Beef Jerky

Not all beef jerky is created equal. We started Billy Franks because we love beef jerky but not all the sugar, salt and preservatives that usually come with mass-produced jerky. 

So we started making our own healthy, high-protein and all-natural jerky snacks from British grass-fed beef. Our meat snacks have no colourings, preservatives or nitrates. Most of our flavours are around 100 calories and only 1-2g of sugar and under 1g of salt per 30g bag. 

To put it into perspective, we contain up to 92% LESS sugar than leading jerky brands and have up to 2.5x more protein per bag. If that’s not the makings of a healthy beef jerky then we don’t know what is!

The short answer is that beef jerky is meat that’s been sliced, marinated, and air-dried in a dehydrator to remove moisture and preserve it.

What comes out of the dehydrator is a lightweight, high-protein, chewy yet flavourful snack that you can eat anywhere, at anytime.

Great beef jerky is all about big flavour, real ingredients and no junk fillers like nitrates, preservatives or loads of sugar - it's a healthy snack you can really sink your teeth into.

Yes, only the best and healthiest beef jerky is chewy! This is because the process of dehydration removes most of the moisture which tightens the muscle fibres and gives our meat snack its chewy bite. 

Our jerky is marinated, then air dried low and slow without nitrates or preservatives. Because we are all natural, preservative free and don’t add loads of sugar and salt like many of the mass produced brands, you get a proper satisfying chew rather than an overly wet, sticky texture (what we like to call beef gummies!). 

Jerky is a slow snack, meant to be savoured not scoffed down.

Yes. Our beef jerky contains roughly 55-67% protein, which is about 17-20g of protein per 30g bag for around 100 calories. 

For example, Roast Beef & Mustard has 20.1g of protein per bag, Hot 'N' Spicy 17.7g and Cheeseburger 16.6g to name a few. To put it into perspective to make our jerky it takes 250g of beef to make 100g of finished jerky while mass produced brands can be 150g of beef to make 100g of finished jerky. So you are getting more beef for your money!

Our jerky is a portable, high-protein snack perfect for refuelling after the gym, to have while hiking and at work to help you beat the 3pm slump. So if you are looking for a healthier, cleaner, high protein alternative to your current snack selection, our beef jerky fits the bill.

Our grass-fed beef jerky is high-protein, low sugar, preservative free and all natural. So it depends on what sort of diet you are on as to whether our snack selection is suitable...

• Keto: Yes, our beef jerky is high in protein and low in carbs, at about 1.3-3.3g carbs per 30g bag, depending on the flavour. Check the nutrition label on each individual product page if you're counting closely but the lowest carb flavours we make are Roast Beef & Mustard, Texan BBQ and Buffalo Hot Wing Turkey Jerky with a maximum of 1.4g of carbs per 30g bag.
• Carnivore and Paleo: Our beef jerky is a meat-based snack made from British grass-fed beef. Our marinades also use herbs, spices, Tamari and small amounts honey, so strict carnivore or paleo dieters should check the ingredients list of each flavour.
• Gluten free: All of our beef jerky flavours are certified gluten free (labelled on pack) and made without artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives.

Both beef jerky and biltong are dried beef snacks but that’s where the similarities end. The process, ingredients, origins, texture, nutrition and taste are very different.

Origins: Beef Jerky originates from the Americas while Biltong comes from South Africa.

Process: Speaking from Billy Franks' perspective, our beef jerky is sliced into thin strips, marinated in a wet marinade, then air-dried slowly via a dehydrator over 6-8 hours at a low heat, turning the beef slices into slightly chewy, bold-flavoured meat snack.

While biltong is made from thicker pieces of beef that are usually cured in vinegar, salt, spices and often uses preservatives. It is then air dried over a few days and cut into bite sized pieces after the curing process is complete.

Texture: Billy Franks beef jerky has a pleasant chewy-ness to it whilst biltong can be drier or softer depending on the brands recipe or individual taste if you are making it at home.

Ingredients: Biltong is dried as a whole piece of meat at ambient temperatures over many days which means nitrates and preservatives are necessary to ensure food safety. It contains salt, vinegar and spices. 

Unlike most jerky brands, Billy Franks doesn’t add any nitrates or preservatives. Our beef jerky is all natural and air dried via a dehydrator.  We also contain less sugar and salt than mass produced brands which makes our beef jerky a healthier, far superior meat snack in our opinion.

Nutrition: Values vary by brand so it’s difficult to make sweeping comparisons. Some jerky brands add way more salt and sugar than Billy Franks and some biltong brands use a fattier cut so it’s always best to consult the nutritional label and ingredients to see what you are getting.

Taste: Billy Franks uses boldly flavoured marinades to make our beef jerky, from Roast Beef & Mustard and Texan BBQ to Cheeseburger. So if you are looking for beef with a lot of flavour, beef jerky is your go to. 

If a more natural beef flavour with subtle aromas like pepper is more your style, then biltong might be the one for you.