I remember my first Beaver Nugget like it was yesterday. Though it’s been more than 10 years since I first tried one of those sweet morsels of puffed corn, I’m ashamed to say I haven’t strayed much from the classics since. My Buc-ee’s routine is simple, but efficient: I find an open pump, refuel, repark my truck away from the pumping stations like a good citizen, and then head inside to utilize the cavernous, pristine, tiled restrooms we’ve all come to know and love.
Like many Texans making their way across the state on road trips, I’ve also developed my own fail-safe Buc-ee’s snack combo: Sea Salt Caramel Beaver Nuggets and a pack of teriyaki jerky. Rinse and repeat. But on my most recent visit to the Bastrop Buc-ee’s, I felt called to try something new. Maybe it was just the snack display with a sign that read “New!” doing its job, but still.
This showcase of several flavors of caramel popcorn, oyster crackers, flavored popcorn, and more could be my ticket to a new future. I wandered the vast and colorful aisles to see what Bucky Beaver had been cooking up in his lab. As the aisles stretched for what seemed like forever, I became distracted by the proximity of the pickled quail eggs to the Beaver Nugget-scented candles.
Pacing myself, I started off with what felt like a safe bet: the viral OverBite chocolate peanut butter cup. While the name might sound straightforward, the OverBite is a peanut butter cup in the same way Victor Wembanyama is a French guy. That is to say: This hockey-puck-sized treat delivers. The chocolate is rich, the filling is generous without being overwhelming, and the whole thing feels like the convenience store equivalent of ordering the large when you probably should have ordered the medium.
Onto the chip aisle, I saw the standard offerings of dill pickle, sweet Southern barbecue, and jalapeño, and was verklempt when I saw the Cajun boil kettle chips. These aren’t subtle chips (they are about as inconspicuous as an LSU tailgate), and that’s exactly why they’re noteworthy. One chip and I was sold. Thick-cut and aggressively seasoned, they deliver the kind of bold Cajun flavor that made me wish I opted for the bigger bag. They were the clear winner of the tasting and the item I’m most likely to purchase again.
The Tip Top POP White Cheddar Jalapeño Popcorn was another standout. Most jalapeño flavored snacks hint vaguely in the direction of a pepper before retreating into a sea of salt. This one actually commits to authentic flavor. The jalapeño note is noticeable without overpowering the cheddar, making it dangerously easy to keep reaching into the bag.
Buc-ee’s has long been known for its jerky selection, and the newer Korean barbecue variety deserves a spot among the top offerings. The combination of sesame, pepper, and savory barbecue flavors gives it more personality than the average gas station jerky. The cherry maple version wasn’t nearly as successful, with garlic notes that seemed to overwhelm the sweeter flavors that the name promises.
Not every experiment was a success. The Sweet and Salty Cookies managed to be impressive only in that they tasted neither salty nor sweet. Meanwhile, the Pecan Divinity (a classic Southern delicacy made from hot whipped sugar and egg whites) was a hefty bar of nougat-ey fluff. It delivered enough sugar to power a Little League team through a doubleheader while somehow failing to highlight the pecans themselves. Its subtle flavor is growing on me, though.
A few products landed squarely in the middle. The ranch-flavored oyster crackers tasted like someone in the Buc-ee’s food lab had shrunk a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos into cracker form, which is either a compliment or a warning depending on your relationship with sodium. The birthday cake caramel popcorn was better than expected, delivering a sweet cake-like finish without becoming overwhelming. The coconut peanut brittle added an interesting tropical note to a familiar favorite. None were bad, but none threatened to crack the top tier either.
After all these years, nothing is replacing the original Beaver Nugget in my personal Buc-ee’s hierarchy. Some traditions survive because they’re good traditions. But for the first time in more than a decade, the Beaver Nuggets weren’t the most interesting—or innovative—bite in my shopping basket.
As you make your way across the state this summer, challenge yourself to break free from your own Buc-ee’s routine. Especially if that routine involves leaving your vehicle at the pump like it’s a parking spot. Worst case, you end up right back where you started: with a bag of Beaver Nuggets in hand. Best case, you find a new favorite hiding a few aisles away.
