Flank Steak - Ragin' Cajun Jerky

One of the first regular purchases I used to make from Paulina was their Teriyaki Jerky.  Back before I became obsessed with how to make things, I was obsessed with eating them.  And I found the fact that Paulina made their own jerky rather amazing.  But one thing that I didn't pay much mind towards, was the fact that when they make jerky, they don't slice it until small bite sized pieces.  Their preferred cut, the London Broil, is smoked whole.  It takes a lot longer to smoke obviously, but the result is a (roughly) 1.5 lb dried, smoked teriyaki (or flavor of choice) jerky that rocks.  They slice it for you there, when you buy it, and you get the traditional dry "snap" of jerky, along with a surprisingly tender interior that marries what we all know as jerky with something like a steak.  I have never made it that way.  Every jerky I've made has been either a London Broil or a Flank Steak.  And I have always (for time's sake) sliced the meat after curing it, then marinated it (or rubbed it), and then smoked it.

Well, fast-forward to today.  This morning (probably too early for my neighbors), I got my Big Green Egg going with a smoker wood box filled with soaked cherry wood.  And inserted a plate setter to offset the meat from the heat, and got the egg to a smokey 175 degrees.  My mouth is watering already.  You see, as I type this, the meat is still smoking, and has been now for about 7 hours.  Let's journey back in time to the day I bought the meat in question.

On Saturday, I bought a Flank Steak.  I put on my curing salt mixture (see past blog on Teriyaki Jerky here) on the entire flank steak, and just let it cure for 6 days.  This a.m. (probably too early for my wife), I rinsed off the curing salt, dried the meat as best as possible, put on a rub of black pepper and cajun seasoning (my favorites are Mangia TV and Penzey's), and placed on the grill, on the plate setter, into the 175 degree smoking Big Green Egg.  And there it sits as I write this.  I am eager to get it to the point where it is clearly "jerky" (maybe 3 more hours or so?), at which point I will remove it, let it cool, and slice off a piece to enjoy.  I cannot wait!!!

OK.  Here is the picture.  And the taste?  Out of this world!  No doubt, it's a lot of time (not a lot of effort at all, just a lot of waiting) to make your own jerky.  But the pride and the quality are well worth it.  I'm going to slice me off another piece now!

22 down, 37 to go!