency.

Our Testing Methodology

All style exams are performed with manufacturers fully hidden and with out dialogue. Tasters style samples in random order. For instance, taster A could style pattern one first, whereas taster B will style pattern six first. That is to forestall palate fatigue from unfairly giving anybody pattern a bonus. Tasters are requested to fill out tasting sheets, rating the samples based on varied standards. All information is tabulated, and outcomes are calculated with no editorial enter to supply essentially the most neutral illustration of precise outcomes attainable.