9 Lesser Known Jerky Brands That Every Bro Needs To Try Right Now

Tasty morsels of lean, cured, delicious, portable protein – there may not be a better snack than jerky. But in the last handful of years, new jerky brands have been upping the game, sourcing and raising better tasting animals, introducing new flavors and expanding away from just meadows and pastures. From beef to bison, meat stick to bar form, and sweet to salty to spicy, here are some great lesser-known jerky brands and the delicious flavors they offer.

KRAVE

The Facts: Krave crafts what they call “chef-inspired” flavors and bakes their meat instead of dehydrating to keep it moist and tender. You’ve just found the perfect accessory to your hiking boots and trail map.

The Flavors: Sweet Chipotle Beef, Chili Lime Beef, Grilled Sweet Teriyaki Beef, Garlic Chili Pepper Beef, Black Cherry Barbecue Pork, Pineapple Orange Pork, Basil Citrus Turkey and Lemon Garlic Turkey, Five Peppercorn Beef, Sesame Ginger Beef, Cabernet Rosemary Beef, Chardonnay Thyme Turkey, Honey Peach Barbecue Pork. Get it here.

True Gentleman Jerky

The Facts: Formed by the virtue of a successful Kickstarter campaign, True Gentleman’s Jerky was formed by a group of friends who wanted to produce a healthy alternative to mass produced jerky. Instead of the typical flat jerky, TGJ delivers the snack in a rugged, hand-cut texture for maximum munchage.

The Flavors: Sinsa Korean BBQ, Original Peppered. Get it here.

Wild Bill’s Foods

The Facts: Wild Bill’s, who is known for their long strips of jerky packed into old-timey mason jars, makes simple strong flavors work their magic on your palate. Gear up for a punch of salty, peppery goodness.

The Flavors: Hickory Smoked, Teriyaki, Black Peppered. Get it here.

EPIC

The Facts: The most progressive beef jerky company by far, EPIC goes beyond beef with bacon, lamb, beef liver, bison and turkey, serving it all up in protein bar format. Pretty epic, indeed.

The Flavors: Bison Bacon Cranberry, Beef Habanero Cherry, Turkey Almond Cranberry, Lamb Currant Mint, Beef Liver Sea Salt, Pulled Pork Pineapple, Beef Apple Bacon, and more. Get it here.

Vermont Smoke and Cure

The Facts: 50 years of smoking meat and still going strong, VT Smoke and Cure “real sticks” come in beef, pork, and turkey of various flavors. Attention Slim Jims – you’ve met your match.

The Flavors: Turkey Ancho, Beef BBQ, Beef-Pork Chipotle, Beef-Pork Cracked Pepper, Turkey Honey Mustard and Turkey Pepperoni. Get it here.

Pure Provisions

The Facts: Imagine tender-chew jerky with subtle flavoring (less than 7 ingredients and far less salt than most brands) that can come in the mail as a cool “jerky of the month”-type subscription service. Are you salivating yet? Pure Provisions is a reason to give turkey jerky a second chance.

The Flavors: Currently, Orange Ginger Garlic, Savory Five Spice, Jamaican Jerk. Get it here.

Eichtens Gourmet Bison Jerk

The Facts: This easily chewable, whole-muscle jerky from Eichten’s family farm is made from the rump roast, then sliced, marinated and smoked. Yeehaw, cowboy.

The Flavors: Teriyaki, Pepper, BBQ, Hot. Get it here.

The New Primal

The Facts: The New Primal calls themselves “the most responsible meat snack company in the world” placing emphasis on its free-range, grass-fed, gluten free, Non-GMO, hormone and antibiotic-free New Zealand beef and turkey. But if you’re like most people you’ll just ask, How does it taste? Well, as it turns out, pretty excellent.

The Flavors: Original Beef, Original Turkey, Spicy Beef. Get it here.

Shurky Jurky

The Facts: Words like “luxury” and “savor” aren’t usually equated with jerky, but these guys insist their classic home style rip tear jerky is just that. Quality ingredients like anchovy paste, smoke paprika and pineapple, and a slow-chewing, flavor-unlocking suggested snacking style set this apart from the pack.

The Flavors: Traditional Smoked (plus Guajillo Chile, Red Hot, Black Peppered, Asian Sesame, and Chocolate & Cherry coming soon). Get it here.