Hi Idaho Smokies!
I have been making jerky for over 20 years and like Qdogg...I have tried about every cut of meat. To me it comes down to price. Why? Because you will lose 2/3 of the weight..that means your finished price is triple.
Around here flank steak is around $5.00/lb. It's popularity soared with the "discovery" of fajitas. I use Top Round...I can usually get it for around $2-2.25/lb. because I can buy by the case. Most butchers will cut this stuff up for you, though fewer and fewer will slice it......most have gone to their band saws which makes it a little thicker cut, which in turn makes it much longer to dry.
I have also used bottom round when it goes on sale for $1.49/lb. It requires a little more trimming which bumps its finished price up as well, but still a very good deal.
So, the flank steak ends up costing close to $15/lb. finished, while my top round, will be around $6/lb.
Another meat to use is the flat of the brisket, but again, they cost more than top round. If you have a good butcher and don't mind paying that much for meat, ask him to slice up the "inside round"..I did this for a while but the price was always close to $5/lb. The inside round is the very internal part of the top round and has ZERO fat. Of course the reason for the price, you have to sacrifice the entire top round to get to it and not much else to do with the leftover pieces.
I make about 30-40 pounds of this stuff every month and give it away to my doctor clients, so price is the most important aspect to me.
Not sure if you have been over to my Jerky page so I will post it here.....
Stogie's Jerky Page
Good luck in your future endeavors!