We all gobble, squirt and squeeze energy products into our mouths in an attempt to stave off the ever-looming Bonk. But sometimes manufactured electrolytes in a gooey paste just don’t cut it. Enter, meat performance bars.
A host of meat-based energy products are available on the market. Everything from artisanal, grass-fed jerky to pemmican-like bars, they all have benefits (a savory break from endless sweets) and downsides (heavy in the stomach).
One of the better-known meat bars are made by Epic. The company makes a variety of grass-fed organic products based on the “paleo diet” that encourages people to eat lean protein and whole fruits and berries. All of its bars are organic and include no artificial flavors, preservatives, dairy products or soy.
We decided to put a few Epic Bars to the test against jerky. Each of our testers tried a piece of various bars and a couple different beef jerky types in a blind taste test and “cleansed our palates” with beer in between each taste. We gathered some impressions of the products, listed below.