This jerky is reminiscent of the sort I used to carry years ago on long hikes. I experienced no carb highs and crashes, just sustained energy accompanied by a longer period of feeling full. I've now removed all sugar and grain from my diet for required and personal reasons. That's been a good move for me, but it's not a lifestyle change that offers a breadth of relatively appealing snack options that don't require 45 minutes to prepare. This version of People's Choice Beef Jerky I can snack on straight out of the bag. I think it's grand, and clearly many others who've written reviews here do, too. But there are also several categories of negatives I'd like to address, because some of the negatives are actually positives, some can be avoided by reading the product description, some can be explained through general knowledge of what ingredients are.

* "It's dry." I've always thought beef jerky was supposed to be mostly dry, but not completely dry. It's nice to have just enough moisture to keep chewing on a piece (as you would gum) to reap the flavor rewards. That's one of jerky's neat benefits. But if you're upset it's "dry," check out the product description. I see no misrepresentation of general moisture content there.

* "It's not tough enough" or "It pulls apart too easily." The jerky in my bag wasn't easy to pull or even bend apart against the grain. With the grain, pulling was easier, but I'd expect that. My teeth played tug often enough, and I must have terribly weak hands, because I couldn't make one full strip of jerky rip with and against the grain into a stack of pieces. I could, however, cut it into a stack of pieces with a knife. If really, really tough, hard-to-separate jerky is what you're looking for, then this version might not be for you.

* "It's too greasy" or "It's fatty." I wasn't constantly wiping my fingers on a towel to remove a greasy coating. In fact, I didn't have to do that once. I found it pretty difficult to visually distinguish much fat in the product. That said, fat is what helps impart flavor to meat, and all fats tend to feel greasy. Nicely marbled beef is far preferable to cuts with little fat. You'd hope there was something of fat left in a dried meat product if you want some flavor. The product label pictured above says there are 2.5 grams total fat in each serving. A serving of classic Lay's Potato Chips contains 10 grams total fat. "Greasy" is a subjective sensation, but still, it's no trouble to check how much objective fat is in a product.

* "There's no pepper in this 'peppered' jerky." Well, there's no ground black peppercorn in this peppered version. However, there is paprika, and a nice dose of it. Paprika is a fine powder made from plants in the pepper family. Think bell pepper, red pepper. Different paprikas produce different tastes. This jerky has a spicy quality. In the plant world, there are peppers, and there are peppers, and then there are more peppers. The ingredients list usually tells you which basic sort of pepper you'll find in the product.

My personal "complaints"? This product is worth all the pennies. My pocket book just wishes it cost fewer pennies, because I plan to keep ordering. Oh, and there was some spice residue left on my plate after munching. Why couldn't all that tastiness stay on the strip? ;)

I have been searching for beef jerky for years that had the dry texture and beefy flavor I remembered as a kid and then hunting in Sonora Mexico, where they dried thin fillets over barbed wire in the desert sun. I had jerkied my own game and beef over the years, trying to match that old west cowboy jerky flavor and texture. After spending thousands of dollars over the years on trying out different commercially sold jerkys, I came across this on Amazon. I read reviews on jerky blog sites, and decided to buy 4 lbs. Holy Cow! Absolutely the best I had ever had commercially made. And very close to the Sonoran jerky I enjoyed on my hunts years back. Simple ingredients, no sugar, and a little fat marbeling, that places this jerky far above the rest of their competitors in my opinion. If you are used to and wanting a sticky, moist sweet processed jerky, then this is not for you! This jerky is as old west authentic as I have ever had. The texture has just the right amount of moisture, and you won't break your teeth trying to rip off a strip like some of the other thin slab dried jerkies out there.

So, let me start by saying I'm a bit of jerky connoisseur. Maybe even a little bit of a jerky snob lol. As such, I don't care for things like Jack Links. Although they have awesome commercials, it is, in my opinion, not "real" beef jerky. Now, I don't know how the rest of the world defines "real" beef jerky, but this is the easiest way I differentiate the real from the not so real- if your jerky says "refrigerate after opening" or "use within 7 days of opening," I'm sorry but that's not real jerky. The whole point of jerky, in my mind anyway, is that it takes a long time to go bad- it is real, dried, meat.

Now that I have that out of the way, let me say that if you like "real" beef jerky, this stuff is awesome. If you prefer the more moist "jerkies" like Jack Links, Ball Park, etc., you will probably still like it. It is lean, so not real greasy, and the flavor is awesome. It is a little moist (not dry and super flat like Love's brand jerky- which is still one of my favorites), but not too moist. I've had most of their flavors, and though I don't care for the "Original", the "Old Fashioned" and "Carne Seca" lines are amazing. The "Tasting Kitchen" flavors, while not my favorite, are interesting as well.

Now, to address the whole "refrigerate after opening" thing, People's Choice actually says on their website that they recommend against refrigerating their product, which is really refreshing. It does have an expiration date of one year after packaging, but I promise it won't last that long :).

Also, if you are one of those people (like I once was) that believes that jerky should come from a beef state like Texas or Oklahoma, do not fear. This stuff comes from downtown Los Angeles, but it is freaking amazing.

I will probably never be able to label a beef jerky my favorite, but this one is definitely in my current top three (Love's(Robertson's), Buc-ee's Peppered, & People's Choice).

So, to sum all of my rambling up, you should try this jerky. If you're not sure, try a smaller bag- I promise that the next time you'll be buying more. And, I did not receive any sort of discount or freebee from People's Choice for this review. Although, People's Choice, if you're listening, I wouldn't turn down a discount! Lol

Update: I have now ordered (and eaten) 4 pounds of this jerky. Far and above the best jerky on the market. Great taste, texture and incredibly consistent. Some may not like the occasional little bit of fat on the strips. I rather enjoy it, and consider it a part of well made natural strip jerk. Highly recommend.

Original: I like to take jerky on road trips and camping, but have been really disappointed with what's available in stores. Almost all jerky these days is like Jack Link's and Krave; weird translucent gelatinous meat products. People's Choice beef jerky is exactly what I was looking for. Solid strips of dried, well-seasoned meat. The kind you need to to use your teeth to rip a piece off, but is not too dry and brittle. I have a hard time not eating it all in the first couple of days. Since the package isn't resealable, it's good to have on hand a gallon ziplock bag to throw them in once opened.

Best Beef Jerkey Ever. It has been really hard to find a beef jerkey that has the old fashioned texture of Real Beef Jerkey along with a wonderful taste without all the sugar that Beef Jerkey's now have. It crazy how companies put sugar into everything. I have been around for almost 60 years, and I watched simple good tasting products like beef jerky and even Blue Cheese Dressing and Ranch Dressing, which never had any sugar in it before now in are age is just filled with Sugar, Brown Sugar, Corn Syrup, and even Honey. Why!!!. I think Sugar has become an addiction for most of us. Anyway, I am really glad that People's Choice has kept the simple orginal recipe for Beef Jerky without Sugar and I just love this Beef Jerky and will continue to buy it for my husband. Because of Autoimmune issues my Doctor has switched me over to just Grass-Fed Meats, because regular processed cows eat corn and soy that have a higher count of Lectins in the meat which cause inflammation. So, I will no longer be able to eat this wonderful beef jerky because it is not Grass-fed. It is normal feed corn and soy fed Cow meat, which has a higher count of Inflammatory Lectins. For normal healthy people that's not a problem, Like my husband. So, I will continue to buy for him this beef Jerky. He loves it too. But for myself, I need to look for something else. So, that's why I have to give it only 4 Stars, only because it is not Grass-Fed Beef. If you don't have to eat grass-fed meats than it's 5 star. Anyway, Love this Beef Jerky, I hope soon that they will also have a grass-fed, Beef Jerky that is as good and simple in ingredients as this Original Old Fashioned Beef Jerky. Thank you that you left out the Sugar and Soy Sauce or Worcestershire Sauce that has Gluten in it . It realy soo cool to have found a Sugar Free/Gluten Free Beef Jerky, now it just needs to be Grass-Fed.