Types of Beef Jerky: Your Ultimate Flavor Guide

There are so many different types of beef jerky available, with new flavors and textures out all the time. From mildly spicy and moist to super peppery and leathery, from bite-sized cuts or fun-to-tear strips, there’s no end to the delicious options of jerky available.

The choice isn’t always a virtue, however – we know people can get overwhelmed trying to decide between the many options. If you’re having trouble choosing the right beef jerky, find the flavor and texture profile that best suits your palate with our guide.

What Are The Prominent Features of Jerky?

Before getting into the different types of beef jerky, we need to clarify what counts as jerky.

Dry

Beef jerky products are strips of meat that have undergone marinating and drying. Because most of the moisture is removed, it is shelf stable and can be stored without refrigeration. The final result is dehydrated strips of meat that are a quality source of protein and nutrients, offering a flavor that bursts out with each chew.

Depending on the maker, preparing jerky may involve sun-drying the meat or drying it in an oven, smokehouse, or dehydrator. Here at Wild River, we use a slow-dry and slow-smoking process made with 100% beef that ensures maximum flavor.

Chewy

Quality jerky should not crumble or break like crackers. Instead, the cooked meat should have a leathery exterior and a chewy interior so you can savor each bite.

What Kind of Meat Snacks Are Out There?

Several beef jerky flavors and textures are available from different makers. Below are some of the most delicious jerky products you can get:

Traditional Beef Jerky

Old-fashioned beef jerky is an homage to the original jerky-makers of America. It’s cooked and smoked slowly so the flavors become deeply infused in the meat, with a rugged texture. The best old-fashioned beef jerky is made from the leanest cuts of beef too. Each bite should send you back to star-lit nights camped outdoors, fishing trips, and long hikes.

At Wild River, you can buy different flavors of old-fashioned beef jerky. If you’re looking for one that brings the heat, try our Wild River hot old-fashioned beef jerky or green chile jerky. For those that just want the flavor of the rich, smoked meat try our mild jerky.

Tender Beef Steak Strips

While old-fashioned jerky is determined to stay true to its roots, tender beef steak strips are for those who love the smoky flavor but prefer a softer texture. Beef steak strips are generally thicker cut than beef jerky, giving you a thicker bite each time.

Beef Steak Strips can be made soft by slicing the pieces thinner, tenderizing the meat more before drying, or less drying time.

If softer meat snacks sound more like your thing, here are a few delicious flavors to try:

• Korean Barbecue Beef Steak Strips from Lorissa’s Kitchen: The product contains meat strips made from tender, 100% grass-fed beef. Each serving contains zero gluten and offers 9 grams of protein.
• Extra Tender Teriyaki Beef Steak Strips from Jack Links: The teriyaki-flavored snack promises some of the most tender steak strips you can get. It’s also gluten-free and made with 100% beef.

Biltong

Biltong is a tender beef snack that’s thickly cut. Unlike other meat snacks that are cooked, biltong is actually cured in vinegar and then air-dried. The drying time can take up to a week and the vinegar helps preserve the meat and keeps it from spoiling.

Biltong tends to have a savory taste. Besides the vinegar, it’s seasoned with ingredients like rock salt and coriander and often doesn’t have any sugar added to it. The absence of cooking leaves in more of the natural juices and flavors as well.

People enjoy biltong for its rich flavor and soft texture. It’s quicker to chew due to the high level of moisture in each piece. Since fattier meat cuts are used to make biltong, it tends to be higher in calories than beef jerky.

Those following a low sugar diet might prefer biltong over dried meat snacks that use sweeteners. However, there are jerky brands that don’t use sugar at all to make their jerky. This is good news if you’re going low sugar and are a fan of thick-cut, rugged jerky that you can slowly savor.

Meat Sticks

Meat sticks have a very distinct shape from other meat snacks. The ground meat is stuffed into a thin, tube-like casing, much like a sausage. They’re often enjoyed by active people who need a quick and easy snack that they can consume quickly.

Like jerky, meat sticks are perfectly seasoned and dehydrated. They’re cooked with salt and a variety of herbs and spices. These ingredients and the drying process give them a smoky taste, with a subtle hint of sweetness.

Meat sticks are also very easy to chew. They have a thicker, softer texture than dried cuts of meat and they’re packed into a casing. Even though you could scarf them down quickly, meat sticks still give you the opportunity to savor them slowly. Just open the package and bite off a piece bit by bit!

Jerky Chew

Jerky chew is for those who struggle with the tough chew of classic beef jerky. If you want the distinct flavor of old-fashioned jerky without as much bite, jerky chew is an option.

Jerky chew undergoes the same marinating and drying process as old-fashioned jerky. The difference comes in once it’s dried: the meat is shredded, making it easier to chew. Hence the name, jerky chew. Jack Link’s offers various jerky chew products, such as Teriyaki Beef Jerky Chew and Original Beef Jerky Chew.

Why You Should Try Traditional Beef Jerky

Old-fashioned jerky is beef jerky made the traditional way – slow-dried and smoked until it contains minimal moisture. The simple recipe does not rely on complicated ingredients that overshadow the rich flavor of the meat.

The hassle-free storage makes old-fashioned jerky ideal for outdoorsy types who need a tasty snack that offers quality nutrients to fuel their adventures.

Even better, since the snack is lightweight, it won’t sit heavily in your belly and weigh you down as you conquer the outdoors. It’s also a great snack for road trips because handling the dry meat strips won’t make a mess in your car.

More reasons to try old-fashioned beef jerky are:

One-of-a-Kind Texture

The slow drying and smoking process gives old-fashioned jerky a unique texture that no other cooking method can deliver. The meat is tough, dry, and leathery to the touch but softens and releases umami once it touches your tongue. Umami is a category of taste much like spice, sweetness, bitterness, and so on. Umami’s taste corresponds to the flavor of glutamate in the food and produces a taste that many consider to be savory.

A Tough and Satisfying Chew

Old-fashioned beef jerky’s chewiness allows you to relish the jerky flavor over a long period as you chomp on the meat. The meat’s smokiness also lends it a distinct and satisfying savory taste that will keep you coming back for more.

Try Our Different Flavors of Old-Fashioned Beef Jerky

Now that you know the different beef jerky flavors and textures, which one would you like to try?

At Wild River, we lead the pack with our old-fashioned beef jerky flavors. We have something for every palate, and all our flavors deliver 15 grams of protein per serving. Even better, our different types of beef jerky make a gluten-free snack that only contains less than one gram of sugar.

Order your favorite Wild River old-fashioned beef jerky online today, or pick up a pack at your nearby store.