Giorgio’s Savory Wild Portabella Jerky
This snack that's more than a snack wowed our staff so much, we gave it an Editors' Choice Award.
By our fourth day on the trail, we’ve usually had enough of sweet energy bars and trail mix and are craving something that doesn’t taste so, well, snacky. Enter this chewy, delicious mushroom jerky, which we used to remix the flavor profile of many a camp meal.
The jerky is vegan, but it captivated the carnivores on staff as much as the veg-heads. “I brought two bags and ended up finishing one on the first day,” our reviewer said after our trip to Bears Ears. “I hid the second one in my hipbelt pocket so people would stop asking me to share.”
Unlike a lot of plant-based proteins, the ingredients in the jerky are blessedly simple. The company starts with sliced portabella mushrooms, then seasons them with a base of soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and other spices before dehydrating them. (Our favorite flavor: the sesame, ginger, and Korean chili, which showcases dried Gochugaru peppers for a spicy kick.) The result is a veggie snack that has the umami complexity and chew of beef jerky while packing in 5 grams of protein and 14 percent of your recommended daily fiber in each 1/3-cup serving.
It’s not just a snack, either. We busted out the jerky as an ingredient at lunch, adding slices to cheese-and-ranch wraps. At night, we tossed some into freeze-dried meals for an extra hit of protein, and even sprinkled the crumbs over instant
noodles. Let’s see your favorite bar do that. $6 per bag; 2 oz.; 2 servings per bag