Mighty Organic Original Beef Jerky

Excellent flavor and texture with minimal additives.

I haven’t been a big fan of beef jerky in a while but Mighty Organic Beef Jerky changed all that. The Mighty Organic ingredient list for their jerky and meat sticks is pretty clean, while the taste and texture are excellent. With other brands, I often notice a lingering aftertaste that I assume has to do with some of the additives. Adequate protein can be a challenge to incorporate into a backpacking diet and meat products are a good way to close the gap.

Mighty Organic Jerky

My trail tastes come and go over time. I used to eat jerky, then burned out on it, then got into healthier trail food and was turned off by many of the brands’ ingredients. I stopped buying it. I recently received some samples of Mighty Organic products, but kept putting off tasting them. Finally, at the last minute, I threw some samples into my pack as I set off to do a 15-day, 150-mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park.

After eating a bunch of nuts and Jelly Bellies the first few days, I started craving protein. I dug into my bag of Mighty Organic Beef Jerky and found that the texture was just right. Not too dry and papery, not too moist and heavy, but just right. It had a nice toothsome feel when I bit into it as the fibers gave way easily. The flavor was excellent, beefy without overpowering seasonings. I kept chewing and pretty soon realized that I’d better ration the jerky or it would be gone with 10 days to go in the trip. I finished it during the first half of the trip but the memory lingered.

I pawed through a hiker barrel of discarded items at Sonora Pass Resupply and was excited to find another brand of jerky. I thought maybe I liked all jerky again. Alas, it was a disappointment, with an unpleasant flavor and texture, just like I remembered. I managed to choke it down over the remaining days of the trip but with every bite I knew it wasn’t Mighty Organic.

The jerky ingredient list is about as clean as it could be for the Original flavor: organic grass-fed beef, organic honey, sea salt, organic spices, organic garlic powder, cultured celery powder. One serving (1 oz/28 grams) contains 90 calories, 12 grams of protein, 2 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbohydrate, 0 dietary fiber.

Mighty Organic Sticks and Bars

I had a Mighty Organic Beef Stick that came in a long round shape like a fat straw. Beef sticks always remind me of cheap, unhealthy snacks that you get at a gas station. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I’m a huge fan of beef sticks when they taste as good as Mighty Organic. There is something about the shape that is so palatable and easy to eat.

I often lose my appetite at altitude and with physical exertion so it’s nice to find a product like this that goes down easily. If I’m not hungry but know I have to eat, I can just take a small bite and put the rest away. But I didn’t. Within minutes, the whole stick was gone. The Mighty Organic Beef Bars, which come in a rectangular shape, taste just as good, but I prefer the shape of the stick.

One Beef Stick (Original flavor) contains similar ingredients as the jerky: organic grass-fed beef, organic honey, sea salt, organic spices, organic garlic powder, cultured celery powder, lactic acid starter culture. One stick (0.75 oz/21 grams) has 80 calories, 6 grams of protein, 6 grams of fat, 3 grams of carbohydrate, 0 dietary fiber.

The Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper Beef Bar has 90 calories, 8 grams of protein, 4 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbohydrate, 0 dietary fiber for one serving (1 oz/28 grams).

Mighty Organic beef products are made from Australian beef without antibiotics, synthetic hormones, or GMOs.

I’m a big fan of Mighty Organic beef products and can report that they enhanced my trail diet greatly. I missed them after the first week when I consumed my supply and will be incorporating them into my food planning for future trips. With 8-12 grams of protein per serving, this is a tasty way to add more protein into a backpacking meal plan.