Recipes

How to make Biltong

There are a multitude of recipes and methods used today to make biltong. Many of these are passed down from generation to generation. The good news is that it is really simple to make your own biltong, and the principles which you will use are basically the same regardless of which recipe or method you choose to adopt. One thing is sure, like many other recipes, the best biltong is made with the best ingredients.

Method

The meat must firstly be cut into strips, bearing the following in mind:

• Meat must be cut with the grain.
• Meat will shrink by a approximately 50% during the drying process.
• In cool, dry climates, your initial strips of meat can be cut fairly thick, and of any length. In warm, moist climates, your initial strips of meat should be cut thinner.
• Try to remove as much sinew and binding tissue as possible when you cut your strips of meat.

The strips of meat are then dipped into undiluted vinegar. The vinegar ?bath? helps to dissolve some of the sinew and binding tissue, makes the meat a little more tender, mellows the aroma and flavor of the meat. It also causes the meat to have a dark and shiny appearance once it is dried helps the spices in the next step to penetrate the meat.

At this point you are ready to season your meat, and this is the step that typically distinguishes one type of biltong from another. Most people develop their own recipes for the seasoning they use on their biltong. These recipes are often passed down from generation to generation.

See below for a typical spice mixture.

Coriander is the most important ingredient in the spice mix.

Salpetre is a chemical similar to sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate and is used to cure the meat and help prevent mildew from occurring during the drying process in moist conditions. It also gives the meat a nice rosy color once it has dried.

Once you have seasoned your meat, we recommend placing it into a large ice chest overnight, and allowing it to absorb the flavors of the vinegar and seasoning, before you hang it up to dry.

Typical spice mixture for biltong

(for approx 25kgs meat)
• 560 g fine salt
• 125 ml brown sugar
• 25 ml bicarbonate of soda (for tendersing)
• 10 ml salpetre (optional)
• 12.5 ml ground black pepper
• 125 ml coarsely ground coriander