 BILTONG
Biltong is South African dried meat, a delicacy a bit similar
to "beef jerky". Here are three different recipes:
BILTONG - Recipe 1
Thanks to Mark Blumberg for the following recipe (which appears
at www.markblumberg.com/biltong.html)
What you need:
- an electric fan
- a light
- 1 kg meat - many different meats can be used. If you do
not have access to ostrich or game etc then try a cut of
beef like eye of the round or flank.
- some vinegar
- less than a table spoon of course salt (or Kosher salt)
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of coriander (whole)(get it at a bulk food store)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- string
You also need a good knife, fridge, electricity, scissors,
a couple of bowls, some nails or hooks, a hammer and someone
to make fun of you for trying to maintain your South African
heritage. A couple other ingredients that I have never used
but you may wish to use include bicarbonate of soda (apparently
to prevent mould setting in) and saltpetre which acts as a
preservative and gives the biltong a bright red colour.
Instructions
- Wash the meat.
- Cut the meat at an angle against the grain into about
one inch strips.
- Sprinkle vinegar over the meat
- Place the coriander in a bag and lightly crush the whole
coriander so that the effect of the coriander will be greater.
- Make the "biltong mix" by combining the course
salt, brown sugar, coriander, black pepper.
- Dip the meat into the "biltong mix" until all
the mix is used up.
- Place the meat in a tray for a few hours, or over night,
in the fridge.
- After a few hours dump any blood that has seeped out of
the meat.
- Dip the biltong quickly into a water/vinegar mixture to
remove surface salt.
- Hang the biltong by making a very small incision through
the slice of meat with a knife about an inch from the end
of the meat.
- Cut the string into about 10 inch strips which are placed
through the meat and tied to form a loop.
- Hang the biltong in a place not to far from an electrical
outlet by taking the loop of string and place it on the
hook or nail or hangar or whatever device you have created
to suspend the meat.
- To dry the meat turn on the light(regular light bulb)
and the fan and leave for about 4-7 days depending on humidity,
temperature and taste.
Serves 1 hungry South African
Storage directions
Ha! If you have any biltong left after a couple days then
you are either a very lucky person or have added too much
salt! Biltong can be frozen. It can be grated and used in
such dishes as Biltong Frittata or Biltong and Cheese Quiche,
which I personally thinks sounds gross!
BILTONG - Recipe 2
Serves 30
10 pounds venison
8 ounces Salt
2 ounces Mixed Spices
1/4 tablespoon Chilli peppers
1 teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper, Optional
1 ounce Prague Powder No 2.
- Using the dry-cure method, mix all the salts and spices.
- Cut the meat into 1 inch thin strips and lay a layer
in a curing pan.
- Sprinkle the salt mixture over the layer and then place
another layer on top, repeating the process.
- Continue to layer the meat untill all the strips are laid
out and salted.
- Cure for 24 hours then remove from the cure and scrub
all the salt off.
- Pre heat the smoker to 100 degrees and smoke for about
8 hours.
- Cool rapidly
- Keep in a cool dry place until you're really hungry, then
tuck in.
BILTONG - Recipe 3
Beef (Preferably Silverside/London Broil)
Rock Salt
Coarse Ground Black Pepper
Coarse Ground Coriander
Vinegar (preferably Apple-Cider vinegar)
First, be sure to sterilize all your hooks, knives, and
working surfaces by washing well in hot water and soap.
Get some half-inch thick strips of beef (silverside - called
London Broil in the US). Make sure it's cut with the
grain. The pieces should be about 6 inches long. Liberally
sprinkle rock-salt on each side of the pieces of meat and
let them stand for an hour. The longer you let it stand the
saltier it will become.
After the hour, scrape off all the excess salt with a knife
(don't soak it in water!). Then get some vinegar, preferably
apple-cider vinegar, but any vinegar will do. Put some vinegar
in a bowl and dip the strips of meat in the vinegar for a
second or so, just so that the meat is covered in the vinegar.
Hold the biltong up so that the excess vinegar drips off.
Then sprinkle ground pepper and ground coriander over the
meat on all sides.
Once you have done this, the meat is ready to dry. There
are several methods of drying. One is to hang it up on a line
in a cool place and have a fan blow on it. This method is
a bit difficult because if the air is humid the meat can spoil.
The method I use is a home-made 'Biltong Box'. This is basically
a sealed wooden box (you can use cardboard if you like) about
40cm across and 1m high, with holes in the sides and a 60w
lightbulb inside. Just hang the meat at the top of the box,
and leave the lightbulb on at the bottom. The heat from the
lightbulb helps dry the meat (even in humid weather) in about
3-4 days. Remember, the box must be closed on all 6 sides
except for a few holes. The whole theory behind this method
is that hot dry air rises thus drying the biltong. The holes
are quite important as they promote good air circulation in
the box.
You'll know when the biltong is ready when it is quite hard,
but still a bit moist inside. Of course, some people like
it 'wet' and others like it 'dry'. It's all a matter of taste.
Most South Africans I know like it in between - basically
just a bit red inside. If it has gone green, then the meat
has spoiled (i.e. don't eat it).
Variations include the above recipe, but add flavours like
Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, tabasco sauce, soy sauce,
etc. Just brush these sauces on after applying the vinegar
using a basting brush.
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