The town of Schriever lies deep in south Louisiana, well south of the bustle of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and past bayous, cane fields, moss-heavy oaks, and towns with thick French names. It's not uncommon for locals to slide a lilting mais chere into conversations. But Schriever's best-defining feature is likely its Cajun meat market.
The story of Bourgeois Meat Market began more than 120 years ago. In 1891, a man named Valerie Jean-Batiste Bourgeois began slaughtering one pig or cow at a time and peddling the resulting fresh cuts by horse and carriage to a neighboring bayou, not returning home until the entire animal had been sold.
Refrigeration allowed Valerie to open a permanent storefront on West Main Street next to the family's home in the 1920s. He smoked sausage and made hog's head cheese and boudin, among other local delicacies. Over the years, the meat market attracted a loyal following.
When Valerie's son Lester, returned home from serving in World War 2, he took over the family business. Soon after, Lester decided to move the meat market and slaughterhouse to land across the street on Bayou Terrebonne. It wasn't long before his children were working in the market, too.
Donald, one of Lester and Rita's seven children, is now the owner.
Bourgeois Meat Market is best known for its unique Cajun beef jerky, which has created a generation of near-addicted fans.
Today, Bourgeois sells 1,000 pounds of beef jerky a week. Oil field salesmen regularly stop at Bourgeois on weekday mornings to stock up on jerky to butter up prospective customers all across south Louisiana.
Their one-of-a-kind cajun beef jerky is world-famous. The recipe and cooking method are the best-kept secrets at Bourgeois' Meat Market. What I can tell you, however, is that it is made from long, thin strips of quality extra-lean steak. It's then seasoned and marinated for at least 24 hours and then hung individually from nails on long rails. From there, it's placed in a smokehouse designed by Valerie and smoked all day long "the old-fashioned way" for a unique flavor, texture, and color. They do not use nitrates or nitrites in their jerky or artificial smoke flavorings.