06 October 2026 · motty

Meat Snacks: Jerky, Biltong, Sticks and Crisps Compared

Meat snacks come in four main types: jerky, biltong, sticks and crisps. Jerky is sweet and chewy, biltong is savory and tender, sticks are ground and snappy, and crisps are crunchy. All are high in protein, so pick by texture and by how the meat is made. Our own biltong and beef jerky are certified Glatt Kosher, made in Florida.

The meat snack aisle looks like one category. It is really four different foods that happen to share a bag. They are made differently, they feel different in your mouth, and they suit different moments. We make certified Glatt Kosher biltong, jerky and a test batch of beef crisps, so this guide is written by people who handle these products every week. Everything we make is certified Glatt Kosher, and we will tell you plainly where each type is the wrong pick.

What all meat snacks have in common

Every meat snack starts the same way: beef (or another meat) with the water taken out. Less water means the snack keeps without a fridge and packs more protein into every ounce. That is why they travel so well and why people reach for them at the gym, the desk and the airport gate.

The differences come from three choices the maker makes:

How the meat is cut. Whole muscle, sliced thin or thick, or ground and formed.
How the water leaves. Gentle air-drying, cooking in an oven, or drying until brittle.
What goes on it. A sugary marinade, a dry spice rub, or vinegar and salt.

Change any one of those and you get a different snack. Here are the four, one at a time.

Jerky: sweet, chewy, familiar

Jerky is what most Americans mean by "meat snack." Thin strips of beef are marinated, usually with sugar, then cooked low and slow until they are dry and chewy. The marinade does most of the flavor work. That is why jerky comes in so many styles: teriyaki, smoky, peppery, sweet-and-sour.

It is a chew you work at. A good piece bends before it tears, and it keeps its flavor for a long time in your mouth. A bad piece is tough, dry and mostly sugar. The difference usually comes down to what meat went in, so look for a label that says real sliced beef and nothing else about the cut.

Our jerky is Meat Candy, made from whole sliced beef in two flavors: Hickory Kickory Dock, smoky with the sweetness behind it, and Baa-Baa BBQ Sheep, a Korean BBQ style that is sweet and savory together. If you want a kosher version of the jerky you grew up with, start with our kosher beef jerky collection.

Jerky is the wrong pick if you avoid added sugar. Sweetness is part of what jerky is.

Biltong: savory, tender, air-dried

Biltong is the South African cousin of jerky, and it is a different food, not a variation. The beef is cut into thick strips, soaked briefly in vinegar, rubbed with salt and spices (coriander and black pepper are the classics), then hung to air-dry. No oven. No cooking. Our guide to what air-dried means explains why that matters.

The result is savory, not sweet. The outside is firm, the inside gives way, and slices tear cleanly instead of fighting back. People who find jerky too sweet or too tough often love biltong on the first bite.

Our everyday bag is Sliced Biltong in Original, Peri Peri and Loaded Garlic. It comes sliced, so there is nothing to cut and nothing to prepare. Original is the reference point: beef first, then the warm citrus note of coriander. Peri Peri has real heat. Loaded Garlic is rounder and sweeter, savory rather than hot. You can see every size and flavor on Buy Biltong Online.

Biltong is the wrong pick if you want a long, candy-like chew or a sweet glaze. It is salty and savory by design.

Meat sticks: ground, snappy, convenient

Meat sticks are a different build entirely. The meat is ground, mixed with seasoning, stuffed into a casing or formed into a stick, and then cured or cooked. Because it is ground and shaped, every stick is the same size and the same bite. It snaps rather than tears.

That uniformity is the appeal. Sticks are easy to portion, easy to pack and easy to eat one-handed. The trade-off is that ground meat hides what went in. A whole slice of beef shows you the grain. A stick does not. Read the ingredient list closely: some sticks blend different meats or add fillers, and the label is the only way to know.

We do not make a meat stick, so we will not tell you which one to buy. If you are shopping for a kosher stick, check three things: a clear kosher certification on the package, a single named meat, and a short ingredient list.

Sticks are the wrong pick if you care about seeing whole-muscle beef. Ground and formed meat is a different product.

Beef crisps: crunchy, light, new

Crisps are beef dried so far that it shatters instead of bends. It crunches like a chip and still carries the protein of real meat. Thin slices are the key. Thin pieces lose water evenly, and when almost all of it is gone the fibers snap.

It is the newest of the four, and the easiest to eat in a hurry. There is no chew, so there is no commitment. It is the meat snack for people who think they do not like meat snacks.

We have a small test batch: Beef Crisps (2oz) from Grub Lab, in Original flavor. It is a trial run to see whether it earns a permanent spot, and when this batch is gone, it is gone until we decide. Customers' answers decide whether it stays.

Crisps are the wrong pick if you want something that satisfies for a long time. They are light, and they disappear fast.

How to choose: a quick guide by what you want

Skip the label hype and match the snack to the moment.

You want the classic. Jerky. Sweet, chewy, easy to recognize.
You want something savory and tender. Biltong. It is our pick for most first-timers.
You want a clean, uniform bite for the lunchbox or glove box. A stick, with a short label and a clear certification.
You want crunch. Crisps.
You are buying for a group and do not know their tastes. Biltong Original suits nearly everyone. Peri Peri divides a room, which is fun at home and inconvenient at a kiddush.

Still not sure how jerky and biltong compare? We put them side by side in Meat Candy vs. Biltong.

What to check on any meat snack label

Whatever type you pick, the same few things separate a good bag from a forgettable one.

The meat. It should say beef, plainly. Whole sliced muscle is easy to see. Be wary of vague wording.
The ingredient list. Shorter is better. You should recognize everything on it.
The sugar. Jerky and some sticks lean sweet. Biltong usually does not. Look at where sugar sits in the list.
The certification. If you keep kosher, look for a clear mark on the package. Meat snacks are meat, so they follow meat rules: keep them separate from dairy, and follow your family's custom on waiting between meat and dairy.
Storage. Most dried beef does not need refrigeration before you open the bag. That is a big part of the appeal.

Bottom line

Jerky is sweet and chewy. Biltong is savory and tender. Sticks are ground and uniform. Crisps are crunchy and light. None is "best." Pick the texture you will actually enjoy, then read the label. If you have never tried biltong, begin with Sliced Biltong in Original. US orders over $50 ship free.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the healthiest meat snack?

There is no single winner, and we will not claim one. What we can say is that all dried beef snacks are high in protein. Beyond that, read the label: a short ingredient list, a named meat and little added sugar are good signs.

What is the difference between jerky and biltong?

Method and taste. Jerky is marinated, usually with sugar, and cooked low and slow, so it is sweet and chewy. Biltong is soaked in vinegar, rubbed with salt and spices, and air-dried without cooking, so it is savory and tender.

Are meat sticks the same as jerky?

No. Sticks are made from ground meat that is seasoned and formed, so they have a uniform, snappy bite. Jerky is made from whole strips of meat, so it has a visible grain and a chew.

Do meat snacks need to be refrigerated?

Unopened dried beef snacks generally do not need a fridge. That is why they travel well. After opening, close the bag tightly and keep it somewhere cool and dry, and follow the storage directions on the package.

Are beef crisps real meat?

Yes. They are real beef dried until brittle, which is what gives them the crunch. Our Grub Lab Beef Crisps are a small test batch in Original flavor.

Which meat snack is best for someone trying one for the first time?

For most people, Original biltong. It is savory rather than sweet, tender rather than tough, and mild enough that almost nobody dislikes it. If you prefer sweet, Hickory Kickory Dock jerky is the closest to the classic you know.

Are your meat snacks kosher?

Yes. Our biltong, jerky and beef crisps are certified Glatt Kosher. Because they are meat, keep them separate from dairy and follow your family's custom on waiting between meat and dairy. For anything beyond that, ask your rabbi.