Make Saul Bolton's Nitehawk Cinema Beef Jerky

Kyle Dean Reinford

Where gourmand meets cineaste

One of the best parts of going to Williamsburg's Nitehawk Cinema (136 Metropolitan Avenue) is noshing on Saul Bolton's food while watching your movie. Whether you're downing meat loaf during Martha Marcy May Marlene, or sipping rum cocktails while drooling over Johnny Depp in The Rum Diaries, it's sure to be better than faux-cheese nachos and stale popcorn with liquid butter (not that there's anything wrong with either).

One of the best pop-in-your-mouth-without-taking-your-eyes-off-the-screen snacks is beef jerky. He shares his recipe with Fork in the Road ...

Nitehawk Cinema's Homemade Jerky
Recipe by Chef Saul Bolton

5 flank steaks placed in freezer for 20 minutes, then sliced to desired thickness 2 cm to 3 cm
20 Thai chilis with stems removed
1 large "finger" of ginger
1 large handful of lime leaves, about 30 or so leaves
¼ cup Thai basil
10 cloves of garlic
6 cups soy sauce
2 cups honey
Fish sauce to taste
1 cup mirin
1 cup rice wine vinegar

1. Combine all ingredients in a vita mix, or blender, except the steak and Thai basil, and pulse until roughly blended.
2. Place in sauce pot and bring to simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes, take off stove, and pour into a nonreactive container, add the Thai basil and cool completely
3. When the marinade is cool, mix well with sliced meat. Cover and refrigerate for two days, mixing a few times intermittently.
4. Preheat oven to lowest temp (140-160 degrees).
5. Carefully remove meat from the marinade and place flat on racks placed onto foil-covered cookie trays. Try not to overlap the meat. Place in oven. Dry until done. This should take about 6 to 8 hours. Take time to brush the meat with marinade during the process -- it makes a difference.

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