Road Stick

This road has a pothole or two

I’ve been a longtime fan of Louisville Jerky Co.’s vegan jerkies, so I was really looking forward to trying their new Road Sticks. Unfortunately, this one is a bit of a swing and a miss for me. The flavor is pretty good. I don’t love it, but it has a nice savory smokiness that’s enjoyable. It also wasn’t quite as reminiscent of a Slim Jim as I was expecting based on the concept. Where it really loses me is the texture. I was hoping for something closer to Bean Stalk’s Savory Salami sticks, with a firmer but slightly more tender bite and chew. Instead, the Road Sticks come across as a bit drier. It’s a different kind of texture than I was expecting, and it’s just not my preference. That said, taste is subjective. My wife really enjoys them and happily finished the rest of the pack, so your mileage may vary on the vegan snack road. While these won’t be a repeat purchase for me, I’m still a loyal Louisville Jerky Co. fan and will continue to enthusiastically recommend their traditional vegan jerky products.

Not as good as jerky

I was an avid slim jim lover as a kid, and since going vegetarian at 15 I’ve been searching for a substitute. Louisville’s black pepper jerky is the only thing I’ve tried that remotely hits the craving. It’s by far the best vegan jerky I’ve had. So when I saw they were coming out with road sticks I had extremely high hopes and immediately ordered 20. The verdict: I wouldn’t buy these again. I’ll finish them begrudgingly. Flavor-wise, the black pepper jerky is a closer approximation to a classic meat stick. These have an overly tomato-y/acidic flavor to me, but the texture is the bigger issue. Instead of a nice chew like the soy curl jerky, these have an unpleasant graininess and crumbliness.

Had high hopes, but the road sticks are a miss for me. I'll eat them, but I won't enjoy them. Will stick to the excellent jerky in the future.