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INGREDIENTS
2 kg good quality roasting meat
Brown vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
Biltong spice
METHOD
Slice the meat into suitable strips, making sure that there some thin
strips for those who like their Biltong a bit dry.
Place the meat in a tray.
Fill a small salt seller with 1/4 Worcestershire sauce and top up
with brown vinegar
Sprinkle the above mixture over both sides of the meat.
Sprinkle 100 grams of dry Biltong spice.
evenly over all sides off the meat.
Protect the meat against flies and leave for 3-4 hours.
Dry the meat with some paper towels and hang in a dry, drafty
area.
VARIATION
You may vary the quantity of worcestershire sauce according to
taste.
VERSATILE BILTONG
This is a basic Biltong recipe, which lends itself to any number
of
variations for those who want to experiment until they have created
their Perfect Biltong.
INGREDIENTS
2 kg beef or venison (silverside, topside or such)(London Broil)
3 cups coarse salt
2 cups soft brown sugar
5 ml bicarbonate of soda (this softens the meat)
2.5 ml coarsely ground black pepper
12.5 ml coarsely ground roasted coriander seeds
1.5 cups brown vinegar mixed with 100ml Worcestershire sauce.
METHOD
Cut the meat into strips of approximately 1cm thickness.
Layer in a bowl with the vinegar mix for * hour.
Mix all dry spices together.
Roll meat in the mixed dry spices in a CLEAN bowl.
Allow meat to draw in itÕs own brine for 3 hours.(thicker
pieces to the bottom)
Remove meat and put back into vinegar mix for +/- 10 minutes.
Remove again and wipe meat with same vinegar to make sure NO SALT
sticks to the meat.
Squeeze meat with your hand to get rid of as much liquid as
possible.
Hang until ready.
VARIATIONS
Before soaking the meat use half vinegar and half dry red wine or add
100 ml lemon juice to the vinegar/wine mixture. Before hanging make a
mixture of * coarsely ground black pepper and * ground coriander. For
those who like it HOT, sprinkle some peri-peri of your choice over
the meat before hanging.
HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING BILTONG
THE MEAT
Biltong can be made from virtually any meat or venison, but remember,
the better the cut and grade of the
meat, the better the Biltong!
Silverside is perfect.
Always use freshly cut meat. NEVER use vacuum sealed meat. (See
"MOULD "below)
Always slice the meat with the grain and use a very sharp knife for
best results.
Slicing the meat
This is very important: The thicker the meat the longer it takes
to dry.Ê Aim for slices of anything up to 1cm in thickness.
Careful now, this needs a bit of concentration. While slicing, one
inevitably
tends to end up with the bottom of the strip being much thicker than
the top. It is not like slicing
bread! The trick is to start slicing thinly, and to carry on slicing
till the strip of meat falls away. Do
not hack at the meat, then stop to assess your progress, and slice
further. You will end up with
unattractive strips of meat covered in nicks and cuts.
Marinating the meat
When marinating the meat always put the thicker pieces at the
bottom of the dish or tray with the
thinner pieces at the top. ALWAYS use a cover to keep away any flies
for hygienic purposes.
Hanging the meat
Always hang your meat in a dry, drafty area, free of insects and
flies.Ê If flies lay eggs on the meat
you will end up with maggots and you can throw your biltong away!
NOTE
prevent any insects from getting near the meat.
Storing your Biltong
Biltong or smoked foods should be consumed within a week of
preparation in order to avoid the
possibility of mould, especially during wet and rainy periods or if
you live in humid coastal areas.
If you want to keep biltong over an extended period, rather put some
pieces into a plastic bag, suck
out as much air as possible through a straw, seal, and freeze for
months.
If mould should occur, it can be removed by wiping it of with a cloth
which has been dampened with
vinegar.
MOULD
A few simple precautions will prevent the ocurrence of this
irritating phenomenon. Biltong, especially the
"wettish" type, can be affected by mould after it has been purchased
and not consumed within a few days.
It can also occur while making your own biltong. The following are
the most common causes of mould
and include some tips on how to prevent it:
1.Mould is more likely to occur during hot and humid summer
periods, especially at coastal areas. The
"Biltong Making Season" is usually the winter months, but this need
not necessarily hold true.
Biltong can be made all year round, just avoid periods when
particularly hot and humid conditions are
forecast.
2.Mould is very likely to occur if strips of meat touch each other
during the hanging period. Special care
should therefore be taken to ensure that each strip of meat hangs
freely. Remember, if mould starts
up it rapidly spreads to the rest of the batch.
3.Mould is also more likely to form on meat that has been vacuum
sealed or pre-packed and been lying
in its own blood for a few days on the cold racks in shops. This
holds especially true for pre-packed
wors (sausage). If you only have access to vacuum or pre-packed meat,
establish whether the
bloodiness has gone "tacky" when you unseal it. If it has, beware,
this is a prime mould stimulant.
You will need to wipe the meat thoroughly with a cloth dipped in
vinegar, and pat it dry with a kitchen
towel before starting with your preparations for making biltong. The
best is to always buy fresh meat
at the butcher.
4.Do not hang meat in a dank outbuilding or a musty room which has
been closed for months on end.
The fresher the air and the better the ventilation, the less danger
there will be of mould
contamination.
5.Many people hang their biltong in the kitchen and there is nothing
wrong with that. Take care
however, if the kitchen is very compact the steam from the cooking
pots, kettles and the wash-up can
create unacceptably high humid conditions.
6.Never hang biltong in air-conditioned areas as the artificial
ventilation can contribute towards mould.
7.If you detect the first signs of mould forming you can save your
batch by acting quickly. Wipe of all
traces of mould with cloth which has been dipped in vinegar. This
kills of the mould spores and you
can continue hanging the meat to dry.
8.If mould has severely contaminated a batch of hanging biltong it
will not dry out, irrespective of how
long it hangs. Give it to the dogs. It is not a pretty sight and it
will get worse the longer it hangs!
NOTE
Never let the meat touch and always dry the meat before hanging.
THOSE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT WATCH POINTS!!
SAUSAGES AND BOEREWORS
Various types of raw sausages are suitable for drying and you can
experiment to your heart's content.
Just remember to use the thinner sausages for the best results
Don't use mutton sausages!!
MORE TIPS
PERFECT GROUND CORIANDER
To make the perfect roasted ground coriander seeds do the
following:
1.Place seeds in a DRY frying pan
2.Allow to burn slightly
3.Break seeds with a fork (smell the aroma!!)
TIPS BEFORE SOAKING
1.Use half vinegar and half dry red wine
2.Add 100 ml lemon juice to the vinegar/wine mixture
TIPS BEFORE HANGING
1.Make a mixture of coarsely ground black pepper and ground
coriander. Sprinkle over the meat
and press into flesh.
2.For those who like it HOT, sprinkle some peri-peri of your choice
over the meat
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