Dried and cured meat has been a survival staple since man found fireplace. Over time we’ve perfected it for style and longevity, utilizing high-tech industrial dehydrators and loads of preservatives to have the commercially obtainable jerky we’ve got at this time. Whereas it’s removed from good, the perfect beef jerky can final years in a survival package, bug out bag, or perhaps a glove compartment. There are numerous manufacturers and varieties of jerky to think about.
That is the place we are available. We’ve damaged down the ingredient and shelf life information on extensively obtainable beef jerky after which given all of them old style taste-testing. With some jerky lasting years longer than others, we discovered the fats content material to be an necessary consideration for expiration. Get considered one of our high picks in your favourite taste so as to add critical protein and nice style to your pantry or kits.
Contents (Soar to a Part)

The Greatest Beef Jerky
Outdated Trapper Beef Jerky
Lean, Flavorful, and Lengthy-Lasting
Negligible fats content material provides this powerful jerky twice the shelf lifetime of different manufacturers with a fantastic basic style in addition.
*Value at time of publishing; examine for worth adjustments or gross sales.
Outdated Trapper is extensively obtainable at grocery shops and large field shops and isn’t very costly. They don’t dance round the truth that they use sodium nitrate as a preservative like different manufacturers do (although all of them use nitrates). The wonderful thing about Outdated Trapper is that they choose extraordinarily lean meat for his or her cuts to dehydrate. This leads to the longest-lasting beef jerky by far in our comparisons. It was additionally confirmed by the printed ‘greatest by’ date comparisons, walloping the competitors in our style testing by a number of months.
Talking of taste-testing, Outdated Trapper doesn’t style dangerous in any respect for comparatively low cost jerky. It isn’t low sodium, however the brown sugar balances the salty style properly. It’s not going to win any health-eating awards, however it does pack some protein and energy making it a stable survival alternative.
Specs
6 taste choices: Outdated Original (taste-tested), Peppered (my favourite), Sizzling, Spicy, Sizzling & Spicy, Teriyaki10 ouncesClear windowed plastic packaging with oxygen absorber24-month best-by date
In order for you the perfect beef jerky to your survival kits, Outdated Trapper Beef Jerky tastes nice and can outlast the remaining.


No Sugar Beef Jerky
Tillamook Zero Sugar
Protein Packed, Sugar-Free, and Tasty
Skip the sugary style and pack away some critical protein with this zero-sugar choice getting loads of traction currently.
*Value at time of publishing; examine for worth adjustments or gross sales.
Sugar does a reasonably good job of balancing out salty style however everyone knows that sugar isn’t the perfect for you. If you’re consuming jerky day-after-day, or usually sufficient to maintain in your on a regular basis carry- you may need to go for the sugar-free choice.
Out of the sugar-free choices, Tillamook took the crown within the dietary breakdown, shelf life, and style check. It lasts a very long time in its packaging and has among the highest protein by weight since sugar has been pulled out. It undoubtedly has a salty style, however you can even style the meat taste extra clearly as properly. I loved the style of the unique taste regardless of its simplicity and saltiness, and the opposite style testers agreed.
The sugar free choices do value a bit greater than different choices, this one included. Nonetheless, your physician might thanks should you eat a number of jerky and it’s not a downgrade in taste- it’s simply completely different.
Specs
4 taste choices: Unique (taste-tested), Black Pepper, Sizzling & Spicy (my favourite), Teriyaki6.5 ouncesClear windowed plastic packaging with oxygen absorber18-month best-by date
If you happen to’re searching for a jerky choice with out the sweetness, the Tillamook Zero Sugar Beef Jerky will do the trick.


Greatest Jerky Sticks
Jack Hyperlinks Beef Steak
Light-weight, Protein-packed, and Handy.
Individually packaged steak strips are simple to interrupt up between survival kits for quick protein.
*Value at time of publishing; examine for worth adjustments or gross sales.
Jack Hyperlinks is probably the most recognizable jerky model in America, however not all of their jerky is identical, and never all of their stick choices are both. The steak sticks blow away their common beef sticks, that are extra like Slim Jims. These are filled with fats, whereas these steak sticks are lean like common jerky however handy in an extended strip/snack kind.
For individually packaged strips they aren’t dangerous on value both, making them best should you want only a few sticks in survival kits, lunch bins, or glove compartments. The shelf life isn’t so long as some jerky they usually don’t embody an oxygen absorber to assist lengthen it.
The flavour is sweet and they’re extra chewy than common jerky from the binder used to maintain it in strip kind. This doesn’t detract from the style however the texture distinction is noticeable. Nonetheless, the steak strips are a lot nearer to the actual deal than beef sticks from Jack Hyperlinks and different manufacturers.
Specs
4 taste choices: Unique (taste-tested), Peppered (my favourite), Candy & Sizzling, Teriyaki12 sticks of 1-ounce jerkyClear windowed plastic packaging12-month best-by date
The Jack Hyperlinks Beef Steak Strips are a stable choice for protein on-the-go and a significantly better choice than slamming right into a Slim Jim.
All the things We Suggest
The Jerky We In contrast
Our analysis narrowed the sector to a number of dried meat manufacturers that we taste-tested and in contrast the vitamins and shelf-life on: Archer, Jack Hyperlinks, Oberto, Tillamook, Outdated Trapper, Cattleman’s Reduce, Slim Jim, and extra.
We clarify all of our style testing standards and diet analysis in our What to Look For part.
The vary of manufacturers, sorts, and flavors of beef jerky is boundless with the entire ’boutique’ manufacturers on the market now. Sadly, these don’t go the ‘worth’ check, costing a number of {dollars} per ounce of dried meat. To maintain issues easy, we caught with ‘unique’ or ‘quaint’ type beef jerky to keep away from taste preferences, which don’t matter a lot for survival so long as you take pleasure in your decide.
Do-it-yourself beef jerky additionally solely lasts a fraction of the time, so it didn’t make our high suggestions- however it’s worthwhile if in case you have your personal dehydrator.
Beef jerky isn’t the perfect survival meals, however it’s handy, tasty, and holds up properly sufficient within the bag. Whereas we examined many of the jerky available in shops, I’m all the time open to making an attempt new manufacturers and flavors if in case you have any options. We evaluation no less than yearly, so we’ll replace if we discover one thing better- so options of your personal favorites are all the time appreciated!
What to Look For
One of the best beef jerky for survival has a couple of issues to judge:
ValueTasteNutritionPackagingShelf Life
As soon as you discover and evaluate beef jerky with a stable mix of those, you’ll be capable of pack some dried meat in your bag that’ll final loads of months till it is advisable to cycle by means of them.
Worth: Price Evaluation
You shouldn’t blow out your funds on beef jerky. It may be pricey- particularly in case you are contemplating boutique manufacturers, mail order, or specialty varieties of jerky. Finances beef jerky, alternatively, could be poorly packaged, go stale rapidly, and simply have a foul style.
The candy spot lies within the center, like most issues. We used spreadsheet graphs to judge value per ounce of beef jerky in comparison with different options like shelf life. This makes it simple to see which varieties of jerky look greatest ‘on paper’, however there’s all the time nonetheless style testing to be performed.
Style
Have you ever ever had dangerous beef jerky? I’m not essentially speaking about spoiled beef jerky- I hope you’ve by no means tasted moldy or stale jerky! I’m speaking about beef jerky that simply tastes dangerous.
Often, that is when the producer is simply going by means of the motions on a selected taste or sort of jerky. I’ve had some fairly dangerous teriyaki and different flavors from large manufacturers in my lifetime.
To maintain the style testing easy, our crew restricted the jerky taste to simply ‘Unique’ or ‘Outdated Original’. Whereas my very own private favourite is something peppered or with warmth, a few of our style testers most popular different flavors. Having all of us attempt the common taste put us on a good taking part in subject and helped us evaluate tastes between the manufacturers.
Diet
Apart from how the jerky tastes and the way good of a price it’s, you also needs to take into account its diet. For jerky in a survival package, that is outlined by calorie rely and the way a lot of these energy is made up of protein.
For every of our picks, we present how a lot of every ounce of jerky is in measured protein. We additionally present the fats, sugar, ldl cholesterol, and sodium measurements. Excessive sodium can have an effect on style, however it is usually a preservative.
Sugar content material can go both manner, and arguments each for and in opposition to sugar in survival meals has benefit. Survival meals bars and ration bars are loaded with sugar to supply power. A great deal of sugar aren’t precisely wholesome should you plan on consuming extra usually, so sugar-free jerky would be the strategy to go in case you are utilizing it in your on a regular basis carry bag.
You could discover that fats is inversely proportional to the listed ‘greatest by’ dates that we present for our shelf life. Jerkies with much less fats (or no fats) final considerably longer than greater fats manufacturers since fats is hard to fully dehydrate even with industrial tools.
Packaging
Nearly each model we examined used ‘windowed’ plastic luggage (some resealable) with an included oxygen absorber that was numerous manufacturers/sizes (however they’re all iron oxide, in fact).
We’ve reviewed the perfect oxygen absorbers and observed a couple of of the top-quality absorbers in higher-cost jerky luggage. The bigger the bag, the bigger the absorber that was included.
On the storage luggage, high quality was obvious within the plastic thickness and edge seal. Most manufacturers printed that the jerky ought to be eaten inside a couple of days of opening, even when they included a resealable closure. A number of smaller luggage could also be best to your kits because of this. A number of 10-ounce luggage could also be higher than the three-pounder.
Shelf Life
One of the best beef jerky we noticed had a whopping 24-month listed ‘greatest by’ date on the packing, which was nonetheless at 22 months after distribution time after leaving the producer. It’s in a position to accomplish that with a nominal stage of fats within the beef cuts it selects, which is healthier for dehydration (as we identified earlier). It additionally makes use of sturdy packaging and a reliable oxygen absorber, and sodium nitrate.


All beef jerky ought to be saved in a cool, dry place out of daylight for the perfect shelf-life efficiency. Many will final previous the listed best-by date if they’re saved correctly. If you happen to preserve jerky in your automotive the place it will get scorching and/or humid, you need to count on the shelf-life to be about half so long as regular. At all times examine jerky for mould or different spoilage earlier than you eat it.
Do-it-yourself beef jerky has the least shelf lifetime of 6 months sealed in best situations. That is as a result of fats content material and residential dehydrator limits on totally dehydrating it.
DIY Do-it-yourself Beef Jerky
Do-it-yourself jerky can provide you a number of flexibility in varieties of meat, cuts, and flavors. There are a number of methods to make jerky by yourself, however the best is to make use of a house dehydrator.
Despite the fact that the shelf-life isn’t the identical as manufactured, you possibly can nonetheless get a number of good months of storage should you use mylar luggage and oxygen absorbers to retailer your haul.
Different methods you can also make jerky embody working an oven at low warmth or utilizing an air fryer. Some even use marinated meat with solar curing or fan drying- however these take expertise with trial and error to make work, and will nonetheless spoil your meat.
Right here is a simple oven recipe:
Beef Jerky in Your Survival Kits
Beef jerky, as a survival meals, is extra handy than anything. Certain, it could possibly pack some protein for it’s weight however it’s not the most suitable choice by dietary or shelf life requirements. Nonetheless, many preppers choose to maintain it in cellular kits as a private desire.
The primary kits that you need to take into account beef jerky for embody:
Many individuals additionally take into account dried meat to retailer of their:
If you happen to just like the style of beef jerky, it could possibly add some selection and protein to your survival meals technique. I like retaining some peppered beef jerky readily available in a couple of of my kits as a result of I just like the style and it’s simple to replenish at most grocery shops.
How We Assessment Merchandise: We analysis completely earlier than selecting the right merchandise to evaluation. We’ve got huge prepping and survival expertise and herald exterior specialists when wanted. Hours on finish are spent testing gear in disturbing situations and utilizing specialised testing gear to confirm claims. We assign efficiency standards and impartially charge every examined merchandise. Study extra about how we check.
Sources and References
Beef jerky isn’t rocket science, however we nonetheless researched earlier than we did all of our testing. Listed below are the sources we used to reference technical info in our evaluation.
Holley, R. (1985). Beef Jerky: Viability of Meals-Poisoning Microorganisms on Jerky throughout its Manufacture and Storage. Journal of Meals Safety. Quantity 48. Difficulty 2. Pages 100 – 106. (Supply).
Park, C., et al. (2007). The Results of Drying Technique and Spice Extracts Added to Beef Jerky on the High quality Traits of Beef Jerky. Korean Journal of Meals and Cookery Science. Quantity 23. Difficulty 6. Pages 800 – 809. (Supply)
Shi, S., et al. (2020). Comparability of the standard of beef jerky processed by conventional and fashionable drying strategies from completely different districts in Inside Mongolia. Meat Science. Quantity 163. (Supply).
The Ultimate Phrase
These meals style exams are all the time an journey and I’m glad we had been in a position to evaluate a variety of beef jerky sorts and types. It’s not the kind of factor you’ll need to eat completely in an emergency, however good jerky does add some protein and nice style that’s handy on the go.
Though we solely examined the original-type flavors, selecting your favourite taste is a good suggestion because it doesn’t modify the elements we thought-about a lot. Model and kind of jerky had a much bigger affect than taste alternative within the dietary profiles and shelf life.
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We offered various info, however as all the time: if in case you have any questions tell us and we’d be completely satisfied to assist. Our comparisons and taste-testing settled on Outdated Trapper Beef Jerky as the most suitable choice given the diet stats, shelf life, and worth.
Hold exploring, keep ready, and be secure.
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