Biltong Food

BILTONG

Steps:

• Trim excess fat off the meat.
• Slice meat along the grain no thicker than 1.5cm.
• Cut those slices into strips of 3-5cm wide.
• Combine sugar, baking soda and black pepper.
• Roast coriander in a pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes and then crush it fine.
• Mix into the sugar mixture.
• Pour vinegar into a flat dish and drag meat strips through the vinegar coating them well.
• I use my cooler box for this next step in the process: sprinkle a handful of salt over the bottom of the cooler box and cover with a layer of meat strips.
• Sprinkle the meat with a layer of salt and then the spice mixture.
• Keep layering the meat, salt and spices finishing with a layer of salt and spices.
• Close cooler box and leave to stand for 24 hours.
• Discard any left over vinegar.
• When you open the cooler box, there will be a lot of water drawn from the meat and the salt should be dissolved.
• Take the meat out of the cooler and place on a tray.
• Remove any large pieces of salt that may still be on the meat.
• It is your choice if you still want to pat the meat dry, I never do.
• Discard the water in the cooler.
• Using a paperclip opened to resemble an "S", hook each meat strip and hang to dry.
• I use a biltong box because the biltong is dry within 3 days of hanging - conventional methods take much longer.

BILTONG

Steps:

• Cut the meat into strips about 2 cm x 3 cm (3/4-inch x 1 1/4-inches). Roast the coriander seeds in a dry frying pan to bring out the flavour. Crush lightly with a pestle and mortar and mix with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle a little into a glass dish, top with a layer of meat strips, and season once more. Continue this way until meat and seasoning are used up.
• Refrigerate for a day, mixing every couple of hours so that the meat flavours evenly.
• Hang up to dry in a suitable spot (high in the garage rafters or behind the fridge where there is some movement of air). Straightened paper clips make handy fasteners!
• Drying time is about 5 days, depending on the weather, and whether you prefer your biltong crisp or slightly moist.

SOUTH AFRICAN BILTONG

Steps:

• Cut the beef into strips about 4cm thick. Pack the meat into a smallish bowl, so that it fits tightly.
• Add the vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Leave for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix the coriander and pepper together in another bowl.
• In a third bowl, mix the salt, sugar and bicarbonate of soda together.
• Remove the meat from the marinade, but reserve the marinade for later use.
• Add the beef to the bowl of spices, mixing it around until evenly coated. Save any spices that don't stick.
• Bury the spiced beef in the salt and the sugar mixture and leave it for 3 hours.
• Remove the beef from the brine and dip it back into the reserved vinegar marinade for another 5 minutes.
• Remove the beef from the marinade and using the vinegar, wash all the salt off (don't skip this bit or the biltong will be unbearably salty).
• Squeeze the beef to remove as much liquid as possible. Roll in the spices once more. The meat is now ready for hanging.
• Cut lengths of string, and tie them tightly around one end of each beef strip. Tie the string to the top of your hanging contraption and make sure that they hang freely without touching anything on the sides or bottom.
• Leave the strips hanging for 3-20 days in a warm, dry place. It is difficult to say exactly how long it will take for the biltong to reach the correct stage, it's basically when the meat is as tough as old boots!