APEX Meat Sticks: Are They Better Than The Rest?
Last week the APEX Company sent me a box of its dried Backcountry Meat Sticks to try. The company claims their jerky products are less processed, and lower in fat and sugar than most grocery store brands.
I did a bit of math to see how these jerky sticks stack up compared with two national brands.
According to the APEX company’s website, the founders came up with the idea in the Alaskan back country, while eating convenience-store meat sticks. They wanted minimally processed, more nutritious meat sticks, adding, “… we wanted to create a snack line that truly had health benefits and macros that would fit into any diet plan.”
Also they wanted to create a product line that uses wild game. Although the meat sticks I received — Kansas City Barbecue Flavor — are made from beef, the company offers Elk Jalapeno and Venison flavors. On the website ordering page, the Boar Jalapeno and Cheese and Bison Teriyaki flavors were crossed out, so I’m thinking they must currently be sold out.
The founders, in Gallatin, Mo., also started Kids In The Outdoors, a 501C3 dedicated to helping kids living in poverty and inner city areas experience the outdoors. A portion of all gross sales is donated to the cause.
APEX’s 1.5-ounce stick is bigger by about one-third than the giant size Slim Jim and a little smaller than Jack Link’s meat sticks. So you to have to figure that in when you compare nutrients.
APEX’s 1.5-ounce stick is 90 calories, 9 protein; 4.5 grams of fat, 2.25 grams of saturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 4 grams carbohydrate, 510 mg sodium, 0 fiber, and 3 g sugar. The ingredients listed are beef, water, brown sugar, sea salt, spices, citric acid, dextrose, paprika, onion, garlic, smoke flavor, sodium nitrite. There are few harder-to-pronounce ingredients than some of the other sticks I checked out.
This Kansas City Barbecue Flavor has a lot of spice — a definite tongue-tingling kick. It was almost too spicy for me, but I imagine backpackers would love the adventurous flavor.
In comparison, a .97 (almost 1 ounce) Slim Jim Giant meat stick has 130 calories, 10 grams of fat, 450 mg sodium, 6 grams protein, 1 gram total sugars, 5 grams carb. That’s according to a Walmart sales site showing Slim Jim’s nutrition facts and ingredient list. Sorry Slim Jim, — for being only 2/3 of the size of the APEX brand, you still have 40 more calories, twice as much fat and 4 grams less protein. So “Slim Jim” is kind of a misnomer. However, you do have 2 grams less sugar than the APEX Backcountry Meat Stick.
Jack Links’ 1.84 -ounce original meat stick is a bit bigger than the APEX stick, and the nutrition facts on its website say it has 240 calories, 18 grams of fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 830 mg sodium, 2 grams carbs, 13 grams protein, and 2 grams sugar. So it’s around two-and-a-half times more calories and nearly double the amount of fat. But you’re also getting more 4 grams more of protein, 2 grams fewer carbs and 1 gram less of sugar.
These APEX sticks are a bit more expensive – a 12-piece box is $24.95 on the website. But considering you’re getting less fat and fewer calories than some grocery store brands, you might decide it’s worth the price. Of course, some people who are out expending a lot of calories in the wild might want the extra fat and calories.
I don’t do a lot of backpacking, hunting, etc. out in the wild. But I’m putting a few of these in my car emergency kit, and our family’s 72-hour emergency backpacks. In case I’m stranded somewhere in my car, or if we had to evacuate our homes, it’s nice to have protein-rich snacks available that are lightweight and ready to eat.