Slim Jim Nacho Beef Sticks Review

Slim Jim Nacho Beef Sticks   I just saw for the first time at a nearby convenience store.  I’ve never before sampled this particular Slim Jim flavor, and so, wanted to give it a test run for lunch today.  So I did, and indeed, I liked the cheesy, beefy, salty flavor and the snappy texture.

While I found this cheese-flavored beef stick to taste significantly more salty than the other Slim Jim flavors, the nacho taste was unmistakable though it took me a few seconds to zero in on it, and distinguish that flavor from the more prominent smoked and spiced meat taste that you get in an original-flavored Slim Jim.  But the nacho cheese essence nonetheless comes through, and imparts an exciting Mexican slant onto the original Slim Jim beef pepperoni flavor.  It’s good.

 

Pros, Benefits, Features, and Advantages

  • I love tacos and burritos, and this nacho twist tastes a lot like those.
  • The beef inside the stick has a slightly more yellow color; presumably to emphasize the nacho cheese influence in this recipe.
  • In this 0.97 ounce sized beef stick that I tasted, I found it to snap quite easily; a trait classic to Slim Jims.  The smaller-diameter Slim Jims snap better than the larger-diameter Monster Beef Sticks.
  • This cheese-seasoned beef never requires refrigeration; not even after opening.  So it will keep several months in your food closet.  The best-if-used-by date falls roughly six months out from the purchase date.  Yet these nacho cheese sticks stay fresh and pleasant-tasting for much longer than that if kept cool.  There’s no cheese in them to actually spoil.
  • I’ve never become burned out on any Slim Jim flavor.  This one is just as enduring it appears.
  • Kids like these snack treats, especially those with a cheese flavor like this one.  This is nice since Slim Jims have far less added sugar than candy bars or other sweet snacks.
  • The spicy juice that oozes out when you bite certain parts of the stick is a delightful and added tasteful touch.
  • This snack is easy to find in most larger convenience stores and grocery centers.
  • I found no bone fragments or any other non chewable byproducts in this product.  The manufacturers do a fine job filtering out all that sort of trash from the beef snack.
  • This stick has a pleasant, subtle scent that mostly resembles the actual taste.  So smelling these things can definitely make the mouth water, as the aroma portends of the wonderful experience to come to the mouth once bitten.  But I got no scent of nacho cheese.   In fact, these Slim Jims smell about like the originals, though they taste markedly different. This makes the cheese taste more surprising.
  • This product is well-received at parties, as it sends a message of class to your guests when you offer several flavors of Slim Jim snack stix.

 

Cons, Disadvantages, Problems, and Concerns

  • As noted, this is a highly processed food with a long list of undesirable food additives, including dextrose, salt, corn syrup, and hydrolyzed soy.  It’s also rich in sodium at 410 milligrams per serving.  These numbers qualify this product as a once-in-a-blue-moon treat, though its deliciously satisfying beef and cheese flavors might entice you to eat it way more often.
  • 13 grams of fat per serving. 6 of those grams is saturated fat, and 1 of them is trans fat.  Indeed, the Nutrition Facts label on the wrapper paints a pretty doleful picture of Slim Jim beef sticks as a healthful food.  But while they do not epitomize a healthy food, they may do so for a great tasting snack food.

 

Ingredients List

Beef, mechanically separated chicken, water, corn syrup, sugar.  Less than 2% of salt, monosodium glutamate, flavoring, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, maltodextrin, tomato powder, modified corn starch, green bell pepper powder, jalapeno pepper powder, soy and wheat flour, dextrose, caramel color, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, paprika and paprika extractives, lactic acid, lactic acid starter culture, natural and artificial flavors, sodium nitrite, hyrdolyzed soy, corn, and wheat proteins.

 

Nacho Slim Jim Nutrition Facts

  • Serving size: 1 stick, 0.97 ounce, 28 grams.  Servings per container: 1.
  • Amount per serving: Calories: 150.  Calories from fat: 120.
  • Total fat: 13 grams, 20% DV.
  • Saturated fat: 6 grams, 30% DV.
  • Trans fat: 1 gram.
  • Cholesterol: 35 milligrams, 12% DV.
  • Sodium: 410 milligrams, 17% DV.
  • Total carbohydrate: 2 grams, 1% DV.
  • Dietary fiber: 0 grams, 0% DV.
  • Sugars: 0 grams.
  • Protein: 6 grams.
  • Vitamin A: 0% DV.
  • Calcium: 2% DV.
  • Vitamin C: 0% DV.
  • Iron: 4% DV.

 

Product Rating

I’d recommend Slim Jim Nacho Beef Sticks, despite the inclusion of some trans fat.  I’d rate this snack product at 90 out of 100 for snack-ability.

 

Where To Buy Slim Jim Nacho Beef Sticks

Look for these beef sticks in 24-hour convenience stores and in larger grocery shops.  They come in a yellow, orange, and red wrapper with the white backing and black and white text.

 

References

 

Revision History

  • 2015-01-15: Added whitespace, rearranged category and tag assignments, fixed typos, and adjusted ad placement.
  • 2012-05-07: Originally published.