13 Buc-Ee's Jerky Flavors Ranked Worst To Best

Buc-ee's is known for many things. It's a gas station that is so much more than just a gas station. Alongside rows and rows of fuel pumps are perfect pit-stop bathrooms, a whole clothing and home decor department, and an abundance of road-trip-worthy snacks. The gas station, along with its buck-toothed mascot, has taken on local-legend status in Texas and beyond, with word of its offerings spreading like wildfire as the chain expands into other states. 

There's no shortage of food to choose from at Buc-ee's, where the selection spans an almost Walmart-sized warehouse. But one of the most eye-catching displays is the wall of jerky. It's a literal wall covered with hooks holding every flavor of beef jerky one could possibly dream of — 13 flavors in total.

The jerky selection is a sight to behold, but deciding on a flavor can turn a quick pit stop into a long ordeal. On my recent trip to Buc-ee's, I took the liberty of purchasing one of each of the flavors and tried them all. As a chef and butcher's apprentice, I've made a fair amount of jerky myself and wanted to see how Buc-ee's stacks up. I was surprised at how different the flavors and textures of each package were, and found that while some were tough, bland, and disappointing, others were tender and full of flavor. Along Buc-ee's famed wall of jerky, there were some clear winners and some definite losers.

The Old Western Style peppered beef jerky has one of the shortest ingredient lists of any of Buc-ee's jerky flavors. In keeping with its name, it errs on the side of old-school simplicity, listing just water, salt, sugar, black pepper, and sodium nitrite (a curing ingredient commonly used in food preservation) on the back of the bag.

The simplicity of the ingredients was immediately noticeable in the flavor and texture of this jerky, which was quite tough and bland. It had a very one-note flavor, with the pepper dominating each bite. I love pepper on any kind of beef, but ideally, there should be a good balance of salt as well — and this jerky was lacking in that department.

As for texture, this jerky was the toughest of the bunch. Ideally, the marinade used to soak the meat before it's dehydrated will tenderize it and infuse each bite with flavor, but water and a small amount of salt and sugar just didn't cut it. This is one flavor that's better left on the wall.

This is one of those simple combinations that just works. Lemon pepper seasoning is easy to make at home from dried lemon zest and freshly cracked black peppercorns, and can elevate seafood, wings, veggies, and more with a bright, punchy flavor. So I was excited to try a lemon pepper version of jerky. I was hoping for some mouthwatering citrus and a lighter, more aromatic flavor than the other peppered versions of Buc-ee's jerky, but this one left me disappointed.

The lemon was nowhere to be found in this jerky. The bright acidity I expected was lacking, and all I found was pepper, pepper, and more pepper. Though citric acid, lemon powder, and lemon oil are listed on the label, I could barely taste them. The texture of the lemon-peppered jerky wasn't as tough as the Old Western Style, and it had at least a hint of sweetness and beefy flavor, but Buc-ee's other peppered jerky flavors were simply better.

When I picture a steakhouse, I think of coarse sea salt, smoke pouring from a grill, and perhaps a bottle of red wine. How those flavors translate into a beef jerky is a bit of a mystery — much like the taste of this Buc-ee's steakhouse jerky.

The flavor was hard to pin down. It was only mildly salty, with a hint of umami, and there was also a fresh, herbaceous note, almost like celery seed. The ingredients list gave some insight, with Worcestershire sauce, anchovy, and tamarind extract standing out as likely sources of those flavors. The texture of this jerky was somewhere between tough and soft, but was a definitive improvement over the Old Western Style jerky.

The main reason I didn't love the steakhouse flavor of Buc-ee's jerky was the lack of oomph. The flavor was very mild, and a bit convoluted. Perhaps I'm overthinking the connection between anchovies, tamarind, and the Steakhouse name, but I just didn't get it. Other varieties had clearer themes or much bolder flavor profiles.

When I first saw the cherry-maple-flavored jerky at Buc-ee's, I assumed (wrongly) that it would be more of a cherry- or maple-smoked flavor. But it turned out to really be very sweet, softly textured beef flavored with cherry syrup. It wasn't my favorite.

Let's start with the texture. It was clear that some sort of syrup (high-fructose corn syrup) had been used in the production, as the beef had an oddly soft texture. Compared with a very tough jerky that puts you in fear of a dentist visit, this softness wasn't a bad thing, but it did feel unnatural. Flavor-wise, this jerky was alarmingly sweet. It had an artificial, candy-like cherry flavor that was almost unsettling. I've never had beef that tasted like candy before.

Compared to the other, blander flavors of jerky, this one was an improvement because it actually tasted like the name on the bag. But the artificial flavors and syrupy sweetness weren't something I would come back to often.

An Italian woman I know likes to say that you should make sure to date someone who appreciates the same amount of garlic in their food. Some people like a few cloves, while others take a few cloves to mean a full head — and I am one of the latter. So judging a garlic-flavored jerky means only one thing to me: It should be very garlicky.

The Bohemian Garlic jerky was savory, nicely salted, and definitely tasted like garlic, but it was disappointing overall. I just wanted more garlic. This can be a finicky ingredient, which is why you should be careful to avoid common mistakes when cooking with garlic. When raw, it can have a pungent bite, but if burnt, it can quickly start to taste rancid. You have to find the perfect balance of caramelization and heat, and know when to use fresh, dried, or cooked garlic.

This jerky had a mild garlic flavor, likely from dried spices (in this case, granulated garlic), but it lacked intensity. It's difficult to translate the same heat of fresh garlic into a dried ingredient, but this jerky needed something more. I liked it much more than the lower-ranked flavors, but I still wanted more punch.

After eating several bland, under-seasoned flavors of Buc-ee's jerky, I was completely caught off guard by the ghost pepper flavor. It seems I'd forgotten that ghost pepper has an average Scoville rating of close to a million units (for comparison, a habanero has between 100,000 and 350,000). So here's your fair warning: This one is very spicy.

The strips of jerky themselves had a red tinge that stood out from every other flavor. The heat hit my tongue instantly and didn't let up until long after I'd already chewed and swallowed. It was strong enough that any sugar, salt, or other flavorings used in this jerky's marinade were completely lost in the background. As for the texture, it was a bit tougher and drier than I would have liked.

I appreciated that this jerky had a strong flavor and tasted exactly as its name promised. It was a big step up from the blander flavors. But while I enjoyed the heat, I could only handle this one in small quantities. It would be very difficult to casually snack on this jerky, especially without some water on hand.

Buc-ee's Mesquite Peppered jerky comes in at a solid seventh place. As soon as I opened the bag, the earthy smell of mesquite smoke flooded my nostrils. The jerky tasted a bit bland at first, but after a few chews, the flavors of pepper, smoke, and a hint of brown sugar began to emerge. Overall, it struck me as a classic jerky flavor, with familiar notes of smoke and pepper that reminded me of traditional barbecue.

For a peppered jerky, there wasn't quite as much pepper as I'd hoped for. The strips of beef were speckled with cracked peppercorns, but it wasn't super bold. I found this one enjoyable, but not fantastic; it was simply too mild to really impress me. If you're looking for a bag of jerky with a familiar, classic flavor, this is a pretty good choice for a casual snack or road trip. But it doesn't offer much to make it stand out.

Sweet and spicy is an easy flavor combo to get behind. Like Tajín on a ripe mango or hot honey in cooking, it just works. And this jerky flavor is no exception. The combination is familiar and approachable, making it an easy flavor to enjoy. 

The flavor was nicely balanced, although the spice was very mild, especially compared to the ghost pepper. There was a nice layer of umami from the onion and garlic powder, a touch of sugar that lingered on the tongue, and just a hint of spice that stayed in the background. The pieces had a tight grain and were straighter and more uniform than some of the others. As a result, they were slightly on the tougher side, but not enough to keep me from eating them.

Overall, I enjoyed the sweet and spicy flavor. It's a good combination, but I only wish there was a bit more heat here. A stronger kick would have made this flavor more exciting. 

The name hot and spicy may seem a bit unnecessary, but it actually does a good job of describing the slow-building heat of this jerky flavor. The heat was milder than that of the ghost pepper, but it was nonetheless intense. It started out deceptively gentle and soon escalated into a full-mouth-and-throat thrum of red-hot heat, which made eating this flavor a bit of an adventure. The jerky was slightly dry, but it fell apart into small pieces and was relatively easy to chew (as easy to chew as you'd want jerky to be).

I enjoyed the boldness of this flavor and liked that the heat wasn't so intense that I couldn't eat more than a piece or two at a time. However, the flavor was one-note. A little more smokiness, sweetness, or savory depth could have made the hot and spicy more memorable. The intensity of the cayenne pepper was about all there was to it, and some other flavors of jerky brought more to the table.

Of all the peppered flavors (mesquite, lemon, and Old Western), the Hill Country Brand was my favorite. The secret to its success was balancing the pepper with other flavors — in this case, sugar, a hint of acidity, and general beefiness. Beef stock is listed on the ingredient list, which seems to bolster the flavor of the meat and give it a richer, more savory quality. 

The texture of this jerky was also better than most others. The grain of the strips was relatively loose, and while it still required some chewing, it wasn't dry. The sugar and salt levels were perfectly balanced, and the amount of pepper sticking to each piece of meat gave my sinuses just the right amount of burn. It may not have been as creative and bold as my top three flavors, but it was still quite good and offered a nice balance of flavor and texture. 

Teriyaki is a flavor characterized by the combination of soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ginger, and garlic. While the recipe for teriyaki sauce may be simple, the resulting flavor is effortlessly balanced between sweet, salty, umami, and warmth. Given that teriyaki sauce is often paired with different proteins, it makes perfect sense as a beef jerky flavor.

The flavor of the jerky started off salty, gave way to sweetness, and finished with a hint of acidity. The subtle contrast between the flavors was easily identifiable as teriyaki. It was perfectly balanced and left my mouth watering at the end — an ideal trait for a snack, which keeps you coming back for more. 

The teriyaki jerky was a great third-place flavor. Its balanced combination of salty soy sauce, vinegar tang, and brown sugar made it very enjoyable, and I would buy it again. But there were a couple of other flavors that were bolder, more complex, and really whisked my palate away. 

The flavor of Buc-ee's Korean BBQ jerky is so on the nose that I was able to give it to a friend blind, who then immediately guessed what it was. It has the flavors of sesame, brown sugar, mirin, and soy sauce, all in perfect equilibrium.

The texture of this beef jerky was also very distinct. It was quite soft, and the beef had a very loose grain with a few lines of fat. It reminded me of thinly-sliced short ribs, like the kind that would be used for kalbi, a marinated Korean short rib dish you'd often find at a KBBQ restaurant — although there's no information listed about what cuts are used for each piece of jerky.

This jerky was very snackable. Just smelling the bag immediately transported me to a Korean BBQ restaurant where I could practically smell the smoke coming off the grill. The flavors were recognizable, balanced, and enticing. The one thing missing for me was a hint of spice. There was one other jerky that took the cake.

Many of these jerky flavors left me wishing for more. More flavor, more salt, more sugar, more spice. But there was one flavor I had no notes for, because it was simply excellent as-is. The jalapeño honey jerky from Buc-ee's was fantastic.

It tasted exactly like the name. There was a mild spice (a bit more than the sweet and spicy, but a bit less than the hot and spicy) that was very green and fresh, just like a jalapeño. There were a few seeds clinging to each piece, too, and biting into one added a nice peppery pop of flavor. The heat was perfectly balanced with the sweetness, which had the floral taste of honey. The pieces of beef were also thick and chewy, which I loved.

Overall, this jerky was fresh and tasted like it was made with whole ingredients rather than artificial flavors. I loved every bite and can easily call it my favorite of all 13.

To compile this selection of Buc-ee's jerky, I visited one of its locations to purchase one of each of the flavors listed. I tried them all myself and judged the flavors based on the balance of seasonings, the overall flavor profile, and the texture of the meat. I also considered how each flavor developed as I ate them, including the initial taste, lingering flavors, and intensity of the seasonings. Finally, I compared each variety with the others to determine how they ranked overall.