Jerk Meat - Carne Seca

Jerk meat or dried meat is a huge part of Brazilian cooking. In Portuguese we also call it carne desoí, referring to salt-cured and sun-dried meat. Most jerk meats come from a lean cut, such as the flank, because too much marbled fat (what gives that buttery richness we want in our cooked meats) makes the dried meat too tough. Most pieces of jerk meat are cut against the grain to make them tender rather than leathery. In other cuisines, the processes of making jerk beef vary greatly, from salting to brining, smoking in hickory or oak, or not smoking at all. Flavouring can be introduced with a dry rub, a paste or a marinade. Drying can take place in commercial ovens, dehydrators or naturally. The Brazilian method is less elaborate. While many of the ingredients found in this country are comparable to those found in Brazil, jerk meat is the exception so it might taste a little different from the one eaten in Brazil. Most specialist Brazilian shops carry a ready-made version of prepared carne seca that I use in some of the recipes in this book.