South African Beef Jerky - How to Make Beef Jerky using the Traditional South African Biltong Method.
Author: Whats4Chow
Recipe type: Beef / Preserves
Cuisine: South African
Dried beef is a popular snack in almost every country of the world. In the USA it's called beef jerky, in South Africa it's called Biltong. This episode covers how to make jerky using the Traditional South African Biltong recipe.
Ingredients
- 3kg Beef (Rump, rump tail, silverside, porterhouse etc)
- 75g Non-iodated salt
- 10g Sugar
- 2g Saltpeter
- 2g Bicarbonate of soda
- 2ml Cracked black pepper
- 15ml Crushed coriander seed
- ½ Tsp Chilli flakes
- ½ Tsp Garlic powder
- Brown vinegar
Instructions
- you will need 3kg of beef. You can use almost any cut of meat, here I am using the tail ends of the rump.
- Whichever cut you decide to use, remember that flavor is in the fat, so your result will be tastier if the beef cut has a strip of fat down the edge.
- Cut the beef length-ways into long strips of and inch or 25mm in thickness.
- In a bowl, combine the salt, sugar, saltpeter, bicarbonate of soda, cracked black pepper, crushed coriander seeds, chilli flakes and garlic powder.
- Arrange the meat in a stainless steel tray and rub the curing mixture evenly into the meat.
- Using a sterilized spray bottle, spritz a coating of brown vinegar onto all surfaces of the meat.
- Place the pan, uncovered, in your refrigerator overnight.
- The following day, half fill a bowl with brown vinegar a dip each strip of beef in the bowl.
- Press meat hooks through the thinnest side of each strip.
- To dry the beef, hang it in well ventilated area, or in your drying cabinet if you have one. Do not let the strips touch while they dry.
- There is no formula as to the length of drying time. This is largely dependent on the moisture content of the meat, the thickness of the cuts, and the ambient temperature and humidity. As a rough guideline, these 1 inch pieces will take 2 to 3 days to dry in a drying cabinet, and 4 to 6 days drying naturally. The time is also directly proportional to how dry you want the beef to be.
- Once you are happy that the beef is dried to your satisfaction, unhook it and slice it into thin slices for serving.
