People were snapping up Slim Jims ahead of wrestling star Randy “Macho Man” Savage commanded the people to do it in the 90s. These ubiquitous gas station meat snacks have been around since the 1920s, and the company churns out a cool billion Slim Jims a year (via Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
The plastic-encased meat tubes come in various flavors, ranging from mild to Tabasco, Jamaican Jerk, and nearly everything else in the middle (via Serious Eats). Here are some Slim Jim Nutrition Facts.
Have you given any into the ingredients of these processed meat rods? They’re not beef jerky, and truth to tell, the ingredients may prevent you from getting sucked into one again.
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Slim Jim Nutrition Facts
You won’t find top-quality meat in a Slim Jim.
As Wired notes (via YouTube), Slim Jim’s packaging Slim Jim reads “meat stick,” and yes, it’s a stick, and it has meat in it. “Meat stick,” however, is as ambiguous as it gets when explaining what’s in the Slim Jim.
In the first place, this meat is usually a mix of cheaper meat components of beef, chicken, and pork. In the case of beef, it’s sourced from cows which no steakhouse or even a respectable hamburger joint would think about purchasing. In the case of pork and chicken, well, it’s not the best cuts of meat in these. Consider it more in the form of a highly processed pink meat paste which helps to keep it all together. Wheat, soy, and corn are added since their proteins are broken down into amino acids that provide flavorful umami.
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To make things more complete, To make it more appealing, lots of sodium nitrite and salt to ensure that the color stays red and not gray — are added to help keep the Slim Jim fresh in its packaging (via The Daily Meal).
Slim Jims are an extremely unhealthy snack.
Although Slim Jims share some characteristics with traditional sausages, they’re more of a scientific experiment than actual food. What’s the issue? In essence, Slim Jims aren’t even one bit healthy. One user posting on IGN message boards reported that after eating 15 of the Slim Jims, their mouths and throat had been “coated with oil,” and they had “chest discomforts.”
The high sodium content and chemical preservatives make this meat sticks an extremely unhealthy snack. A medically-approved review in Is It Bad For You? awarded the worms an F rating and advised that they shouldn’t be consumed when you are far from civilization and have nothing to eat until help arrives. This is enough to make anyone consider avoiding becoming one.
