Jerk Meat

Carne seca is a huge part of Brazilian cooking. In Portuguese we also call it carne de sol, referring to salt-cured and sun-dried meat. Most jerk meats come from a lean cut, such as beef silverside, because too much marbled fat (which 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. 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 Brazilian stores in the UK carry a ready-made version of prepared carne seca that I use in some of the recipes in this book.