Top 4 Best Tasting Jerky Snacks

Walking the miles of aisles at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, I’m reminded how food influences our life. There are two types of people; those who eat to live and those who live to eat. I easily fall into the later category of live to eat; in fact, I love to eat! I try to eat healthy, protein-focused meals and travel snacks, but sometimes my sweet tooth gets the best of me. I have curated a list of top 12 granola finds and I’ve been known to gift a custom granola blend for the holidays. Chocolate is my favorite food group. Today’s focus is the top four best tasting jerky snacks. Depending on your definition of “best” we may disagree on selections, as in one of my jerky choices is high in sugar.

Field Trip Jerky

Owned and operated out of Brooklyn, New York, Field Trip Jerky is a story of three guys – Tom, Matt & Scott – who formed a company to offer a gluten-free beef jerky. The company produces beef, pork and turkey jerky, as well as beef, pork and turkey meat sticks. I’ve taken this Field Trip jerky with me when I go on long car trips. It’s better to reach for a low fat snack like this, as it’s free of corn syrup, nitrites, and does not contain preservatives and has no added MSG; it’s tasty, too!

Krave Jerky

I discovered Krave Jerky when it was owned by former Sonoma winemaker Jon Sebastiani. Now owned by Hershey Company, Krave is still headquartered in Sonoma, California. I confess that I cringed a little when I learned that another small, boutique food producer had been gobbled up by corporate America, but I guess that’s the circle of life. Krave was my paddling partner on a sea kayaking adventure in Loreto, Mexico. I like the bold flavors of chili lime, basil citrus & black cherry barbecue. The gluten-free snack comes in turkey, pork and beef jerky varieties and is all natural and low in calories.

Simply Snackin’

I can’t remember how I came across Simply Snackin’ protein snacks, but I’m glad I found them. The family-owned company is based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin where their motto is ‘play hard -snack often.’ I couldn’t agree more with this motto as I find the 1 oz packages travel well on the road, on an airplane and in the saddle. The artisan protein snacks come in 10 flavors and are made with beef, turkey and venison. I really like the teriyaki beef with pineapple and the dried venison with cranberries and cherries.

Epic Provisions

Epic Provisions, a producer of sustainably sourced meat-based products, is introducing Jerky Snack Strips at the Winter Fancy Food Show in 2017. Whole Foods Markets will carry the healthy travel snacks, available in four flavors, salmon smoked maple, turkey cranberry sage, venison sea salt pepper and wagyu beef. My husband and son are hunters, so I know how good venison tastes and with very little fat, this 100% grass-fed beef and vension jerky is packed with protein, as is the wild salmon and turkey. The Austin-based company is an advocate of humanely raised meat snacks and rewards its ranching partners that practice restorative land management.

All of these jerky snacks are available in-store and online. I’ll be walking the floor at the Winter Fancy Food Show again this year and look forward to adding more of the best tasting jerky snacks to this list.