How to Keep Your Beef Jerky From Getting Hard

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Taste the 27 Best Jerky Products on the Planet

We chowed down on nearly 200 meat sticks, strips, and bars before crowning the best jerkies in the world. Here are our top protein-packed picks

Media Platforms Design Team

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Back in the day, your jerky options were limited to original, peppered, and maybe teriyaki flavors. Today, aided by the boom of The Paleo Diet, there's a veritable wilderness of jerky out there.

(Here's what you need to know about The REAL Paleo Diet.)

According to Nielsen, sales of meat snacks in North America—heavily driven by jerky products, of course—grew 15 percent from 2013 to 2014. That's good, because now you have more choices than ever before, which include exotic meats, spices, and cuts. But that's bad because there's also a lot of crummy jerky on the market.

But we have the solution to stop you from going cross-eyed in the convenience store: We taste-tested bags upon bags of jerky from around the country to separate the standouts from the stinkers. Those that scored highest in flavor, texture, and aftertaste were crowned champions. Check out the winners to discover the best of the herd.

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Category: Original
Winner: Perky Jerky More Than Just Original
Score: 8.2 out of 10
This champ proves that original doesn't have to mean boring. Perky Jerky cranks up the flavor with cracked pepper and brown sugar, which combine to add a hint of spicy sweetness to its beefy backbone. There's a subtle lingering smokiness in there too.
($5 for 2.2 oz., perkyjerky.com)

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Category: Original
First Runner-Up: Oberto Original Beef
Score: 7.67
You know this brand. You can find the stuff at nearly every drugstore and superstore—and that's a very good thing. Sugar, spices, and a touch of vinegar round out the taste, establishing this jerky as "balanced" and "campfire-y," as one tester raved.
($7 for 3.25 oz., shop.oberto.com)

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Category: Original
Second Runner-Up: Three Jerks Original
Score: 7.47
Three Jerks cuts their jerky from the tenderloin of the cow, giving the product a tender, buttery feel. (The cut of the cow really makes a difference. Find out What's Your Beef?)

Throw in a tangy, spicy kick and you have one heck of a bagged snack. If you prefer to chew your jerky like hardtack, look elsewhere.
($12 for 2 oz., threejerksjerky.com)

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Category: Peppered
Winner: Jack Link's Peppered Beef Jerky
Rating: 7.94
Jack Link's, the world's leading meat-snack maker, wasn't always a heavy hitter. In fact, the company's eponymous founder, John "Jack" Link, started out in 1985, using his great-grandfather's recipes to make jerky and sell it from the back of his pickup truck in Minong, Wisconsin. History, it seems, prevailed. Our tasters loved this jerky's thick texture and well-balanced peppery sweetness. "I would eat this all day," raved one taster. "Not too chewy, nice and thick, good pepperiness, slightly sweet."
($8 for 2.85 oz., jacklinks.com)

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Category: Peppered
First Runner-Up: 365 Organic Beef Jerky Peppered
Rating: 7.78
This smoky-sweet jerky hails from Whole Foods Market's store brand.

Related: The 20 Best Organic Foods

It wasn't the most peppery of the bunch ("I'd be bummed if I was expecting a ton of pepper," remarked a taster), but if you prefer a light hand with the spice, then this one's for you.
($15 for 3 oz., amazon.com)

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Category: Peppered
Second Runner-Up: Sweetwood Beef Jerky Peppered
Rating: 7.7
Founded by a former NFL player turned Under Armour exec, Sweetwood Cattle Co. taps Western ranches for sustainably produced, grass-fed beef, which is then hand cut and wood smoked. You'll taste pepper alright ("I feel like 100 peppercorns are beating down my palate … and I'm loving it!" one taster wrote.), but you'll also detect some garlic.
($7 for 2 oz., sweetwoodjerky.com)

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Category: Spicy-Sweet
Winner: Mountain America Sweet & Spicy
Rating: 7.51
This jerky comes from a small Denver company that hand-slices all its meats and smokes everything in 50-pound batches. The jerky comes in moist, thick strips that look, as one taster put it, like "meat licorice." The taste comes off heavier on the spicy than the sweet, but you're not scared, are you?
($9 for 3.25 oz., mountainamericajerky.com)

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Category: Spicy-Sweet
First Runner-Up: Matador Sizzling Sweet
Rating: 6.92
"Marry me," one taster proposed to this jerky. Produced by Jack Link's, Matador appeals to jerky classicists. Our tasters loved the chew and balanced flavor: "Sweet with a bit of a kick," one wrote. "The heat kicks in later for a satisfying finish," said another. Love at first bite?
($7 for 3 oz, fritolay.com)

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Category: Spicy-Sweet
Second Runner-Up: Fatman's Sweet and Spicy
Rating: 6.72
Named after a cofounder's affectionate nickname for his father, Fatman's prides itself on its Old West–inspired jerky. That means they cut the meat themselves and hold off on adding any preservatives. Sweet and Spicy, the company's newest jerky variety, combines savory soy sauce and a light hand on the sugar for a unique, Korean-style flavor.
($6 for 2 oz., fatmansbeefjerky.com)

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Category: Teriyaki
Winner: Blue Ox Teriyaki Smoked Beef Jerky
Score: 8.09
These generously cut slabs of beef deliver a balanced blend of smoky, spicy, and sweet. Testers loved its kick of garlic and honey undertones. Bonus: It's one of the few jerkies that actually felt like you were gnawing on a real piece of meat. Cue grunting.
($7 for 4 oz., blueoxjerky.com)

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Category: Teriyaki
First Runner-Up: Sweetwood Teriyaki
Score: 6.97
This beef jerky avoided the most common pitfall of the teriyaki types we tasted: a cloying sugar rush.

Related: The Truth about Sugar

"It's salty, just-sweet-enough umami," one tester wrote. Add to that a good chewiness and you've got a postworkout snack that puts that shaker bottle of chalky protein powder to shame.
($7 for 2 oz., sweetwoodjerky.com)

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Category: Teriyaki
Second Runner-Up: Bricktown Jerky City Slicker Teriyaki
Score: 6.9
This moist, soft jerky packs in a sweet teriyaki taste, a twinge of pineapple, and a hint of hot. You'll also taste garlic and black pepper. It's more complex than a Christopher Nolan movie.
($6 for 3oz., jerky.com)

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Category: Spicy
Winner: Jeff's Famous Jalapeño Carne Asada Beef Jerky
Rating: 7.93
This California company launched in 2010, but founder Jeff Richards has been perfecting his jerky recipes for 40 years. His team marinates American beef in small batches for 12 to 24 hours to infuse the meat with flavor while preserving the taste and consistency of the steak. This south-of-the-border-inspired recipe uses real jalapeños, fresh lime juice, balsamic vinegar, and 11 herbs and spices.
($7 for 3 oz., jeffsfamousjerky.com)

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Category: Spicy
First Runner-Up: Jack Link's Jalapeño Beef Jerky
Rating: 7.57
This stuff combines chile pepper heat with woody-sweet barbecue flavor. Good chew too.
($8 for 2.85 oz., jacklinks.com)

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Category: Spicy
Second Runner-Up: Blue Ox Blazin' Hot Smoked Beef Jerky
Rating: 7.46
This Michigan-based brand delivers the heat with a one-two punch of sriracha spices and red-pepper flakes. It's blazing hot yet balanced.

(Don't be afraid to switch up your spice. This Hot Sauce May Be Even Better than Sriracha.)

"Sets a fire and keeps the flame going," said one taster. Eat it with Gouda cheese to temper the burn.
($7 for 4 oz., blueoxjerky.com)

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Category: Flavored
Winner: Duke's Spicy Bar-B-Q Beef Brisket
Rating: 7.86
This company's founder started out making jerky from his own homemade marinades. This Spicy Bar-B-Q variety derives its flavor from Stubb's Spicy Bar-B-Q Sauce. (Here's how to Make Your Own BBQ Sauce.)

"Meaty, chewy, satisfying—this is jerky!" said one taster. Pair it with a classic American lager or an oatmeal stout.
($7 for 3 oz., shop.dukesmeats.com)

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Category: Flavored
First Runner-Up: Krave Chili Lime Beef Jerky
Rating: 6.76
Our tasters compared the spicy-sweet flavor to nacho seasoning. (That's a good thing.) The texture was softer than most jerkies we tried, but many of our tasters preferred it: "Love the spicy and sweet combo! This almost melts in my mouth," said one.
($7 for 3.25 oz., kravejerky.com)

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Category: Flavored
Second Runner-Up: Duke's Bourbon Glaze Beef Steak
Rating: 6.62
Marinated in Kentucky bourbon and then smoked with hickory wood, these meaty, chewy strips are minimally processed with no added preservatives. Take some to your next cookout and throw them on s'mores for a salty-sweet summer snack.
($7 for 3.15 oz., shop.dukesmeats.com)

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Category: Non-Beef Unflavored
Winner: Jerky.com Buffalo
Score: 7.83
Made with 100 percent grass-fed buffalo, this jerky nearly had tasters breaking up with beef. Buffalo meat is leaner and slightly sweeter than beef, they noted. This brand's bison is chewy, rich, meaty, and slightly smoky.
($9 for 2 oz., jerky.com)

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Category: Non-Beef Unflavored
First Runner-Up: Oberto Applewood-Smoked Bacon Jerky
Score: 6.81
Love bacon? You'll dig it when it's dried into jerky too. (We tested bacon, too. This Might Be the Best Bacon You'll Ever Taste.)

This jerky is slow-cooked for nearly 10 hours with applewood chips. Testers gave it the highest compliment: "Tastes like bacon!"
($6 for 2.5 oz., shop.oberto.com)

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Category: Non-Beef Unflavored
Second Runner-Up: Alien Fresh Turkey
Score: 6.33
This paper-thin jerky won our testers over with its hearty turkey flavor and subtle sweetness. Sure, it took a while to chew, but that's all the more time to appreciate its unique tang. It houses enough salt to wake up your tastebuds without overpowering the garlic and pepper undertones.
($9 for 4 oz., alienfreshjerky.com)

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Category: Non-Beef Flavored
Winners (tie): Blue Ox Honey BBQ Turkey
Score: 8.33
While testers expressed initial concern over this jerky's resemblance to dried fruit, that changed after a bite. The turkey jerky has a thick texture, barbecue sweetness, a peppery kick, and a smoky aftertaste.
($7 for 4 oz., blueoxjerky.com)

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Category: Non-Beef Flavored
Winners (tie): Krave Citrus Basil Turkey
Score: 8.33
The basil adds a bite of freshness, and the lemon slaps your tastesbuds awake. Gobble it down.
($7 for 3.25 oz., kravejerky.com)

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Category: Non-Beef Flavored
First Runner-Up: Jack Link's BBQ Pork
Score: 8.17
Our testers loved the thick, tender, and chewy texture of this pork jerky as well as its spicy barbecue kick.
($8 for 3.25 oz., jacklinks.com)

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Category: Jerky Sticks/Bars
Winner: Sweetwood Fatty Jalapeño
Score: 7
"Snappy! Spicy! A Slim Jim on overdrive!" said one taster. If you're looking for a portable protein snack in stick form, make this your go-to pick.
($50 for 15 2-oz. sticks, sweetwood.com)

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Category: Jerky Sticks/Bars
First Runner-Up: Tanka Slow Smoked Buffalo Bar
Score: 6.83
The concept is genius: Make a protein bar that's actually made of real protein—not processed soy proteins.

Related: 20 Healthy, Protein-Packed Smoothie Recipes

While the texture might weird you out at first, the sweet meatiness of the bar will convince you.
($6 for 2 1-oz. bars, tankabar.com)

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Category: Jerky Sticks/Bars
Second Runner-Up: Buffalo Bob's Maple Duck Stick
Score: 6.71
"I'd eat this on a hike or camping trip," said one tester. More descriptively: "A hit of smoke, followed by a whisper of sweetness. Get me a pack of these," said another. Well, what are you waiting for?
($2 for 1 oz. stick, jerkydynasty.com)

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Source: https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/g19548050/best-jerky-products/

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