Merrick Grain Free Real Texas Beef and Sweet Potato Recipe review

Merrick · Grain Free Real Texas Beef and Sweet Potato Recipe · Dry food, grain free · Adult maintenance

84 / 100Our label score

32%Crude protein (min)

15%Crude fat (min)

4FDA recall events found

Beef leads, and three more animal ingredients follow inside the first ten, which is how this recipe reaches 32% protein without grains. Sweet potato and potato carry the carbohydrate side, and there are no flagged fillers and no colours on the label facts we publish.

Part of that protein total comes from pea protein and potato protein concentrates lower in the top ten, a common way to lift the percentage in grain free recipes, so the animal share is a little smaller than the headline number suggests. The brand's FDA record carries four events, all of them treats recalls from 2010, 2011 and 2018, none of them this food.

The label facts

Maker	Merrick Pet Care
Format	Dry food, grain free
Life stage	Adult maintenance
First 10 ingredients, in label order	Deboned beef Pork and bone meal Salmon meal Sweet potatoes Potatoes Peas Natural flavor Pea protein Pork fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols) Potato protein
Guaranteed analysis	Crude protein (min) 32% · crude fat (min) 15% · crude fibre (max) 3.5% · moisture (max) 11%
AAFCO adequacy	Formulated to meet AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance of adult dogs.
Price	Not listed in this round. We publish a price only when we have verified it from a dated listing, and we had not for this recipe when the label was read.

How the score breaks down

Signal	Points	What the label shows
First ingredient	20 / 20	Deboned beef, a named whole meat, is the first ingredient.
Animal protein depth, first 10 ingredients	12 / 15	Four named animal ingredients in the first ten: deboned beef, pork and bone meal, salmon meal and pork fat.
Protein level for the life stage	15 / 15	32.0% crude protein (min) sits in the top band.
Fat level fit	10 / 10	15.0% crude fat (min) sits in the 14 to 18% band.
Whole foods versus filler-flagged ingredients	10 / 10	No flagged ingredients in the first ten; the base is sweet potato, potato and peas.
Artificial colours and preservatives	10 / 10	No artificial colours or preservatives appear in the label facts we publish; the fat is preserved with mixed tocopherols.
AAFCO adequacy basis	7 / 10	Formulated to meet AAFCO profiles for adult maintenance.
FDA recall history	0 / 10	Four FDA posted recall events found (2010, twice in 2011, 2018; all covered treats).
Price tier	Not scored	Not scored in this round: no verified price data yet.
Total	84 / 100	Scaled from 84 of 100 available points. The method is published in full on the dog food hub.

Who it suits

Beef loving adult dogs
Owners who want grain free with a strong protein figure
Dogs that find chicken based foods dull

Who should skip it

Dogs with a beef sensitivity
Anyone whose vet advises against grain free feeding

Every Merrick recipe we scored

The review above covers this brand's flagship recipe in full. We also read and scored 82 more Merrick recipes from their own labels, each with its own page, its own ingredient notes and the same rubric:

Recipe	Score / 100	Protein	Format
Lil' Plates Small Breed Grain Free Dry Puppy Food	88	30%	Dry food
Lil' Plates Chicken Small Breed	87	32%	Dry food
Lil' Plates Freeze Dried Chicken Small	87	32%	Dry food
Grain Free Lamb & Sweet Potato	87	30%	Dry food
Grain Free Real Duck & Sweet Potato	87	34%	Dry food
Grain Free Real Beef and Bison	87	30%	Dry food
Grain Free Large Breed Real Chicken	87	30%	Dry food
Backcountry Raw Infused Great Plains Red	87	34%	Dry food
Backcountry Raw Freeze Dried Big Game	87	34%	Dry food
Backcountry Freeze Dried Raw Game Bird	87	34%	Dry food
Hero's Banquet Ancestral Diet	87	34%	Dry food
Backcountry Raw Infused Large Breed	87	34%	Dry food
Backcountry Bone Broth Coated Beef & Bison	87	34%	Dry food
Backcountry Raw Grain Free Pacific Catch	87	32%	Dry food
Grain Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Dry Puppy Food	85	28%	Dry food
Backcountry Freeze Dried Raw Dry Puppy Food	85	28%	Dry food
Backcountry Grain Free Raw Infused Puppy Food	85	28%	Dry food
Lil' Plates Small Breed Real Salmon	84	31%	Dry food
Lil' Plates Small Breed Beef	84	32%	Dry food
Lil' Plates Small Breed Senior Chicken	84	30%	Dry food
Lil' Plates Small Breed Freeze Dried Beef	84	32%	Dry food
Grain Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato	84	32%	Dry food
Grain Free Real Salmon & Sweet Potato	84	30%	Dry food
Grain Free Real Chicken Senior	84	30%	Dry food
Backcountry Raw with Grains Pacific Catch	84	32%	Dry food
Backcountry Raw Great Plains Red Grain Free	84	35%	Dry food
Grain Free Beef & Sweet Potato	84	32%	Dry food
Grain Free Puppy Plate Real Beef	83	8%	Wet food
Lil' Plates Small Breed Chicken	82	8%	Wet food
Lil' Plates Small Breed Beef Stew	82	8%	Wet food
Lil' Plates Small Breed Texas Steak	82	8%	Wet food
Lil' Plates Small Breed Grain Free Wet Puppy Food	82	8.5%	Wet food
Cowboy Cookout Grain Free Wet Dog Food in Gravy	82	8%	Wet food
Pappy's Chunky Pot Roast	82	8%	Wet food
Big Texas Chunky Steak Tips in Gravy	82	8%	Wet food
Carver's Delight Chunky Chicken	82	8%	Wet food
Grain Free Beef & Sweet Potato Puppy Food	82	28%	Dry food
Kitchen Comforts Lamb & Brown Rice	82	25%	Dry food
Slow-Cooked BBQ Chopped Lamb	82	8%	Wet food
Lil' Plates Small Breed Thanksgiving	81	8%	Wet food
Lil' Plates Small Breed Grain Free Duck Wet Food	81	8%	Wet food
Lil' Plates Small Breed Lamb Stew	81	8%	Wet food
Lil' Plates Small Breed Surf & Turf	81	8.5%	Wet food
Kitchen Comforts Beef & Brown Rice	81	26%	Dry food
Real Beef, Lamb and Bison Grain Free	80	9%	Wet food
Chunky Colossal Chicken Dinner	79	8%	Wet food
Grain Free Healthy Weight	79	30%	Dry food
Kitchen Comforts Chicken & Brown Rice	79	26%	Dry food
Kitchen Comforts Small Breed Chicken	79	27%	Dry food
Kitchen Comforts Chicken Casserole	79	8%	Wet food
Backcountry Grain Free Hero's Banquet	77	9%	Wet food
Grain Free Turducken Wet Dog Food in Gravy	77	8%	Wet food
Wilderness Blend Grain Free Wet Dog Food in Gravy	77	8%	Wet food
Grain Free Real Chicken	77	9%	Wet food
Grain Free Real Duck	77	8%	Wet food
Limited Ingredient Real Chicken	77	24%	Dry food
Slow-Cooked BBQ Braised Beef	77	8%	Wet food
Kitchen Comforts Salmon & Brown Rice	77	25%	Dry food
Lil’ Plates Petite Pates Beef	77	9%	Wet food
Lil’ Plates Petite Pates Turkey	77	8%	Wet food
Grain Free Puppy Plate Real Chicken	76	9%	Wet food
Backcountry Grain Free Real Beef	75	10%	Wet food
Backcountry Grain Free Real Chicken	75	10%	Wet food
Thanksgiving Day Chicken & Turkey	75	8%	Wet food
Real Texas Beef Grain Free	75	9%	Wet food
Slow-Cooked BBQ Chopped Pork	75	8%	Wet food
Kitchen Comforts Beef Tips & Rice Stew	75	8%	Wet food
Kitchen Comforts Lamb Shepherd's Pie	75	8%	Wet food
Kitchen Comforts Turkey Meatloaf	75	8%	Wet food
Lil’ Plates Petite Pates Chicken	75	8%	Wet food
Lil’ Plates Petite Pates Lamb	75	8%	Wet food
Limited Ingredient Grain Free Salmon	74	24%	Dry food
Limited Ingredient Salmon & Brown Rice	74	24%	Dry food
Slow-Cooked BBQ Glazed Chicken	74	8%	Wet food
Grammy's Grain Free Chicken Pot Pie	72	8%	Wet food
Grain Free Limited Ingredient Lamb	72	7%	Wet food
Limited Ingredient Turkey Wet	72	8%	Wet food
Limited Ingredient Chicken Canned	72	8%	Wet food
Limited Ingredient Grain Free Lamb	71	23%	Dry food
Fresh Selects Beef & Brown Rice	57	6.5%	Fresh food
Fresh Selects Chicken & Brown Rice	57	6.5%	Fresh food
Fresh Selects Turkey & Brown Rice	57	6%	Fresh food

Recall record

2010: Merrick treats were recalled across July and August 2010 in one expanding FDA posted chain: Beef Filet Squares first, then Texas Hold'ems, then all lots of both, over possible Salmonella contamination. The FDA's first word on these treats was a health alert on January 14, 2010, the first notice of this same event, counted once.

2011: Merrick Jr. Texas Taffy pet treats were recalled in January 2011 over possible Salmonella contamination.

2011: Merrick Doggie Wishbone pet treats were recalled in August 2011 over possible Salmonella contamination.

2018: FDA posted a recall of limited Merrick and Castor and Pollux beef dog treats over potentially elevated levels of naturally occurring beef thyroid hormone. The event covered treats, not foods.

All four events covered treats rather than complete foods, and three of them date from 2010 and 2011. We count them, labelled as treats, because they speak to the maker's quality systems across its history.

See the full dog food recall tracker for recent events across all brands.

Before you switch

Change foods gradually over about a week, mixing increasing amounts of the new food into the old, so the change does not upset your dog's stomach. Portion by calories, not by the look of the bowl: our feeding calculator works out a daily amount from your dog's weight. And because no ingredient list can answer what is safe for a dog to eat as a treat or a table scrap, check our Can Dogs Eat section before sharing food off your own plate.

Merrick Grain Free Real Texas Beef and Sweet Potato Recipe: our review