12 replies to this topic

[DTBarton]

You New Yorkers probably already know about this place, but I enjoyed finding it on a visit last week. Didn't see anything about it in a site search.

Walking down Bayard street in Chinatown went by a small shop called Big Beef King at 89 Bayard. Guy sells beef and pork jerky and not much else. Tried some and it was excellent, much less salty and dry than your normal jerky.

He has a few different flavors that I found to be kind of similar. They all have a touch of terriyaki sweetness. The hot variety has a nice peppery aftertaste. I actually like the pork better than the beef, it has a flavor reminiscent of ribs.

Best jerky I ever had.

[DTBarton]

Sorry. it's NEW Beef King, not Big Beef King. Stupid memory!

http://newbeefking.com/

[scottie]

Oh...my...God!!!

I have got to try this place the next time I'm in NYC.
The website made my mouth water. Wow. I can barely even think through hazy visions of moist pork jerky....mmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

[raji]

I think I'm gonna paypal me some jerky too.

Can jerky ever be all that good? Makes me want to eat yakiniku

[herbacidal]

There's three different jerky places in Manhattan Chinatown that I've noticed, as of when I was last there roughly 2 years ago.

Based on Yahoo Maps, one was on a north south street just south of Bayard, possibly Mulberry, one on Bayard right next to a Shanghai cuisine place right around the corner and one other one someplace.

I recall thinking that New Beef King was the best.
I'll have to re-test that belief shortly.

[raji]

They featured one on NY1... any chronic NY1 watchers remember which one this way? It was one of their "NY Eats" vignettes or whatever it is called. It might have been this one....

[Brad K.]

I believe that there is another jerky place on Elizabeth St. just south of Broome.

[weinoo]

There is one at 42 Canal - between Orchard and Ludlow. Forget the name, but pretty tasty jerky.

[Pan]

There is one at 42 Canal - between Orchard and Ludlow.  Forget the name, but pretty tasty jerky.

I picked up their card yesterday:

Ling Kee

Beef Jerky
Chicken Jerky
Pork Jerky

42 Canal Street,
New York, N.Y. 10002
Tel. (212) 965-1206

[herbacidal]

There is one at 42 Canal - between Orchard and Ludlow.  Forget the name, but pretty tasty jerky.

I picked up their card yesterday:

Ling Kee

Beef Jerky
Chicken Jerky
Pork Jerky

42 Canal Street,
New York, N.Y. 10002
Tel. (212) 965-1206

I think I've had their stuff too. I remember it as being tasty as well.

[weinoo]

I picked up their card yesterday:

Ling Kee

Beef Jerky  Chicken Jerky  Pork Jerky

42 Canal Street,
New York, N.Y. 10002
Tel. (212) 965-1206

Thanks, Pan - did you try anything? Or were you on your way to a Malaysian meal ?

[Pan]

I was indeed on my way to a Malaysian meal.

Have you tried their chicken jerky? I found that idea a bit intriguing.

[Brasshopper]

This sounds like bakkwa, which is based on a traditional way of preserving meat in China with sugar and salt. If they are making a very sweet jerky, then I think I've had similar. A number of years ago, I went to Bali, and I brought a lot back with me, probably illegally. At least I think it is bakkwa, I looked it up tonight because of an odd coincidence. See, I liked the stuff I brought back from Bali, but have never been able to find it in the states, not that I have looked hard, it was just a pleasant memory. I ate the jerky over months when I came back, and the last was starting to be too dry.

I remember that the meat had a rather distinctive flavor. I used to make a lot of jerky, and I tried making small batches to duplicate the flavor but never even got close because I could not deconstruct the flavors. I have recently duplicated at least part of this flavor, let me explain:

I started by sous videing a whole brisket. I cooked it for 72 hours at 131 (and the bag leaked badly the last 12 hours or so). But none the less, the meat was cooked thoroughly and tender. I used it in a number of different dishes, stew, for example, and finally had some fat with a little meat in it. I trimmed it and got about 2-3 points of fat, with about a pound of meat which was reasonably fatty. If you'd made burger I'd guess 75-25.

So I had this last bag, and I decided to be experimental. I decided to sweeten the meat, and go with a chocolate chile mix.

I then put this stuff back into a sous vide bag with about 3 tbsp of dark amber agave nectar, about 2 tbsp dark Hershey syrup, about 1/2 cup cheap cooking sherry, and 1 whole (slightly crumbled) dried Orale brand chili guajillo, seeds in, cap out. This is labeled medium hot, but, well, I would call it mild. It made its presence known, but more for chili flavors other than capsicum. There was a little heat, but not overbearing, not demanding, not missing either - and there was another presence that was a tiny bit like chipotle, maybe it was just dried chili.

All these flavors worked together, the odd sugars that are in the agave, the chocolate, the wine, and the chili gave the meat an interesting note, and I had tasted this combination before, and as I thought about it, the stuff I brought back from Bali was what I was tasting.

I was not trying to duplicate that flavor, I was just guessing, playing, fooling around.

I really don't know how - I think that part of it was definitely the chocolate and chili and a little was the sweetness in general. I now believe that there was a dusting of cocoa on that dry beef I brought back from Bali. I don't think that they used agave nectar, but I don't think that they were sweetening with sugar, this agave was closer than the last time I tried it.. The agave nectar claims a different, slower glycemic index, so I think that they use a longer chain sugar. That sort of worked in there.

There was a hint of chili and that was in there.

Now I want to try treating beef like this, in some agave and some Hershey's dark syrup, and maybe a stronger chili, or not, and see what happens when the beef is dehydrated. It will be a while, but it is something I want to try. If I can get this flavor reflected in the dry beef, well, it will be a success that I will be happy with, even though it has taken me years of low key effort.