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 totally different manufacturers that you simply’re prone 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 understanding which was which. After snacking our manner by way of many, many items of jerky, we tabulated the outcomes and topped an total winner, in addition to 4 worthy contenders that we might be completely satisfied to snack on.

The Standards

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

Although jerky is a handy snack, it should not be a fast one. Each bit needs to be strong and chewy sufficient to make downing a complete bag in half-hour unattainable. Gentle 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, favored 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 had been extra balanced and fewer chewy, however appreciated the kick of spice.

Runners-Up

• 365 by Complete 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 had been fairly as scrumptious as our winner, our editors nonetheless thought the 4 runners-up above had been stable choices.

Greatest Jerky for Gasoline Station Lovers: 365 by Complete 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 gentle texture, noting that it reminded her of a basic gasoline station choose. Genevieve discovered it “not too candy, not too salty, properly balanced,” a Goldilocks choose. 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 except somebody informed 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 move for good jerky.

Greatest Jerky for Folks Who Do not Prefer to Chew: Nation Archer Authentic Beef Jerky

If you happen to’re not within the temper to chew, attain for Nation Archer Authentic Beef Jerky. “Only a slight chew, no must tear and gnaw,” famous Kelli. Equally, Laila wrote, “Softer than anticipated with a shreddy pull slightly than a agency chew.” Daniel favored 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 “high-quality.”

Greatest 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 tug aside. Amanda loved the well-balanced taste, and Genevieve appreciated its “beef-forward” notes.

Greatest 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 Complete 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, components probably added to provide their merchandise a extra advanced savoriness that salt might not ship by itself. One model makes use of wagyu, a premium breed of cattle well-known for its wealthy marbled meat. Many manufacturers include 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 components: beef, water, sugar, sea salt, yeast extract, flavors, cultured celery extract, and citric acid. Not like most of the manufacturers we sampled, it doesn’t include pineapple juice; it is probably why our editors discovered it satisfyingly chewy. It additionally doesn’t include liquid smoke, an ingredient that may impart an disagreeable synthetic taste when overused (although liquid smoke is constructed from actual smoke and never synthetic). Many manufacturers most likely use this ingredient to recreate the flavour profile of beef jerky made the old style manner: 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 gentle and straightforward to chew. These on our group who’re self-described jerky purists, together with Daniel, gravitated in the direction of manufacturers with out pineapple juice, which struck a cheerful medium: neither too moist and gentle, nor too dry and agency.

Our Testing Methodology

All style exams are performed with manufacturers utterly hidden and with out dialogue. Tasters style samples in random order. For instance, taster A might style pattern one first, whereas taster B will style pattern six first. That is to stop palate fatigue from unfairly giving anyone pattern a bonus. Tasters are requested to fill out tasting sheets, rating the samples in keeping with numerous standards. All knowledge is tabulated, and outcomes are calculated with no editorial enter to offer probably the most neutral illustration of precise outcomes attainable.