Thai Beef Jerky
Kris Yenbamroong
Kris Yenbamroong
Los Angeles chef Kris Yenbamroong grew up in his family’s Thai restaurant in West Hollywood, then he took it over and turned it into party-hard non-traditional Night+Market, which now has another location in Los Angeles and one in Las Vegas. “Tradition is grounding,” he says. “It informs what I do but at the same time I’m never beholden to orthodoxies. All I really care about is that it’s delicious.”
This is all about the wagyu. Coulotte to me is a cheffy cut, really beefy, and probably my favourite, alongside ribeye. You want an intensely flavoured cut for jerky so it’s perfect.
All we do is cut it into strips, marinate it and let it dry in a low oven. After that, you fry it till it’s crisp but the interior is still juicy. The salsa is a northern Thai and Lao dipping sauce that gets a lot of its character from the charred vegetables. It’s the kind of spicy, tangy flavour profile that we look for at my Night + Market restaurants, with all the characteristics that help with drinking natural wines.
Ingredients
Jerky
Jerky
1 x 340g 912 oz) Westholme culotte / rump cap / picanha
1/2 cup fish sauce
3 tsp white pepper
3.5 tbsp sugar
frying oil
cucumber, thick-sliced on the bias
jaew makheua (tomato salsa), to serve (recipe below)
Jaew Makheua (tomato salsa)
Jaew Makheua (tomato salsa)
1/4 cup garlic cloves
5 Thai (birdseye) chillies
2 cups tinned San Marzano tomatoes
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
sugar, to taste
Method
Jerky
Preheat oven to 95C / 200F.
In a large bowl, mix fish sauce, pepper and sugar.
Slice meat into 8cm / 3in strips and marinate for 30 minutes.
Arrange the marinated meat on a wire rack, ensuring strips do not overlap. Place in oven to dry for 1 hour, flipping after 30 minutes. The meat should still feel springy and slightly moist but with no excess liquid on the surface.
Before serving, preheat frying oil to 180C / 350F and fry wagyu strips for 30-45 seconds or until the surface of the meat becomes slightly crisp but the interior remains soft.
Garnish with cucumber and jaew makheua.
Jaew Makheua (tomato salsa)
Char garlic and chillies separately in a pan on medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent full burn. You want them charred and blistered in parts but not completely burned.
Blend all ingredients except sugar in a food processor then add sugar to taste. The flavour profile should be salty, tart and spicy but balanced with a touch of sweetness.
