Best Chinatown Jerky

[guttergourmet]

I've always gone to Ling Kee on Canal off of Essex. Just tried Singapore Malaysian Jerky on Elizabeth. They are both equally great. I always get the spicy pork jerky. So much better than the dessicated cardboard that the hunters masticate.

[fourunder]

For Chinese Style, Ping's or is it Jung's on Mulberry Street.

Yes, we know the store is not a sight, but the product is all that is important to me. My family has been purchasing there for over four decades. While all the others you have mentioned are good, Ping's is the kind of beef and pork jerky I prefer. The Malaysian style is tasty hot, but not as good after it has cooled off for my tastes.

I would further add, anyone who I have ever introduced to Ping's Dried Beef over the years has also become a fan. Now, whenever someone finds out I am making a trip to Chinatown, a favor is always asked of me to make a detour and purchase some beef for them.

[Lau]

i agree with fourunder...ping's is the best, i think it says jung's in english (ping in chinese)

ive been going there for many years and i think that place is the best

[fourunder]

Lau,

I am honored to have similar tastes as someone as well respected as you on the subject of Chinese/Chinatown........are you old enough to remember when Ping's used to make their Dried Beef in both Soy Sauce Flavor and the discontinued Oyster Flavor? If you are not....you do not know what you have missed.

[guttergourmet]

Address please.

[Lau]

i don't know the exact address, but its on mott just south of bayard next to the parking garage across the street from the park. I believe it says "jung's" in english and "ping" in chinese. It's literally like walking into someone's living room, there's old people making jerky, kids playing on the computer, its a very strange place, but good

[squid kun]

Ping's is on Mulberry, actually.

I'm also a fan of New Beef King.

-----
New Beef King
89 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013

Ping's Dried Beef
58 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10013

[Lau]

sorry meant mulberry

[i3klyngirl]

Jung's Dried Beef
58 Mulberry Street

[NYJewboy]

I agree as well. I have been going there since the late 80's. Wonderful stuff that I eat way too much of.

[scoopG]

I prefer New Beef King on Bayard. The use a different process all together from Ping's. Ping's has an odoriferous atmosphere. Will have to try Ling Kee, although I am not a fan of the Malaysian place on Elizabeth.

[david sprague]

to me, the 'oderiferous' atmosphere at ping's is an indication that good stuff is happening there. it's like walking into a bbq joint and being overwhelmed with smoker smell that clings for a while after. new beef king's stuff has always struck me as rather bland.

[scoopG]

Smoker smell? To me it is the "dank as a ditch smell" received when visiting that older, reclusive relative as a child. Plus I like seeing all the New Beef Kings trays of fresh jerky, especially their wet and spicy pork and dried beef curry chunks.

[david sprague]

wasn't suggesting that ping's has a smoker smell, just making an analogy to the working-kitchen smell. to each his or her own :)

[fourunder]

.....I like seeing all the New Beef Kings trays......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

scoopG,

I remember once I asked the owner of Ping's how old the large glass vessels were....he tipped the jars over and they had date imprinted in the glass from the 40's.....

Kind of reminds me of the old candy jars from the local pharmacy or herbs from the apothecary....candy and medicine at the same time.

[fourunder]

An update:

The Glass jars are actually from the 30's...or there is a mix. I was there this past weekend and when they tipped the jar over, the date was 1936.

[erica]

I am intrigued by these jerky places. But I have no idea how the product is used in Asian cooking. Is it just a snack, or is it an ingredient and if so, in what kind of dishes?

Thanks!

[KTinNYC]

Just a snack. It's jerky with Asian flavor and a variety of meats.

[scoopG]

Not necessarily. The Zhou Li (or Record of Rites - thought to have been written around 300 BCE) notes that the Chinese were then drying and pickling meat - for consumption and for turning into sauces. Little Pepper in Flushing features a Beef Jerky with Hot Sauce appetizer on their menu.

[KTinNYC]

I'm sure there are some people that cook with the jerky but I'd bet 99% of what is sold is consumed as a snack.

[fourunder]

While technically not cooking....I can see the addition of pork or beef jerky chopped fine or shredded and added to congee....personally, I view it only as a snack.

[KTinNYC]

We use to add yuk sung which is a dried finely shredded dried pork product to our jook so I guess the concept would almost be the same.

[fourunder]

KT,

I am sure the yuk sung is also much much cheaper too. Ping's is presently @ $20.00 per pound

[KTinNYC]

Certainly. Who know what parts of the animal is used to make yuk sung? But it really is delicious, I use to sneak handfuls of it as a child.

[fourunder]

I do not believe I have ever had yuk sung.....knowingly or intentionally, but I have had dried cuttlefish/squid......also as a snack...and have come to enjoy it on occasion.

[jumpingmonk]

Speaking personally, my favorite (I usally go for regular not spicy) is currently Ling Kee (I'm assuming we're talking about the same place, canal about 1-1.5 blocks east of Allen). The Place on Elizabeth is close but in my opion doesnt quite approach (Ith its becuse Ling puts there are on griddle a lot wetter, so that you actually get some caramelization and "grill char" taste going, whch the elizabeth street place just deont have. The place on bayard is a no go for me, to me it all tastes so chimally. Will be in the vicinty of Ping's/Jung's tomorrow will try thiers (BTW thanks for the info on the name and adress, I was hearing good thing about the place but eyone has just said "ping's" so until you gave me the heads up I was assuming that I was supossed to go to the resturaunt on mott street to find the stuff.!

[Lau]

ping's is awesome...you'll like it

[Flaco]

What about the Malaysian place on Baxter? or is it Elizabeth? Walking by today I noticed they had a charcoal grill up front by the window... FDNY would just love that!

[fourunder]

jumpingmonk,

Hopefully you will see this comment before your excursion into Chinatown tomorrow......Yes, Ling Kee is is the place I referenced as Malaysian Style. I had heard and read many positive things about their jerky, but not knowing how it was prepared compared to Ping's. Finally, in the dead of winter (2007) when it was near 0* F, I was able to make my pilgrimage to Ling Kee and sample both their pork and beef products. As I said, it was tasty, but in the below freezing temperatures outside, the meat cooled so quickly it was no longer tender and sweet,,,,but rather it became chewy and sweet....and also wet and cold which is not a good combination.....eating the cold and wet fatty portions were less than thrilling, at least not for me. Again , since my standard is and always be Ping's, my opinion on Ling Kee was...it is good, but different and not my preference as I like a drier beef jerky. Ling Kee to me is like steak on a stick....without the stick.

A word of caution. I do not know what time you will be down in Chinatown tomorrow, but for whatever reasons, Ping's runs out of beef quite often due to the fact they apparently do not prepare much, or rather large batches. When it's sold out, there can be a few hours before they will have more available. This past weekend they were virtually out of beef, but I was able to purchase the Sweet Pork. The only beef that was left in the jar amounted to less than two ounces, which I gladly purchased......though I was disappointed it was not a pound.

My suggestion is to call in the morning and tell them when you will arrive so you can reserve your desired amount. From now on, that is what I intend to do whenever I make a trip to Chinatown. The days of showing up and purchasing multiple pounds appears to be a thing of the past.

Ping's Dried Beef
Manhattan - 58 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10013, USA - Chinatown

[phone]

[Lau]

the spicy pork is good as well

i actually like ping's better than the true malaysian style in malaysia and singapore (when i lived in singapore)...i always found it too sweet for my tastes although it was extremely tender and had a great flavor so i could understand why its so popular

[fourunder]

The Spicy Pork was unavailable as well.....but it is also a favorite of mine at Ping's. As I mentioned earlier, Ping's used to make an Oyster Sauce Version Dried Beef.....thay also used to make Dried Salted Duck and Chinese Bacon......those were the days.

[jumpingmonk]

Okay I have returned from ym trip. I was able to aquire both the beef and the pork. Having tasted them my opion is that they are good, but they really aren't the same thing as the Ling Kee. Ling's product is as you pointed out a ground and reformed product, pinngs is more like sold meat fragemnts, resulting in a much harder chewier jerky than I tend to like. It wasnt bad but Ling Kee is more to my personal taste (i'm a little consued about your fatty comment though I've never had a problem with link kee's being fatty. Maybe its a differecne between the prok and the beef or between the sweet and the spicy). Oh well to each thier own. BTW one fagment of good news, apperently Ping's has lowered its prices slightly, the pound (.5 pork .5 beef) was $20 not $22.

[Lau]

so i tried ling kee today (ive been there before, but its been a couple years), i got the spicy beef...i had almost the exact opposite experience as you. while ling's was good, its not ground up and reformed, its kind of stringy and i found it less tender than the one at ping's and also sweeter...neither of which i liked relative to ping's (it was still good though)

i guess it must be a personal preference, but i prefer ping's

[jumpingmonk]

It also the fact that I was referring to to unspicy pork, not the spicy beef, for all I know, Also lings does both ground and slice jerkey's sound like you got the slice. Ping's does do a better spicy beef, but since I dontr take my jerky spicy, I'd never really know. It seems to me that this may be a case of "comapring apples to oranges" but you like one kind I like the other, and I know I wouln't like a spicy jerky no matter where it came from. I think this is one of those "to each his own" situations

[Lau]

agreed....either way i think the conclusion is that both are good and just depends on what style you like