Picture jerky that snaps like a potato chip, and you’ve pictured beef chips. Beef chips are very thin slices of marinated beef, dried or roasted until crisp, and they’ve grown from a Hawaii favorite into a snack sold well beyond the islands.

At Mecene Market, we make classic grass-fed jerky with a tender chew, and we love any snack that turns good beef into something portable. Here’s how beef chips are made, how they compare to jerky, what to check on the bag, and how to make your own.

Beef chips are very thin slices of marinated beef, dried or slow-cooked until they’re crisp. They land somewhere between jerky and potato chips: meaty like jerky, crunchy like a chip, and ready to eat straight from the bag.

Makers slice beef very thin, soak it in a marinade, then dry it until crispy. At one Oahu company, each batch takes three to four days, starting as jerky that’s sliced even thinner and marinated before its final drying.

The thin cut and longer cooking time push the beef past chewy into crunchy. One brand says its slow-cooking method creates a crispy texture that’s easier to eat than jerky.

Many of the best-known brands are handcrafted in Hawaii, where thin, crispy jerky has become its own local category. Many recipes lean on shoyu, the local word for soy sauce, and bags are a popular omiyage, the Japanese-rooted custom of bringing food gifts home from a trip. If you live on the mainland, look for them online or at some warehouse stores.

Beef chips and jerky are both dried beef, but they eat very differently. Here’s how they compare:

• Thickness: Beef chips are sliced paper-thin, while jerky is cut thicker.

• Texture: Chips crunch and shatter. Jerky bends and chews.

• Flavor: Thin slices carry more seasoning per bite, so chips often taste bolder.

• Bag size: Chip bags tend to be small, often 1.25 to 2.5 ounces.

• Ingredients: Many Hawaiian styles use soy sauce, which usually contains wheat.

• Protein: Both are dried beef, so protein per ounce often lands in a similar range. One Hawaii brand lists 16 grams per 1-ounce serving, but compare labels to be sure.

Beef chips are one of many jerky styles, each with its own cut and texture.

Beef chips taste like jerky turned up a notch, since the thin slices let seasoning hit your tongue right away. The crunch also makes them easy to pair with cheese on a snack board.

Salt, soy sauce, garlic, and pepper show up in many recipes. Some makers keep the original flavor simple, sprinkling salt and pepper on the chips after drying.

Popular flavors include original, cracked pepper, spicy, and roasted garlic. Smaller makers push further with flavors like garlic Parmesan and lemongrass, so most tastes can find some heat or twist.

Sweetness depends on the marinade. Some brands add sugar, while one Hawaii brand lists less than 1 gram of added sugar per serving, so check the label.

Beef chips are still a meat snack, so the same label habits apply before you add a bag to your cart. Three quick checks cover most of what matters.

Beef chips made with shoyu usually contain wheat, since standard soy sauce contains it. Look for a gluten-free label if you need one.

Scan the ingredient list for sugar, honey, or other sweeteners, and check the Added Sugars line on the panel. Our guide to hidden sugar on jerky labels covers the names to watch for.

Small bags often mean a higher price per ounce than jerky. One Hawaii brand’s 1.5-ounce bag carried a suggested retail price of $13.99 in 2024, which works out to about $9.33 per ounce. Before you buy, run the cost-per-ounce math on any bag you’re comparing.

Homemade beef chips take a sharp knife, a marinade, and an oven or dehydrator. The recipe is close to regular jerky, with thinner slices and a little more drying time.

Freeze the beef for about an hour to firm it up, then slice it by hand as thin as possible against the grain. For a true chip crunch, keep every slice the same thickness so they crisp evenly.

Marinate the slices in the fridge, then dry them on a rack in a low oven or dehydrator until crisp. Watch the chips closely near the end, since thin slices can go from crisp to overdone fast.

USDA recommends heating beef to 160°F before drying it, and the same rule applies to chips. Briefly simmering the slices in the marinade is one simple way to reach that temperature first. For the full safety steps, see how to make jerky safely at home.

Beef chips are thin, crispy, and bold, while jerky is thicker and chewier, and both start with good beef. The best way to choose is to taste them together. Grab a bag of each for your next game day and see which one you love.

For the chew side of the test, try Mecene Market’s organic, grass-fed jerky, made with bone broth and no added sugar. One bite of each will tell you where you land.