For years the go-to snack for guys watching their waistlines and keeping their muscles fueled was jerky. Whether it was beef, venison, elk, salmon, or turkey, you’d always find a bag or two of dried strips of protein-packed meat around when fitness fanatics stopped for a quick food fix on the road or at work.
Jerky is a still a great choice for snacking and filling your protein needs, but store-bought jerkies can be tough to chew, high in sodium, and dry—generally not the most pleasant culinary experience. Thankfully, companies are starting to put together some pretty amazing, high-quality meat mixtures that pack tons of protein and flavor without the chewy, jaw-muscle-testing texture jerky tends to have. These so-called “meat bars” are made from a wide range of protein sources and add in lots of different spices, veggies, and fruits for maximum deliciousness.
We tried some of the best bars out there that have no added nitrates and are made from 100% natural ingredients. They all feature an average of 100 calories each, and are packed with protein—around 10g per bar. The best part is that that all are made with unique and flavorful ingredients, jammed into an easy-to-eat and simple-to-pack bar. Take your pick and slip a few in your gym bag or desk at work for a quick, diet-friendly protein fix
The 5 Best Meat Bars on the Market
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Country Archer
This meaty concern has been grinding out jerky since the late ’70s but didn’t make the jump to the national scene until two entrepreneurs discovered the snacks at a roadside stand. Now the company pumps out novel recipes featuring grass-fed beef, cage-free turkey, and organic ingredients.Besides jerky and meat sticks, they offer an Herb Citrus Turkey Bar, Cayenne Beef Bar with Bacon, and a Sweet BBQ Pork Bar with Bacon. The Turkey Bar has a fresh, light taste not found in many meat bars and comes with 15g of protein and is sweetened with dates for only 3g of sugar. I also was a big fan of the Beef Bar, which has the same protein and sugar content with an added kick of cayenne for a spicy, meaty experience.From $3, countryarcher.com
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DNX
Fairly new to the meat snacks scene, DNX is focused on bringing whole food protein bars to market that only have grass-fed beef and bison, and free range chicken along with organic spices, fruits, and veggies. They’re Paleo and keto diet friendly and Whole30-approved, so snacking down on these bars will help keep you lean and muscular.Flavors include Chicken Peri Peri, Beef Mexican, Beef Sweet Potato Pecan, Beef Dark Cacao Cherry Coconut, Beef Fennel Sweet Potato, and Bison Jamaican. The Chicken was a favorite with a light, spicy taste from the ginger and chili peppers, and comes in at 13g of protein and zero sugar. I also dug the Bison Bar with its intense flavor from paprika, garlic, horseradish, and orange peel.From $2.99, dnxbars.com
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EPIC
EPIC was started by a couple who dove into the Paleo diet trend and found there weren’t many snack bar options made from organic, whole meats and plants. They took matters into their own hands and created the first 100% grass-fed meat, fruit, and nut bar. Now, they offer a whole range of responsibly sourced products, but the meat bar lineup is the most extensive, with diverse flavors and protein sources like Lamb Currant Mint, Smoked Salmon Maple, Venison Sea Salt Pepper, and Wild Boar Bacon.I was impressed with the Chicken Sriracha, which has 15g of protein and 3g of sugar along with a tart heat that livens up the mild poultry. Another standout is the Venison Bar with a simple, more traditional jerky flavor that contains 12g of protein and no sugar.From $2.59, epicbar.com
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Krave
For those looking to up the carb content a bit, Krave bars all contain some quinoa to add extra clean protein and a little more fuel for long-lasting energy. Flavors are limited to four varieties: Wild Blueberry Beef, Chipotle Cherry Beef, Cranberry Thyme Turkey, and Mango Jalapeño Pork.They’re all natural, contain no extra nitrites or artificial flavors, and use beef from 100% grass-fed cows, turkey with no antibiotics or hormones, and pork with no hormones. I’m partial to the Mango Pork bar—which has a nice touch of sweetness to tamp down the heat from peppers—and the Chipotle Cherry Beef bar that walks a nice line between heat and sweet with a hint of citrus.$2.89, kravejerky.com
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Tanka
This brand of meat bars is based on a traditional Native American recipe that blended bison meat with cranberries—called wasna—for a delicious and sustaining trail food. Tanka was founded in 2006 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and all of the bars are made with all-natural bison meat and cranberries.The five flavors are Coffee Hatch Chili, Jalapeño, Slow Smoked Original, Apple Orange Peel, and Spicy Pepper. I loved the Apple Orange Peel, which had a great flavor that highlighted the moistness of the fruit while still giving a great clean meat taste and jerky-like mouth feel. The Slow Smoked Original bar is also good for those who want a pure cooked-outdoors meat experience. $5.99 for two, tankabar.com
This meaty concern has been grinding out jerky since the late ’70s but didn’t make the jump to the national scene until two entrepreneurs discovered the snacks at a roadside stand. Now the company pumps out novel recipes featuring grass-fed beef, cage-free turkey, and organic ingredients.
Besides jerky and meat sticks, they offer an Herb Citrus Turkey Bar, Cayenne Beef Bar with Bacon, and a Sweet BBQ Pork Bar with Bacon. The Turkey Bar has a fresh, light taste not found in many meat bars and comes with 15g of protein and is sweetened with dates for only 3g of sugar. I also was a big fan of the Beef Bar, which has the same protein and sugar content with an added kick of cayenne for a spicy, meaty experience.
Fairly new to the meat snacks scene, DNX is focused on bringing whole food protein bars to market that only have grass-fed beef and bison, and free range chicken along with organic spices, fruits, and veggies. They’re Paleo and keto diet friendly and Whole30-approved, so snacking down on these bars will help keep you lean and muscular.
Flavors include Chicken Peri Peri, Beef Mexican, Beef Sweet Potato Pecan, Beef Dark Cacao Cherry Coconut, Beef Fennel Sweet Potato, and Bison Jamaican. The Chicken was a favorite with a light, spicy taste from the ginger and chili peppers, and comes in at 13g of protein and zero sugar. I also dug the Bison Bar with its intense flavor from paprika, garlic, horseradish, and orange peel.
EPIC was started by a couple who dove into the Paleo diet trend and found there weren’t many snack bar options made from organic, whole meats and plants. They took matters into their own hands and created the first 100% grass-fed meat, fruit, and nut bar. Now, they offer a whole range of responsibly sourced products, but the meat bar lineup is the most extensive, with diverse flavors and protein sources like Lamb Currant Mint, Smoked Salmon Maple, Venison Sea Salt Pepper, and Wild Boar Bacon.
I was impressed with the Chicken Sriracha, which has 15g of protein and 3g of sugar along with a tart heat that livens up the mild poultry. Another standout is the Venison Bar with a simple, more traditional jerky flavor that contains 12g of protein and no sugar.
For those looking to up the carb content a bit, Krave bars all contain some quinoa to add extra clean protein and a little more fuel for long-lasting energy. Flavors are limited to four varieties: Wild Blueberry Beef, Chipotle Cherry Beef, Cranberry Thyme Turkey, and Mango Jalapeño Pork.
They’re all natural, contain no extra nitrites or artificial flavors, and use beef from 100% grass-fed cows, turkey with no antibiotics or hormones, and pork with no hormones. I’m partial to the Mango Pork bar—which has a nice touch of sweetness to tamp down the heat from peppers—and the Chipotle Cherry Beef bar that walks a nice line between heat and sweet with a hint of citrus.
This brand of meat bars is based on a traditional Native American recipe that blended bison meat with cranberries—called wasna—for a delicious and sustaining trail food. Tanka was founded in 2006 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and all of the bars are made with all-natural bison meat and cranberries.
The five flavors are Coffee Hatch Chili, Jalapeño, Slow Smoked Original, Apple Orange Peel, and Spicy Pepper. I loved the Apple Orange Peel, which had a great flavor that highlighted the moistness of the fruit while still giving a great clean meat taste and jerky-like mouth feel. The Slow Smoked Original bar is also good for those who want a pure cooked-outdoors meat experience.
