EPIC Bites – Cranberry & Sriracha Beef Steak

The first review on EPIC Bites will be on a 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag of their cranberry & sriracha flavored beef steak. This bag was purchased at a Whole Foods store in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The EPIC Bites jerky brand name was created by Taylor Collins and Katie Forrest. This brand is distributed by Epic Provisions, located in Austin, Texas. Both Taylor and Katie are physically active, and were looking for foods to satisfy their needs. Then they started eating a paleo diet. Shortly afterwards, they set out to create the world’s first 100% grass fed meat, fruit, and nut bar. Their product is named EPIC because it improves the lives of animals, regenerates our bodies, and helps heal the land.

Ingredient Review

Ingredients: Grass Fed Beef, Dried Cranberries (Cranberries, Apple Juice), Sea Salt, Red Pepper Flakes, Garlic, Paprika, Onion, Red Pepper, Black Pepper, Cumin, Oregano.

The beef used is 100% grass-fed. All of the cattle are raised ethically, meaning not administered growth hormones or additional antibiotics. The beef used here is chopped and formed. Being chopped and formed, the beef is processed, and not as healthy if it were solid strips of beef.

The only liquid used in the marinade here is apple juice. Healthy cranberries are used, which are high in vitamin C, among other things. It is always good to see when super healthy vegetables garlic and onion are used. There are some great spices used also such as red peppers, paprika, black pepper, cumin, and oregano.

The sugar level is reasonable at 5 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less, but sugars from cranberries are easily preferred to white or brown sugar. The salt level is respectable at 280mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.

This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is sea salt, which is a big improvement over highly processed table salt. With further kudos, there is also no MSG added.

Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating

Taste Review

These strips are small, cut to a bite size. Every piece is uniform in size, with a medium thickness. These strips do have a soft and tender texture, due to this jerky being chopped and formed. There are no signs of fat, and handling this jerky leaves no oily residue on your fingers.

The first tastes detected are a sweetness from the cranberries, and a mild spiciness. As you eat more pieces, this flavor never really exceeds a mild heat level, but remains consistent. You could say a 1 or 2 out of 4 on the heat scale, depending on your tolerance of heat. The garlic and onion flavors are light, where the oregano is more noticeable as you finish off a piece. There is a moderate salt level at best, and a light peppered level.

Right away it is noticeable that it is a chopped and formed texture, which results in a processed tasting beef. There is not a great deal of natural beef flavor here. While these strips are very easy to chew, and have a decent overall flavor, this unnatural soft and tender texture is not appealing.

This 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag cost $6.99, which works out to $2.80 an ounce. That rates as an expensive price. From a health standpoint, this jerky is recommended. From a taste perspective, this is a good buy for people who enjoy a slightly spicy flavor, along with a chopped and formed soft and tender texture.

Fair (4/10) – Taste Rating

Bag Review

This resealable plastic bag has everything printed directly on the bag, both on the front and back. There are no labels affixed to this bag. The front depicts a fairly high resolution picture of a cow.

Slogans printed on this bag are “Think Regenerative, Eat Epic” and “Feed others as you wish to be fed”. Some facts printed on this bag are “Made With 100% Grass Fed Beef”, “Soy Free”, “Gluten Free”, “Handcrafted”, “Pasture Raised 100% Grass Fed”, “No Antibiotics Added”, “No Growth Stimulants”, “Made in USA”, and “9g of Protein per serving”.

All bag categories are covered with this bag. On the back, there is a great blurb printed about this jerky and flavor. As a growing industry trend, their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram handles are provided.

Excellent (10/10) – Bag Rating