The good thing about Slim Jims is they have excellent fat content. Most of the flat and very dry types of "jerky", even if they don't have added sugar (which most do), are just about 100% protein and nothing else. Slower than sugar for sure, but all that protein unaccompanied can produce an awful lot of glucose.
So, the "sticks" like Slim Jims have a better balance, but those other ingredients are indeed off-putting. I used to get another brand, I think it was Jack's. Most of their products are the pure protein (flat) kind, but they had a good-fat stick product similar in appearance to Slim Jims but without the "mechanically separated chicken" and most of those other creepy ingredients as I recall.