KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Several meat snack companies are answering the call for more protein snacks in new and different flavor profiles as the summer comes to a close.
For Jack Link’s, the company based out of Minong, Wisconsin, will launch several varieties of flame-grilled jerky.
Steakhouse Beef Jerky will feature garlic, pepper, and onion flavors in this cut of meat. Jack Link's flame-grilling technique is high-quality meat that is finished over an open flame.
The Whiskey Glaze Pork Strips are a limited edition package that puts real whiskey and pork together while using the flame-grilling technique.
Korean BBQ Pork Strip gives consumers a sweet and spicy meat combination while infusing double-toasted sesame seeds and caramelized sugar thanks to the flame-grilled process.
The other two varieties come in the form of meat sticks that include the Sweet BBQ Stick and Small Batch Artisanal Stick.
"Jack Link's is the portable protein for everyday adventures, and we want each bite to tell its own untamed flavor story," said Tom Dixon, chief marketing officer at the company. "We stay close to market and flavor trends, and with our rapid innovation capabilities and flame-grilled technology, we are able to quickly beef up our portfolio with new flavors.”
As for Country Archer, the Jerky company based out of San Bernardino, California, recently introduced “The True Bar,” a new line of high protein meat-based nutrition bars with 20 g. of protein and low-sugar content.
The bar comes in three different flavors: Cayenne made with beef and pork, Herb Citrus made with turkey, and Sweet BBQ made with pork.
The True Bar also does not have any gluten, soy, artificial ingredients, MSG or nitrates.
"Just like our existing jerky line, the meat-based protein bars are appealing to consumers as a healthy, Paleo-friendly post-workout snack, so the addition of The True Bar to our product portfolio was a natural progression," said Country Archer CEO and co-founder Eugene Kang.
Finally, Duke’s Meats, based out of Boulder, Colorado, unveiled several new flavors for its Smoke Shorty Sausage and Steak Strips line of meat. Some of the flavors included include Hatch green chile, chorizo & lime, hickory peach BBQ, and Tomato Basil. The new flavors add to the existing original and hot & spicy varieties. The Steak Strips are now available in traditional sea salt, chipotle BBQ and honey bourbon.
Smoke Shorty Sausage are gluten free with no hormones or nitrates added and contain 7 g. of protein and 0 to 2 g. of sugar per serving. The Steak Strips are made with grass-fed beef and contain up to 16 g. of protein and 2 to 5 g. of sugar per serving.
“Our new products will really hit home with consumers and deliver exactly what they are looking for in a healthy, premium snack,” says Duke’s president and founder, Justin Havlick. “Protein is increasingly a driver of purchase with 50 percent of consumers actively looking for higher protein foods, especially as snacks.”
