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Biltong
By Jody Scheckter
Biltong is South African dried meat. The word comes from Dutch: bil
means buttock and tong means strip. Much superior to beef jerky,
biltong is a delicacy among South Africans. The recipe was developed
by the South African trekboers as a way to keep meat from going
bad on their long treks, and it is still used in this way today. Biltong
is said to give you lots of energy (so watch out!). Biltong was a practical,
nutritious and energizing food that I consumed during Formula One matches
and I still enjoy biltong made from my grass-fed beef in the UK.
THE RECIPE
For 25 pounds grass-fed beef you will need:
4 pints warm water
1 1/4 pound sea salt, finely ground
1/2 cup rapadura sugar
1/2 cup roasted organic coriander,
coarsely ground
1 tablespoon black pepper, ground
1 cup organic red wine vinegar.
If you are making a smaller amount, say 5-6 pounds, the ingredients
would be:
1 pint (2 cups) warm water
1/3 cup sea salt, finely ground
1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) Rapadura sugar
1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) roasted organic
coriander, coarsely ground
1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1/4 cup organic red wine vinegar
Biltong can be produced in various flavors by adding things like garlic
or chili peppers to the recipe.
Cut the meat into strips of approximately 2 inches in diameter and any
desired length, always cutting with the grain. Mix the salt, sugar,
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.
Leave meat in a cool place for 24 hours, 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, according to your
taste.) Remove the meat from the marinade. Mix the water and vinegar
and dip the meat into this mixture.
DRYING THE MEAT
The traditional method is to pat the strips dry and then hang them
up on S-shaped hooks, or use pieces of string, about 2 inches apart.
Place mesh over the meat to prevent flies getting on it and hang the
meat in a cool, dry place with an oscillating fan blowing on it. It
is important that the air be dry. The biltong is ready when the outside
is hard and the center part of the biltong strip is still a little moist.
The beauty of this method is that you can just keep the biltong strips
hanging in the same cool dry place until you want to eat them. At that
time, cut into 1/4-inch slices across the grain. Do not slice the biltong
until you are ready to eat it--otherwise mold might set in.
The drawback of this method is that it requires a special drying room
that most of us do not have. So a second method is to dry the biltong
in a dehydrator. The question then becomes: How do I store the biltong?
It needs to stay dry and cool. This is easy if you live in a dry climate
but if you live in a moist climate like England or the eastern US, you
have a challenge. You might try wrapping it in butcher paper and keeping
it at room temperature or in the fridge. One website (markblumberg.com)
suggests freezing it.
Once again, cut the biltong shortly before you eat it. It can be difficult
to cut--an electric knife will make this easier.
About the author
Jody Scheckter was the Formula One racing champion in 1979. He now
raises organic beef, chicken, eggs, pork, dairy products and produce
on his farm Laverstoke Park in Hampshire, UK, hwere he also serves as
WAPF chapter leader.
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