biltong

A Biltong recipe that produces consistent results with an authentic, traditional spice mix

Perfect Biltong Recipe

kg Beef—silverside

tbsp Brown (malt) or cider vinegar ((approx))

2.5 tbsp Coarse salt

tsp Ground black pepper

Coriander seed

Brown sugar

Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan, then grind down in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. It should be mostly powder, with a few pieces of seed shells left in.

Using a sharp knife, following the grain of the meat, cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) thick lengths and place in a non-metallic container.

Combine all the spices and sprinkle into the meat. Sprinkle the vinegar on and rub everything in thoroughly whilst turning the meat with your hands.

Cover the container and let your biltong cure for 24 hours in the fridge, turning and rubbing through the meat occasionally.

Remove the meat from the container and pat dry with kitchen towels, taking care not to remove too much of the spice.

Add a hook to the thickest end of each length. Plastic-covered paper clips make for a cheap solution. Hang in your biltong box, or in a well aired, ventilated space with a fan blowing gently to increase air flow. Do not point a fan directly at the meat (to avoid case hardening). Make sure none of the pieces are touching. Place some newspaper below the meat to catch any liquid.

Drying times will vary with humidity, airflow and temperature. Test the readiness of your biltong every couple of days by squeezing the sides together with clean fingers. If you feel any give in the meat, it’s still ‘wet’ inside.

Once ready, cut into thin slices with a sharp knife and enjoy some of the best meat you’ll ever eat.

Biltong

ml red wine vinegar

Worcestershire sauce

salt

34 g pepper corn

coriander seed (toasted)

22.7 g chili flakes (optional

Begin by preparing your meat.  Trim off any silver skin, gristle, and soft fat.  Cut your meat WITH THE GRAIN into 2cm thick steaks. (I USE THE WIDTH OF MY THUMB TO MEASURE EACH STEAK)

Toast the coriander and coarsely grind it up.  Coarsely grind the pepper corn and chili flakes as well. Combine the coriander, pepper corn, and pepper flakes into a container.

Combine the red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce in a container and pour half of this mixture In a tray that can fit your meat.  Arrange all of your meat on that tray and pour the rest of the red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce mix over the top.

Sprinkle 1/2 of your salt over the meat and enough of your coriander spice blend to coat the meat.  Turn the meat over and sprinkle the rest of the salt over the meat.  HERE I LIKE TO SEPARATE A LITTLE CORRIANDER SPICE BLEND SO I CAN ADD IT AT THE END BUT THIS IS OPTIONAL.  Add the remaining coriander spice blend to your meat.

Place the meat in a vacuum seal bag (or zip lock bag) ensuring that all of the spices and any liquids from your tray are added as well.  Try not to leave anything behind.

Vacuum seal the bag or if you are using zip lock bags, just remove as much air as possible and place in your refrigerator for 24-36 hours (massage the bag and flip it every 12 hours-this helps the meat cure evenly).

After the meat has finished curing remove it from the bag, weigh each steak, record the weight (and your target weight loss), and place small hooks on each piece of meat.  I suggest writing down the actual weight and making your target weight 50% less than that.  50% dryness is considered &quot;wet&quot; biltong.  Once your meat has lost 50% you can taste a piece, if you prefer it to be more dry you can let it hand for a few days more.  I personally like my biltong somewhere between 55% and 60% weight loss.  Sort of a medium dryness.   If you like a &quot;dry&quot; biltong you can let it go to 70% dryness.  It really just comes down to personal preference

If you have some reserve coriander spice blend you can add it to your meat pieces now, lightly sprinkle the spice mix on each side (this will give you a very mice spice crust when your biltong is ready)

Hang your biltong in a warm, sunny area with a gently breeze.  The ideal temperature should be between 70f and 80f (21.2c - 26.6c) and a humidity between 50% and 60%.

Once your biltong has dried to your liking you can vacuum seal them and store in your refrigerator or freezer.

A delicious South African iconic treat you can make at home

South African Biltong

lbs top rump beef

Tablespoons vinegar (malt

salt (coarse)

black pepper (ground)

coriander seeds

In a dry pan toast the coriander seeds.  Remove and grind with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.

Prepare the meat by using a sharp knife and cut into one inch thick pieces along the grain of the meat and place into a glass container.

Combine all the spices including the vinegar and rub into the meat. Cover and let the biltong cure overnight in the refrigerator.

Remove the meat and pat dry taking care to not remove the seasoning.

Put each biltong onto a hook  and hang it in a well aired, ventilated space with a fan blowing .  Take care not to set the fan right at the meat.   Make sure the pieces of the meat are not touching and place paper towels underneath the meat to catch any excess liquid.

It will take about four days for the meat to cure.  You should not be able to feel any give in the meat when you pinch it, that is the indication it is done.

Once cured, you can cut the pieces into bite size pieces and savor the biltong!

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Top 3 biltong recipes from across the web

The most viewed biltong recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Perfect Biltong Recipe

Biltong

South African Biltong

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