Jerky was actually my initial reason for getting into smoking foods.  I love jerky but hate the crap you get in the grocery stores.  After much experimenting, here's the way I found we like it best.

Meat:  Venison seems to make the best jerky.  Try to find meat with as little fat content as possible.  Fat doesn't do well in jerky.  If making it out of beef, a top round steak works well.

Cutting:  We like it cut at 1/4 inch thickness.  I have a specially made jerky board and knife for cutting the meat at exactly 1/4 or 3/8 of an inch thick.  Works like a charm.  It's available at www.himtnjerky.com.  If you don't have a jerky board, partially freezing the meat helps in cutting it at a uniform thickness.

Seasoning/cure:  This may sound like an advertisement for Hi Mountain Jerky products, but I'm not affiliated with them in the least.  I've just found that they make a really good product.  After experimenting with several different seasonings and cures (both wet and dry), I've just found that their original blend jerky cure and seasoning is just the best.  It actually turns out quite tasty just made in the oven too.  I wasn't too impressed with their other flavors though.

Smoking:  I actually use my gas bullet smoker for jerky.  Mainly because I can maintain a real constant temp (which I can also do with my Kamado) and I can fit a lot on it.  I spray a couple of pizza screens with non-stick cooking spray and can fit 5 racks of jerky in the smoker.  We like the jerky smoke cooked (as opposed to dehydrating or cold smoking).  I cook it at around 175 degrees for about 3 hours.  Hickory is the wood of choice for jerky.