Funky’s Meat Snacks is a small batch snack brand that offers a wide variety of beef jerky, meat sticks, seasonings, condiments, and specialty snacks with a bold, playful personality. Founded by Debby Funk during the COVID era as an extension of her gift shop and embroidery business (www.embroideryboutiqueknox.com), the company began by launching its first meat snack flavors in 2022 and has since expanded into numerous savory and spicy offerings.
Funky’s Meat Snacks focuses on flavorful, handcrafted products such as Sweet Korean BBQ Beef Jerky, Tennessee Whiskey Beef Jerky, Cowboy Cut Honeyed Pepper Beef Jerky, jalapeño meat sticks, and salt and pepper jerky varieties. The brand emphasizes fun flavor combinations, eye catching branding, and snack experimentation while maintaining a homemade, independent business feel.
This Funky’s Meat Snacks brand is distributed under the same name Funky’s Meat Snacks, located in Knoxville, Tennessee. This jerky is manufactured by Boyd Specialties LLC, and is located in Colton, California.
The first review on Funky’s Meat Snacks will focus on a 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag of their Lemon Pepper flavored beef jerky. This jerky was kindly submitted for review by Owner Debby Funk.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Tamari Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Salt, Sugar), Worcestershire Sauce (Distilled White Vinegar, Molasses, Sugar, Water, Salt, Onions, Anchovies, Garlic, Cloves, Tamarind Extract, Natural Flavorings, Chili Pepper Extract), Honey, Brown Sugar, Lemon Juice, Garlic Puree (Garlic, Citric Acid), Lemon Pepper Spice Mix (Onion, Spices (Black Pepper, Basil, Oregano, Celery Seed, Bay, Savory, Thyme, Cayenne Pepper, Coriander, Cumin, Mustard, Rosemary, Marjoram), Garlic, Lemon Juice Powder, Carrot, Citric Acid, Lemon Peel, Turmeric Color, Chili Pepper), Liquid Hickory Smoke, Ground Pepper, Ginger. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Anchovies
This brisket cut of beef used is not guaranteed to be free of growth hormones or additional antibiotics. Also, the beef is not guaranteed to have at least partial free range access to graze on grass. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Good (8/10) rating.
The liquid marinade consists of a good gluten-free tamari sauce, healthy honey, and a well-respected brand of Worcestershire sauce.
There are many healthy ingredients added, such as garlic puree, garlic, onion, spices, black pepper, basil, lemon juice powder, oregano, celery seed, bay, savory, thyme, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, mustard, rosemary, marjoram, lemon peel, turmeric, chili pepper, and ginger.
The sugar level is acceptable at 2 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is low at 170mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
There are no unhealthy preservatives used, and the jerky is confirmed as having no sodium nitrite. Admirably, this jerky has no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
FUNKY’S MEAT SNACKS – LEMON PEPPER BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell something a little bit bitter, lemon maybe? Not sure. The pieces are large and sliced rather thin. The jerky is soft and ever so slightly moist, leaving a tiny bit of oily residue on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky, I immediately notice the lemon flavor. The pepper flavor as well, but the lemon is by far the most prominent. I also taste salt at a decent level, sweetness at a manageable level, along with slight garlic and onion. However, the pepper, especially the lemon, has taken the forefront, as advertised in the stated flavor of the jerky, making for a very tasty jerky.
Aside from the texture, I can find nothing wrong with this particular flavor, so I am quite prepared to rate it as 9/10. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Lemon Pepper beef jerky flavor from Funky’s Meat Snacks: “Thanks Paul for the honest taste review. First, there is no issue with the texture, which uses the highly coveted cut of beef brisket, known for its ability to absorb marinades. I 100% agree that lemon is the most predominant flavor and shines through. The black pepper is at a decent, passable level. I did not notice any oily residual left on your fingers handling this jerky.”
“The natural flavor of beef has no hint of tasting processed. The overall taste profile is complex, producing a delicious blend of flavors. This Lemon Pepper flavor is highly addictive, making you want MORE. I cannot identify a single issue with flavor and thoroughly enjoyed this special treat. With Paul at a 9 and myself at a no brainer 10, an Excellent (10/10) taste rating will be awarded.”
This 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag of jerky sells online for $10.00. That works out to $4.00 an ounce, which rates as a borderline average price.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This resealable plastic bag has a label affixed to the front and a small label on the back. The logo depicts owner Debby Funk introducing Funky’s Meat Snacks.
There are no slogans printed on this bag. Some facts printed on this bag are “Handcrafted”, “Solid Steak Strips”, Natural Smoke Flavor Added”, and “Made in the U.S.A.”.
The only missing bag category is a blurb about this jerky or flavor. You are encouraged to follow Funky’s Meat Snacks on Instagram.
Order their jerky online: www.funkyssnacks.net
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