Recipe of the Quarter: Biltong (beef jerky), South Africa

11/19/2011

 

The word biltong means "strip of meat" in the Afrikaans language. It is an inheritance from the pioneering South African forefathers who sun dried meat during their exploratory treks across the African subcontinent, and is considered a delicacy by most South Africans (and an "acquired taste" by others).

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 25 lb beef (top round/sirloin/London broil/ eye of round)
• 4 pints warm water
• 1 ¼ lb fine salt
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup coriander, coarsely ground
• 2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tbsp black pepper, ground
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp saltpeter (optional)

Method

1. Cut the meat along the natural dividing lines of the muscles into strips of approximately two inches thick and any desired length, always cutting with the grain.
2. Mix the salt, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, saltpeter, pepper and coriander together. Rub the seasoning mixture thoroughly into the strips of meat. Layer the meat, with the more bulky pieces at the bottom, in a glass or stainless steel container. Sprinkle a little vinegar over each layer, as you add them.
3. Leave the meat in a cool place for 12 hours or more, depending on how salty you want the meat to be. (Some experimentation may be required to ascertain the correct length of time to let the meat 'marinate')
4. Remove the meat from the marinade. Mix the water and vinegar together and dip the meat into this mixture. This step ensures that the biltong becomes shiny and dark.
5. Pat the pieces of meat dry and then hang them on S-shaped hooks (or pieces of string) about 2 inches apart in a cool, dry place with an oscillating fan blowing on it. Ensure that the air is dry, as too much moisture will cause the biltong to spoil. The biltong is ready when the outside is hard and the center part of the biltong strip is still a little moist.
   
   Yield: about 21 lbs

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