Biltong

grantmichaels

grantmichaels

Does anyone here make biltong? ...
 
It looks like some kind of ceviche jerky frankenweiner ...
 
http://www.brooklynbiltong.com/pages/where-we-come-from
 
eat_feed_middle_7f93d3fc-fd2b-48c3-a748-074dd1eaa984_large.jpg

 
 
 
 
It's based on wind ;)
http://www.cutanddriedgourmet.com/products.html
http://www.biltongusa.com/products-droewors/
https://www.jontyjacobs.com/
http://www.aabiltong.com/
 
BILTONG ROCKS!
 
Easy to make.  Thick strips of meat are placed in a curing mix- salt, some sugar, roasted coriander seed, black pepper and some vinegar.  Leave the meat in this rub for a few hours either side.  Hang it up to dry in a shady spot with good airflow.  The meat truns dark as it dries.  The longer you leave it the drier it becomes - like the pic in the first post.  I prefer mine to be somewhat wet - dry on the outside but still softish in the middle.  I also prefer mine with a nice slab of fat on it - but then it has to be left a while longer so that the fat can cure as well.  The preferred way of eating biltong is as a big strip - thewn you cut your own slices.  If it is pre-sliced it tends to dry out quite quickly and also becomes a bit "dusty" in taste.
 
It is really easy to make.  Try it with various dry rubs when you do the intial curing.  And try it with different meats - beef is standard but various game are delicious. 
 
A friend I had used to make Biltong. Tasted great and was very addictive. This thread has inspired me to give it a go, most likely this weekend.  :P
 
I'll post the results if I do.
 
 
SR.
 
I prefer Biltong over jerky due to the seasoning. However im not an expert in jerkies, as it's not readily available here (only have had some from the US PX in Masar-e Sharif). I like the touch that vinegar gives it, it's a more complex flavor.
 
So, interesting ... what was your recipe? ... did you have to do anything special w/ the hooks? ... running a fan? ... I, for one, am curious!
 
My recipe was.
 
Brine:
2 cups red wine vinegar
1 cup Woshtishire sauce
 
Spice rub:
6 tbsp Ground coriander seeds
4 tbsp brown sugar (optional)
2 tbsp Ground black pepper
2 tsp smoked Cayenne powder
 
Hooks were just "S" bent aluminum wire.
No fan, just allowing to air dry.
 
This was my general technique:
Could end up as chewy, spiced old boot, but you never know if you don't try........
 
 
SR.
 
So two and a bit days of drying in my shed during 30deg c days and I can't wait any longer. Cut up two small pieces to test. 
 
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Wow, tastes just like the one my friend used to make. Still needs some more drying time (for my liking) but it is something I think I'll be making regularly. 
 
Went back to the shed for two more pieces......... :P
 
 
 
SR.
 
I made a batch a while back. I forget where the recipe came from but I followed all of the steps to not have it come out too salty.
 
It was waaaaayyy tooooooo salty..
 
I salted mine with rock salt and put it in the fridge for 3 hrs. Then drained all the liquid the salt had drawn out and washed the salt off with a dip in the brine.
 
My Biltong mix contained no salt, but it did have sugar which may have helped reduce any saltiness. 
 
I don't think I'll change my process much because it turned out very good as is.
 
 
 
SR.
 
The cut, the addition of vinegar and the overal spices. However jerky is basically a less fixed term where biltong is more of a dish it self (i.e. with biltong you have a more basic recipe where jerky is just a name for dried meat imho)
 
Second lot is now hanging to dry.  :party:
 
 
I marinated the meat in some brine for one hour prior to salting in an effort to increase flavor. 
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Salted with 1/3 of the salt used last time. Not as much liquid was drawn out because of this and will mean a longer drying time. 
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Salt washed off with brine twice in two separate brine mixes. 
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Hung to dry.
20150118_133744.jpg

 
This time I made two separate rub mixes. 1/3 without Chilli and 2/3 with some serious heat, which is what the last lot lacked.
 
Last time I found that the drier the meat got the saltier it became and in the end, almost too salty. So this time I used far less salt, more sugar and ran the meat strips through two separate brine washes. I also doubled the sugar in the rub to combat any saltiness. 
 
I wasn't as happy with the cuts of meat this time around. Same Butcher, and I saw him actually cut the Topside from the carcass, but these cuts contained more sinew and fat veins which makes cutting one continuous strip very hard. He gets one more chance! 
 
 
 
SR.
 
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