How To Make Your Own Biltong

[arpie]

Making Biltong

I use a large Stainless Steel Salad bowl to cure my meat in. Make sure all bowls, knives etc are scrupulously clean. Knives need to be really sharp to get a nice even slice of meat.

Buy a whole rump or silverside (or 2!) If it weighs in at about 5kg, you will end up with about 2kg of biltong!

My flavour of choice is coriander - Have one cup of coriander seeds heated slightly in a pan, then pulverised/smashed with a mortar & pestle (but not to powder - keep it a bit chunky but not whole.) Try any flavour you want!!

Have handy, One cup of rock salt, a pepper grinder & a bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar.

You separate the meat into chunks, by pulling apart the natural segments within the whole rump. Using your fingers, separate the segments (usually indicated by a 'web-like' skin) by forcing the two bits of meat apart. A sharp knife will assist you in following it's path. Carefully slice off any of the thicker 'silver' strands (this is actually muscle & is very tough.) By doing this, you will be able to slice the meat correctly, with the grain. If left in the one large piece & just sliced, you will cut some of it the wrong way, as it occurs naturally in the beast, almost latticed!

Remove as much fat from the meat as you prefer - leave a little bit on, but not too much, as it can go rancid & affect the flavour of the biltong

When all the meat has been separated, lay it out so that you can see the grain of the meat all facing the one way - lengthwise, in front of you.

Slice each bit of meat WITH THE GRAIN. Some of the pieces will be steak sized, others may just be little off cuts! That is fine! I prefer to slice my meat about 1 - 2cm thick - NO THICKER! Mind you, the SA's do entire sections!! The thicker it is, the longer to take to cure, but it is usually 'creamier'! As it dries, it will shrink by at least half, if not more. Don't slice it too thin - it will dry so much that it will go brittle & isn't as nice to eat! A bit thicker is better than too thin.

Base Layer of Meat - sprinkle a few bits of rock salt onto one side of each piece of the meat, grate some pepper and sprinkle a good bit of coriander onto it. I put a small hole in the lid of the vinegar (using a skewer) and then drizzle all of the meat with this.

Place the first layer of meat (herbed side down) into the base of the s/s bowl. Place it really close together & even a bit up the sides. It all has to be very snug! Repeat the above ...sprinkle a few (up to 5 or 6 depending on the size of the meat) bits of rock salt onto each slice of the next layer of meat, grate some pepper and sprinkle a good bit of coriander onto it and then drizzle the meat with the vinegar (some people prefer to dunk the meat in a bowl of vinegar & allow the excess to drip off.)

Place the next layer of meat 'lattice' style across the meat already in the dish. Put the herbs on it & sprinkle with vinegar. Repeat until all the meat has been used. Make sure each layer is facing a different direction from the layer below. It sits better in the bowl.

Use the small offcuts to fill in any gaps along the way, so the meat is really snug in the bowl.

Cover with cling wrap place in a cool place over night. If done in June/July/Aug, it can be left out preferably overnight (& obviously not in direct sunlight) and should be ready to hang the next morning. The longer you leave the meat absorbing the flavours, the saltier it will get.

The key ingredients are the vinegar & salt. Then add whatever you like. Grant/Jewhunter likes a bit of garlic & chilli powder as well. If you want to add other flavours, you can try Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, tabasco or soy sauce etc. I prefer mine with the coriander! Some of the Steak Rubs you can get could be interesting! Do about 4 - 5 flavours in the one batch, till you find the one you prefer!

I use paper clips that I have folded out into an 'S' shape to hang my biltong, usually onto a clothes rack, over an area covered with newspaper. This collects any drips or coriander that may come off during curing.

When you hang the meat using the paper clips, it is essential that no 2 pieces are touching each other. If they touch, the meat will sweat & go off. Every time you check your biltong, make sure none is touching! I place a small fan off to the side, to create the draught that actually starts drying the meat out. So long as there is no excess humidity,the meat will not go off. Keep it away from areas that may attract flies - but once it is initially dry, flies aren't interested anyway! Keep the meat out of sunlight.

In the old days, the meat was hung from the rafters in the family room or even the barn where fresh air assisted in the drying.

You will notice a 'meaty' smell for the first day or so - as the thinner, smaller bits dry the fastest, you will be able to 'taste test' them after the first 36-48 hrs. If you use 2 fans (one from either side) curing will occur faster & you can taste a small bit in 24hrs!

Squeeze the biltong to assess whether it is dry enough. It will be fairly hard, but still moist inside - almost creamy! You want it dry, but not crisp. If you can just feel a bit of soft inside, it is ready to try! If you can still squeeze it easily, it probably needs longer curing. If it has gone green, it has gone off & should be thrown out!! (This has not happened to me yet!) It can take anything from 3 - 5 days to cure, depending solely on how thickly you sliced the meat. It will cure at different rates. Just remove the bits that are ready & leave the other till it is ready.

Use a sharp Swiss Army Knife to slice thin pieces off each piece of biltong. (Don't ask my why, but they slice the biltong beautifully!) If you tear a piece off with your teeth, you may damage your teeth. Also by slicing it thinly, you can enjoy it for longer!

You can vacuum pack any Biltong that you want to store - or wrap in an absorbent brown paper and keep in the refrigerator for immediate use, however it can sweat a bit in the fridge - better just to eat it! An airtight container would be good for small quantities to be left outside the fridge.

So, get into it & make some!! Let me know how you go!! Even better, send me a bit of your first effort!! I'd love to try it!

My Biltong tree

Close up of how the meat should look after 24hr curing in front of 2 fans

Edited August 4, 2007 by Roberta

[Flightmanager]

Great recipe Roberta , I might just give it a try !!

Ross

[arpie]

Hi guys

Don't forget to send us a bit!!

Cheerio

Roberta

Mine is half done already - only got the thicker bits nearing completion!

[Jewhunter]

Great recipe Roberta , I might just give it a try !!

Ross

Don't do it Ross!

It is seriously addictive stuff!

Cheers,

Grant

[arif]

Sounds great Roberta have been waiting for the recipe since you put up the first post thank you

[arpie]

Hi guys

Don't be afraid to try 4 or 5 flavours in the one batch!! Google it to see what other flavours are out there & dare to be different! I must try other flavours, too!

Anyone else out there making their own? What is your favourite flavour & how do you do it??

Cheers

Roberta

[Frantic]

IT goes great with a beer and a good game of footy to watch.

craig.