im no master at all, but with jerkey i prefer a milder flavor woods like pecan, apple, cherry. i love smoke but i have learned i dont like a lot of smoke flavoring on jerkey, just a suttle hint really.
i change my favorite flavor all the time, right now (and for a while now) i have been stuck on obie-q's smooth moove.
i just got off marinading it in a mix of milk, A-1, tofu, oregano, juice of one head of lettus (med size) and garlic, sometimes a little mayonaise, and if i got crazy mix a little beer and minced sundried peas. i would let it sit out in the sun for min 48 hours. (mmmmm just imagine the flavor!!!)
for meat i like to use bottom round, its cheep and dont have a lot of fat. it usually comes in roast form, i just slice it and cut it in half. i get most of my meat from Sams Club (its a lot better then i thought).