About MaxJerky
Max and his best friend Kyle enrolled in a study-abroad program in Beijing in 2014, and Max, a longtime jerky fanatic, saw a lack of quality options in the Chinese market. They stayed on after graduating, starting a financial services company in Shanghai with Max’s brother Tommy in 2015. Max bought his first dehydrator in 2016, and by 2018 they were selling at local markets and ball games. Weeks before the 2019 launch, Max flew home when his mom developed a serious medical situation; the pandemic hit and China closed its borders. Unable to return, he filmed his cooking and found success online as Max the Meat Guy, and his sister Sophia quit banking to join him. In January 2022 Kyle came back to the US for grad school and the three restarted MaxJerky for the US market. It launched in April 2023.
What makes MaxJerky different
The brand sums itself up as “Maximum Flavor, Superior Texture,” with Small Batch, Global Flavors and Artisan Quality as its badges. MaxJerky points to a homestyle craft process and the best ingredients, and each recipe is pinned to a place in Max’s story: mala-seasoned meals in Sichuan, a 2015 trip that set off his Texas barbecue obsession, buffalo wings with Kyle in college, and campfire mornings with his parents.
MaxJerky flavors we carry
Texas Barbecue is the brand’s original recipe, billed as classic, peppery, smoky and seasoned; if you usually shop barbecue-style beef jerky, start there. Sichuan Chili Crisp comes as both beef jerky and chicken jerky, built on mala, the Sichuan pairing of numbing pepper and chili heat. The brand describes a mouth-numbing kick that stops short of a Chinese hot pot, billed as complex, savory, intense and peppery, alongside the spicier beef jerky here. New York Buffalo Chicken is described as tangy, spicy, zesty and sweet. Montréal Maple Bacon Burnt Ends is the outlier, filed under bacon jerky and bacon snacks: burnt ends are traditionally the caramelized end pieces of a smoked cut rather than sliced jerky, and this one is cured pork bacon with pure maple syrup plus imitation maple and natural hickory smoke flavor, billed as sweet, cozy, smoky, bacony and nostalgic. Everything currently in stock is in the grid above.
Who it's for
If you want heat, go for the Sichuan Chili Crisp pair or New York Buffalo Chicken; Texas Barbecue is pitched on pepper and smoke, and the maple bacon has no heat called out. The manufacturer says none of its products use gluten-containing ingredients; the jerky is neither halal nor kosher. Allergens vary: Sichuan Chili Crisp and Texas Barbecue contain soy and anchovies, New York Buffalo Chicken contains soy and dairy, and the maple bacon contains soy.
JerkyBrands is an independent retailer; the MaxJerky name and logo are trademarks of their owner.
