When I lived in southern Africa, there were a few foods I really came to love and they just aren't readily available back here in the U.S. One of the traditional snack foods we always had in Rhodesia and South Africa was called, "Biltong." It's similar to beef jerky, but different in many ways. I think it's tastier and certainly easier to chew....not to mention much less expensive if you make it yourself! It's a very old tradition....something from the days of the first Dutch settlers in South Africa...the "Voortrekkers," and their need to preserve high protein foods without refrigeration being available.
Nearly every family and every butcher has their own "secret recipe," handed down for ages. It's a bit like religion...everyone has their own interpretation! Feel free to experiment, depending upon your own taste. There are only a few basic rules you should always follow. I'm going to give you those basics...explain where you may make your variations and share my own favorite recipe with you.
There are five basic components to making biltong. First, the meat you select. Second, the marinade you choose. Third, the brine you make. Fourth would be the spices you select. Fifth would be your drying method.
MEAT
I've eaten biltong made from beef, ostrich, Impala, Kudu and Eland. Most any red meat will work and any sort of venison meat is very popular. I'm using beef here and you may select most any cut you desire, so long as it isn't fatty. You want to use lean beef, as if there is a lot of fat in the meat, the fat will become rancid and ruin the flavor. Whatever you choose, be sure to trim the fat around the meat.
In this particular batch I made, I found some sirloin on sale and purchased that. It was thin cut...about half an inch thick. The thin cuts will dry more quickly, although many people will use a thick cut of meat, hang it longer to dry...then once dry, cut thin slices off to eat with a knife. It's your choice. If you get a large piece of meat, like a rump roast...you can cut it into slices about half an inch thick, if you like. Always cut the slices with the grain of the meat, as it will be more tender and easier to eat.
MARINADE
Once you have your meat chosen and prepared, the first step will be to make a marinade. I'm going to give instructions here for working with about 2.2 pounds of meat...1 KG and you can work your requirements from there.
Marinade consists of two items....the main ingredient being vinegar. This is the first step and a matter of personal preference. You may use Apple Cider vinegar, Wine vinegar or Malt vinegar. This just depends upon your personal taste. I like and use Malt vinegar, myself.
For the second part of the marinade, you may choose either Soy Sauce or Worcester Sauce. I have used both and like them both. In the batch I just made, I used Worcester Sauce for the marinade. Just put them in a bowl or measuring cup and make sure they are stirred together.
2/3 cup (about 150 ml) of Malt Vinegar
1/3 cup (about 50 ml) of Worcester Sauce
Lay the strips of meat in the dish, stacking the strips is fine. Pour your marinade over the meat, making sure all the meat comes in contact with the marinade. Put the dish with meat and marinade in the refrigerator for at least half an hour....up to one hour.
While the meat is resting in the marinade, you may prepare your mix of spices you wish to use. Again, this is a step where personal taste really comes into play!!! There is just ONE essential spice....very traditional in most of the South African foods....and that is Coriander! You must use Coriander to get the real traditional flavor!! There is a special way to prepare Coriander seed and I will explain. Do not use ground Coriander, but rather get the whole Coriander seeds. Black or White pepper is also more or less a tradition and should be used. (The original intent of the pepper was that it kept flies and insects from bothering the meat while it is drying). Again, do not use ground pepper, but rather, get whole peppercorns.
SECRET OF USING CORIANDER! You will probably use a whole bottle of Coriander seed. Put the whole Coriander seed in a small frying pan and put it on the range top with medium heat. Shake the pan or stir the seeds around while they heat up. When you see the seeds appear a bit "toasty" and smell the aroma, remove them from the burner and set aside to cool for a few minutes. This process releases the Coriander seed oil and give a much stronger, better flavor.
You may coarse crush the Coriander seeds and Peppercorns any way you wish. They are quite hard and you don't want them crushed very fine...but rather, left coarse...perhaps one third or one fourth full size. I have a small coffee grinder I use for this process. When you crush the Coriander seed, you will see some smoke from them being heated and a very strong aroma as they are crushed. Follow the same crushing procedure with the Peppercorns.
Now, you may get creative, depending upon your personal taste. Many people will add garlic powder to the seasoning mix, possibly some Cayenne Pepper....whatever you like in the way of seasoning. Mix the seasonings together and pour out on a flat dinner plate.
1 small bottle of whole Coriander seed
1 small bottle of whole Peppercorns
Your choice of other seasonings
(I just use Coriander seed and Black Peppercorns in mine)
BRINE
Now, you're ready to make the curing brine for the meat. The brine actually "cures" the meat before it is dried and is an important step. There are variations but here is the brine mix I prefer.
8 ounces (250 grams) of Brown Sugar (any type...dark, light...whatever you like)
1 pound (500 grams) of coarse salt (I use rock salt or ice cream salt, as it's easy to remove. You may use Kosher salt or coarse Himalayan salt if you prefer)
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda (this helps tenderize the meat)
Thoroughly mix the ingredients together in a bowl...just use your hands to mix it up completely.
Sprinkle a layer of the brine mix in the bottom of a flat shallow dish. (Don't use metal as it imparts a flavor)
Remove a strip of meat from the marinade...let the marinade drip off the meat. Then, dip each side of the meat into the spices you have on the plate. Shake excess seasoning off the meat and lay the strips of meat into the dish, on top of the brine mix. Continue the process, making sure you leave a little space between each strip of meat so the brine will come in contact with the meat. Once the first layer of meat strips are down, sprinkle more brine on top of the meat and begin a second layer of meat on top of the first. Continue until all the meat is in the shallow dish. When finished, cover the meat with the rest of the brine mix. You want to "bury" the meat in the brine.
Put the dish with meat and brine back into the refrigerator and leave there for 3 hours.
YOU'RE NOW READY TO DRY THE BILTONG!
Remove each strip of meat from the brine and brush the brown sugar and coarse salt off the meat. Do this GENTLY, so you don't remove all your seasoning you put on the meat. Just get the heavy brown sugar and salt off the meat, or it will be too salty. I use a small, soft brush to do this step. The brown sugar and salt will be rather "crusty" and fall off easily.
Now, you're ready to dry the biltong. You have many options here! In Africa, we would cut small pieces of metal coat hanger to use as hooks, putting one through each piece of meat. In the winter, since it was cool and dry, we would often hang the biltong on the rain gutters around the edge of the roof of the house. In the summer months, being warm and wet, we would hang the biltong in the kitchen. Just remember...it will drip a bit at first, so have something beneath it to catch the drippings. Using this method, it takes 4 or 5 days for thin strips of meat to dry. You don't want to remove ALL the moisture...just most of it. When the biltong is properly dry, it will still be pliable, making it easy to cut and chew. The main thing here is that you don't want a lot of heat which would "cook" the meat, as done with beef jerky. You want it to merely air dry with plenty of air circulation around it and a moderate temperature.
Here, I have a food dehydrator...I use it for many things...and it's perfect for drying biltong!!! I lay the strips of meat on the drying racks, set the temperature as low as I can get it...90F degrees...and the dehydrator has a fan inside which circulates the air. Using this method and temperature, the biltong is adequately dry and ready within 24 hours.
There is a simple alternative...one we also used in Africa, which you may use. Get a large cardboard box...cut three or four holes in the outside of the box....perhaps 6 inches by 6 inches...and tape some scraps of screen over the holes. (Keeps flies and insects out during the drying process). Make some rods out of metal coat hanger and run through the box to hang the biltong. Drop an electrical cord into the box with a light socket on it...and a 40 watt light bulb for some heat...to help speed the process. (not really necessary if you're patient). Place a small fan so it will blow air into one of the holes you made, so you have good air circulation into the box. Air circulation is important for drying. This method also works well.
From this point...just be patient and check the biltong for dryness. Once it's dry feeling and still just a bit pliable, it's ready to package up and eat! The biltong will keep just fine at room temperature for about a week to ten days. For longer storage, I put it into zip lock bags and store it in the freezer, taking it out as I need it. Doing this, it will last for 4 to 5 months.
ONE QUICK NOTE!
Often, the stored biltong may get a very fine, white looking sort of "mold" on the outside of it. DO NOT PANIC!!! It is a harmless sort of mold....not unlike the white mold you often will see on a stick of dry salami. It won't hurt you and actually enhances the flavor a bit!
I'll include some pictures here of the biltong I just prepared with the food dehydrator, so you can see how it should look.
First, here is the biltong, in the brine mix.
Now, the biltong ready to be removed from the food dehydrator, all dry and ready to be packaged up or eaten.
And packaged up, ready to go into the freezer for later enjoyment!
And there you have it....traditional Rhodesian/South African biltong!!! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. Always happy to help!!! You may email me at: stan.kain@gmail.com
NOTE: Many former Rhodesians have settled in the U.S., primarily in Texas, for some reason. After Rhodesia fell, people left for everywhere. We were a very close knit community of fun loving people. Much like Australians in many ways. Since these traditional foods were such a touch of home, many former Rhodesians have opened businesses, selling these traditional favorites, however they are quite expensive and they do not ship. It's pick up only!!! I know of one business in Houston, Texas, who sell biltong, pick up only, at around $20.00 per pound. Another favorite....and soon I will be working up a recipe for this...is a sausage we ate as a side dish all the time!! It also has an Afrikaans name...."boerewors." That sort of means, "Farmer's Sausage." Again, it's available, too, but is about $25.00 per pound...and pick up only!!! Way cheaper to make and enjoy. It's absolutely wonderful when prepared on a grill in the traditional manner!
