Have y'all ever tried or made Biltong?

[Artfuldodger]

 

[Nicodemus]

Africa`s version of jerky. It`s always looked good and I`ve been tempted, but never got up the nerve to try it, since it`s so much thicker than jerky.

 

[4HAND]

Looks delicious.

 

[Artfuldodger]

Indigenous peoples of Southern Africa, such as the Khoikhoi, preserved meat by slicing it into strips, curing it with salt, and hanging it up to dry.
After European settlers (Dutch, German, French) arrived in southern Africa in the early 17th century, they improved the curing process by using vinegar, saltpetre and spices including pepper, coriander and cloves.

Read more: https://www.2oceansvibe.com/2018/11...g-is-actually-very-interesting/#ixzz7p4Wp7uZJ

 

[Artfuldodger]

One difference I notice from jerky is that fat content seems to be higher. With jerky you try real hard to get all the fat off as it can turn rancid. But with biltong they leave it on.
Dry cured ham, and all the variations always have a lot of fat so I guess the curing makes it possible.

 

[Paymaster]

Beeeeeeuteeefullll!!!!!

 

[triseven]

Yessir! Made it a bunch. My wife is South African and I learned how to make it for her as a surprise for her birthday one year (that one got a ton of brownie points).

It's very easy to do and you don't really need any special equipment. I like to describe it to people as though you combined a medium rare steak with beef jerky. It's jerky, but it's still tender like a medium rare steak. It's just incredibly delicious and goes just fine with a cold beverage while watching UGA football, I might add!

Get a whole, untrimmed top round roast (I just go to Costco and ask for an untrimmed one). Lay it down fat side down and cut it with the grain into long wide strips the entire length of the roast about 1 inch thick so that each piece is about 4" wide X 1" thick X about 18" long. Should look like planks of meat. I cut it in planks so each piece gets some fat on it (don't trim the fat, it's super delicious).

You can use just about any primal cut of beef (brisket, top round, sirloin, even filet if you've just won the lottery). You don't want to use a cut that has a ton of internal fat. Any large fat deposits should be on the exterior so it gets the most contact with the rub/vinegar's antibacterial properties.

Here's a great read on it and it really tells you everything you need to know about making biltong. It's also the recipe I use (I usually add a couple more TBS of Corriander): https://www.greedyferret.com/perfect-biltong-recipe-south-african-beef-jerky. This recipe calls for Silver Side (Bottom Round here in the US), but I've only ever used Top Round because it's so cheap.

The above recipe calls for brown vinegar, that's what we call Malt Vinegar. It's a key flavor component. I tried it once with Apple Cider vinegar and it wasn't even close to as good. I put the malt vinegar in a spray bottle. I just sprinkle on the dry rub and then spray all sides of each slice before laying in a deep baking dish and marinating in the fridge for 24 hours.

Also, the above recipe calls for about 4.4 lbs of beef, so adjust your salt/pepper/brown sugar/corriander/malt vinegar portions according to the weight of your meat.

I made a drying box out of a large cardboard box with dowels for hanging, but you don't need that. In fact, after using it only 2 times, I made some nice wooden wall boxes and hung them on the wall in one of our spare bedrooms. I just hang the biltong in there to dry kinda like wall art. You really just need a well ventilated space to hang them that gets some air flow. I turn the ceiling fan on low and that's really all the airflow you need. My father in law just hangs his in his attic. But, I've found I prefer to do it inside because my central HVAC system regulates the humidity just fine. Heck, I showed my neighbor how to make it and he just hangs the slices from a clothes hanger hanging from a hook in his home office ceiling. The key is very light airflow, you don't want to blow a fan on it or the outside will dry out too fast and the inside will take forever or possibly never truly dry.

Drying time varies on humidity and temperature. It's done when there is very very little give. Should feel hard when you squeeze it. If it's too "wet" when you cut into it, just dip the cut end in some salt and dab on some vinegar and let it keep hanging. I find that a week to ten days +/- usually gets me right.

Speaking of doneness, some people like it wet, some people like it bone dry. It should not still be raw in the middle, but will be pink and softer. It's a real bugger to cut but I highly recommend slicing it pretty thin (as in anywhere from shaved to 2-4mm). You don't want really thick slabs or it will be pretty tough to chew.

And, a little tip that took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out is to turn the meat on its narrow edge when cutting and it will be much easier to slice.

Give it a shot. I hope you like it.

 

[Nicodemus]

Yessir! Made it a bunch. My wife is South African and I learned how to make it for her as a surprise for her birthday one year (that one got a ton of brownie points).

It's very easy to do and you don't really need any special equipment. I like to describe it to people as though you combined a medium rare steak with beef jerky. It's jerky, but it's still tender like a medium rare steak. It's just incredibly delicious and goes just fine with a cold beverage while watching UGA football, I might add!

Get a whole, untrimmed top round roast (I just go to Costco and ask for an untrimmed one). Lay it down fat side down and cut it with the grain into long wide strips the entire length of the roast about 1 inch thick so that each piece is about 4" wide X 1" thick X about 18" long. Should look like planks of meat. I cut it in planks so each piece gets some fat on it (don't trim the fat, it's super delicious).

You can use just about any primal cut of beef (brisket, top round, sirloin, even filet if you've just won the lottery). You don't want to use a cut that has a ton of internal fat. Any large fat deposits should be on the exterior so it gets the most contact with the rub/vinegar's antibacterial properties.

Here's a great read on it and it really tells you everything you need to know about making biltong. It's also the recipe I use (I usually add a couple more TBS of Corriander): https://www.greedyferret.com/perfect-biltong-recipe-south-african-beef-jerky. This recipe calls for Silver Side (Bottom Round here in the US), but I've only ever used Top Round because it's so cheap.

The above recipe calls for brown vinegar, that's what we call Malt Vinegar. It's a key flavor component. I tried it once with Apple Cider vinegar and it wasn't even close to as good. I put the malt vinegar in a spray bottle. I just sprinkle on the dry rub and then spray all sides of each slice before laying in a deep baking dish and marinating in the fridge for 24 hours.

Also, the above recipe calls for about 4.4 lbs of beef, so adjust your salt/pepper/brown sugar/corriander/malt vinegar portions according to the weight of your meat.

I made a box out of a large cardboard box with dowels for hanging, but you don't need that. In fact, after using it only 2 times, I made some nice wooden wall boxes and hung them on the wall in one of our spare bedrooms. I just hang them in there like wall art. You really just need a well ventilated space to hang them that gets some air flow. I turn the ceiling fan on low and that's really all the airflow you need. My father in law just hangs his in his attic. But, I've found I prefer to do it inside because my central HVAC system regulates the humidity just fine. Heck, I showed my neighbor how to make it and he just hangs the slices from a clothes hanger hanging from a hook in his home office ceiling. The key is very light airflow, you don't want to blow a fan on it or the outside will dry out too fast and the inside will take forever or possibly never truly dry.

Drying time varies on humidity and temperature. It's done when there is very very little give. Should feel hard when you squeeze it. If it's too "wet" when you cut into it, just dip the cut end in some salt and dab on some vinegar and let it keep hanging. I find that a week to ten days +/- usually gets me right.

Speaking of doneness, some people like it wet, some people like it bone dry. It should not still be raw in the middle, but will be pink and softer. It's a real bugger to cut but I highly recommend slicing it pretty thin (as in anywhere from shaved to 2-4mm). You don't want really thick slabs or it will be pretty tough to chew.

And, a little tip that took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out is to turn the meat on it narrow edge when cutting and it will be much easier to slice.

Give it a shot. I hope you like it.

I`m gonna give this a try. Thank you kindly for the recipe.

 

[triseven]

I`m gonna give this a try. Thank you kindly for the recipe.

You bet. It’s truly a great alternative to jerky. And, since it’s not sliced super thin prior to marinating and drying it maintains a much more nuanced and purer beef flavor than heavily marinated jerky.

Can’t wait to hear what you think!