Biltong recipe
Biltong is a traditional dried meat snack that originated in South Africa. It is similar to jerky in some respects, but the classic version is not sweetened. This will be a hugely popular snack for hikers and sports fans that is easy to make at home.
Adopted by European settlers in South Africa from the indigenous peoples, biltong was traditionally made from beef but can be made from springbok, ostrich, and many other red meats and poultry. Originally, biltong would have been prepared and allowed to dry under the sun.
Because biltong is made from much thicker cuts of meat than jerky (typically 50 mm/2 in) the meat can take longer to dry out completely. This works when the sun and the breeze are present in the right measures, but when this is not the case, you need to think of ways to get around this challenge.
Biltong boxes
The biltong box is a container in which the meat can hang while a small fan (in some cases) and holes at the top and bottom of the box allow the air to circulate. The holes are usually protected against insects with a fine mesh.
To raise the temperature in the box to promote drying, some biltong boxes have small, low-wattage lights in the base. You can get the same results if you hang biltong in a refrigerator or use dry-aging bags.
It’s even possible to dry biltong in the oven. This starts off the drying process and partially case hardens the meat. You can then hang the meat outside to dry naturally and it is usually ready in about three days.
Traditional biltong is cured in salt and white wine vinegar and coated with crushed coriander seeds and pepper. You can add a little chilli to give it a kick, if you like. Because biltong is classed as a slow-dried product, for safety I recommend the use of Prague Powder #2 (pink curing salt #2).
Ingredients
- 1 kg lean topside of beef
- 2.2 lbs lean topside of beef
- 2.2 lbs lean topside of beef
- 100 ml white wine or cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 0.5 tsp Prague Powder #2 (pink curing salt #2)
- 3.5 fl oz white wine or cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 0.5 tsp Prague Powder #2 (pink curing salt #2)
- 0.4 cup white wine or cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 0.5 tsp Prague Powder #2 (pink curing salt #2)
- 8 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 0.25 tsp finely chopped chilli (optional)
- 8 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 0.25 tsp finely chopped chilli (optional)
- 8 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 0.25 tsp finely chopped chilli (optional)
Details
- Cuisine: South African
- Recipe Type: Snack
- Difficulty: Hard
- Preparation Time: 120 mins
- Cooking Time: 360 mins
- Serves: 12
Step-by-step
- Remove visible connective tissue, fat, and silver skin from the meat. Cut into 75-mm long (3-in) strips.
- Pour the vinegar, salt, and Prague Powder into a bowl. Mix and add the strips of meat. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for about two hours.
- Crush the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar and mix with the pepper and chilli (if using). Remove the meat from the marinade and liberally coat in the coriander mix.
- To dry and store the biltong, hang the strips of meat in a biltong box or lay them on racks in the oven set at the lowest possible temperature. A fan oven is best as this circulates the heat and assists the drying process.
- The biltong is sufficiently dry when it has gone a little dark and stiff. Store biltong in a vacuum pack for up to a year in the freezer but in my experience it is far too delicious to keep for that long.
Smoking, Curing & Drying - The Complete Guide for Meat & Fish by Turan T. Turan, with photography by Simon Pask. Published by Apple Press, £12.99.
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