Saturday, December 06, 2008

What a Cook Wants, 4


F***ing Good Beef Jerky
My dad loves beef jerky. This means I gnawed my way through a lot of it growing up, and I still think about him whenever I tear into a dried slag of meat. So when my foxy fiancé and I spent a night up in Big Bear and drove past a boldly lettered, big white sign that said BEEF JERKY, we had to stop. You know they're confident when the sign only names one food.

Inside the store they were selling overpriced candy and beef jerky in a room temperature glass case. There were 7 or 8 different flavors: hickory smoked, teriyaki nuggets, turkey teriyaki, hot chile bbq and others. The fellow behind the counter, Chris Wilson, told me he'd been making jerky for over 20 years (he must've started at 17 because he had very smooth skin and wrinkle-free blue eyes. Must be all that clean mountain living). I tried almost every bit in the case and went home with a half pound, some for me, some for my dad's Christmas present... if I can keep from eating it up!

This jerky is surprisingly moist for dried meat, expertly seasoned and very satisfying. It's probably the best I've had. And I ain't jerkin' you around.

Smokey's Beef Jerky & Candy Co. 909.866.4511. (no website!) Gift baskets start at $30 and they'll ship anywhere. Bon Appe-meat!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is perfect for Eric. He's a huge jerky fan. Did you have a favorite flavor?

Tory Davis said...

The bbq was awesome; that and the teriyaki nuggets were my favorites. Though I also enjoyed classic hickory (featured in the photo).
I love jerky. That was a clever person who came up with the idea of long-lasting meat. Yum.