Ariana Losch
Chomps meat sticks have the uncanny ability to taste like a nice, fatty steak. Their Original Beef Stick is our #1 best beef stick around, and for good reason: It’s like a cylindrical slice of ribeye. But here’s the twist: As good as the OG is, it’s not even the best Chomps flavor. That honor belongs to one of its siblings. We know, because we ate all the Chomps flavors and ranked ‘em. (Don’t worry, we spared the Chomplings, which are just mini versions of the big sticks.)
What we looked for in the best Chomps flavors
Chomps stand out in the world of meat sticks for a lot of reasons. A big one for me has nothing to do with taste—it’s that the brand is Certified Humane and still fairly affordable. Do you know how hard it is to find anything Certified Humane nowadays? I’m always picking between, like, two (very expensive) brands of eggs and one brand of raw chicken. Anyways, I’m getting off-topic. What matters for this ranking is, of course, flavor. We looked for:
- A layered savory flavor that actually blends and doesn’t taste like separate ingredients battling for dominance
- Seasonings that don’t dry out the meat stick or make it taste like a spice cabinet
- Most importantly, the best Chomps flavor should have universal appeal. It can’t just be yummy to us, a team of taste testers who sometimes prefer ingenuity over perfection.
With that in mind… *picks up Chomps stick and waves it like a conductor* Let’s begin!
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- Chomps Salt & Pepper Venison
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I’m a Slim Jim apologist. I freaking love those salty, moist, tender tubes of mystery meat. Chomps would probably kill me for comparing this meat stick to a Slim Jim, but it’s a compliment! The venison gives a softer, tender chew that I personally love. That being said, Chomps remains true to its brand of tasting like a specific cut or kind of meat, because you can definitely tell that this is venison. If you don’t like venison, this is not the best Chomps flavor to pick up—it might leave a slightly “off” flavor right at the end for you.
Credit: Liv Averett / Chomps
- Chomps Habanero Beef
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This would have been higher up on the list, but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your preference), Habenero Beef has a slightly tougher texture than the others. No clue why, but you really gotta go in and get your chompers around this one. That said, the habanero heat is really nice. It’s got that weighted, rich, peppery spice going for it. But it’s not too spicy, either. The best Chomps flavors really do have one thing in common: They all have just the right amount of seasoning and heat—habanero is a great example of that.
Credit: Liv Averett / Chomps
- Chomps Sea Salt Beef
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You know what they say about salt: It enhances all the other flavors. This sea salt beef stick brightens the regular savory profile of the OG flavor. Even better, it makes the texture noticeably more tender and moist. Quite honestly, I prefer this sea salt beef stick over the OG beef stick, but I’m a salt freak. I think for many people, this might be too salty and leave an odd lingering aftertaste, hence its demotion to fourth. (See! I can be objective!!)
Credit: Liv Averett / Chomps
- Chomps Original Beef Stick
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For a while, Chomps Original Beef Stick was sitting nice and pretty at #2. If you’re already a fan of Chomps’ chewier, almost jerky-like texture and cured beef glory, it’s really hard to beat. But some people aren’t into that sort of simplicity—they might need more interesting flavors to get them to pick up this pretty distinctive brand. We don’t want their OG flavor to change, but if you like a little more oomph, maybe try one of the more exciting Chomps flavors on this list.
Credit: Liv Averett / Chomps
- Chomps Smoky BBQ Beef
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This Chomps flavor came out in 2024, and in my opinion it’s superior to the brand’s two newest releases, Habanero Beef and (eugh) Taco Beef. (Put that one back in the vault, Chomps.) Plenty of “smoky BBQ” snacks miss the point of that flavor profile, going ham on the artificial smoke and sweet BBQ, but not Chomps! The mesquite spice is pretty muted in the best way. Like Sea Salt Chomps, the seasoning and black pepper here enhances the natural savory beef. You aren’t snacking on a marinade, you’re just snacking on a superior version of the original thing, with just a hint of smoke and tang.
Credit: Liv Averett / Chomps
- Chomps Jalapeño Beef
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I wasn’t quite sure if Jalapeño Beef would work for me as a flavor. I thought the clean, straightforward spice of a jalapeño would be too one note and wouldn’t integrate well with the other flavors, but nope! It’s really nicely infused, and I pretty much devoured the stick in under a minute. The flavor is bright and balanced. The jalapeño adds just enough heat to keep things interesting without overwhelming the beef. It’s the champ of the Chomps, if you ask me. (Yeah, I’ve been sitting on that one. Sue me!!)
Credit: Liv Averett / Chomps
Best Chomps Flavors!
Best Chomps Flavors!
Best Chomps Flavors!
Best Chomps Flavors!
Runner Up
Best of the Best
Other Chomps flavors we tried:
Chomps Taco Seasoned Beef, Chomps Italian Style Beef, Chomps Original Turkey
Luke Field
Jordan Myrick
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!