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 next review on Funky’s Meat Snacks will focus on a 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag of their Volcanic Jalapeno flavored beef jerky. This jerky was graciously submitted for review by Owner Debby Funk.
Ingredient Review
Beef, Brown Sugar, Soy Sauce (Water, Wheat, Soybeans, Salt), Water, Fresh Jalapenos, Worcestershire Sauce (Distilled White Vinegar, Molasses, Sugar, Salt, Onions, Anchovies, Garlic, Cloves, Tamarind Extract, Natural Flavorings, Chili Pepper Extract), Ground Pepper, Liquid Hickory Smoke (Water, Natural Hickory Smoke Flavor), Cayenne, Granulated Onion, Citric Acid, Red Pepper Flakes. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Wheat, 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 decent brand of soy sauce, a well-respected brand of Worcestershire sauce, water, and liquid hickory smoke.
Some healthy ingredients are added, such as granulated garlic, ground black pepper, and granulated garlic. The heat is achieved from fresh jalapenos peppers and crushed red peppers, which are healthy if eaten in moderation.
The sugar level is low at 2 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is on the low side at 220mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to not use sodium nitrite, or any other similar preservatives. Instead, salt is the main preservative, and citric acid to a lesser degree. Admirably, this jerky does qualify to have no MSG added.
Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
FUNKY’S MEAT SNACKS – VOLCANIC JALAPENO BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell nothing. The slices are medium to large and sliced rather thin. The jerky is hard and dry, just as our forefathers intended. There is no oily residue left on your fingers.
When I bite into the jerky, I taste a decent amount of salt. The sweetness is manageable, the pepper is at about the same level as the salt, and the garlic flavor is slight. But the “volcanic jalapeño” is very intense, it is coming through in spades. While it is somewhat tasty, it is missing the “WOW!!” factor. I would rate this jerky at an 8.5/10, and with the roundup, would put it at 9/10. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Volcanic Jalapeno beef jerky flavor from Funky’s Meat Snacks: “Thanks Paul for the candid taste review. I mostly agree with everything stated. The heat delivers at a solid level, where the moniker ‘Volcanic’ is earned. The heat would rate about a 3 out of 5 on a heat scale, which is high for Jalapeno flavor. The familiar blend of Worcestershire and soy sauce is present in the background at a mild level. As Paul mentioned, the sweetness is within reason.”
“The natural taste of beef has no hint of tasting processed, where the highly respected cut of beef brisket is used. The overall taste profile is well balanced. There is a light smokiness in the background. I disagree with Paul in that there is no ‘wow’ factor. Perhaps there is not a total ‘wow’ factor, but there is certainly some ‘wow’ factor. A unanimous Very Good (9/10) 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 an upper threshold average price.
Very Good (9/10) – 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 Flavoring 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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