Let’s geek out over what separates our meat snacks from competitors!
The Ingredients Used:
Typically meat snacks (bites, bars, etc) are made from bottom rounds and trim meat. This is because it's cheaper to use the "left overs" from butchering a cow as it's around 65-70% lean beef (less meat + more fat = cheaper cost). They then use cheap fillers and high sugar blends to make more product out of the same amount of meat. Fun fact, adding sugars into a meat mix gives you more product in the end - in the meat industry it’s called a “higher yield.” These processes lead to cheaper production costs and "more product” to raise the company's profit margins.
Here at APEX we can’t get down with that! We use the mid-tier steak cuts that are around 85% lean beef (more meat vs fat). We take that lean beef and grind it up using a grinder that separates the gristle from the lean meat. This process eliminates the gristle (connective tissues and fats found in all meats) and the end product is even leaner beef, which also gives a better tasting product as you will never bite into straight fat/gristle like normal greasy meat snacks. From there, all natural ingredients are then mixed into the product. Using all natural ingredients does come at a higher cost, but this allows us to provide a healthier product for you.
The Cook Process:
When it comes to the cooking process, most companies follow the “set it and forget it” policy where they set a cook time and never come back to test the product until the end. This negatively affects the moisture level and leaves you with a dry meat snack.
We, on the other hand, will set a cook time and test the water content 3-5 times throughout the cooking process. The cook time will vary depending on the flavor and ingredients within the meat stick, but testing them multiple times throughout allows us to keep the max moisture level but still have a shelf-stable product, leaving you with a juicy meat snack!
The ingredients we use and our process does end up costing us more, but in return it provides y'all with a premium product that is healthier for you and tastes better than competitors. We profit less so you can gain more!