keith_d
11-08-11, 10:11 PM
A couple of people have asked me about this, so I'm going to put it on the forum for anyone who wants to give it a try.
What you'll need.
1) A biltong box (more about this later)
2) A kilo or more of decent beef (I buy topside when it's on offer)
3) 250ml of cider vinegar
4) 1/2 cup whole coriander seeds (buy a 100g bag, not little jars)
5) 1 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely ground.
6) 1/4 cup coarse salt
7) 1/4 cup brown sugar
8) ~8 dried chillis (optional)
9) ~4 cloves of garlic (optional)
10) A means of crushing the coriander seeds (I use a pestle and mortar)
11) Assorted bowls & plates
12) Plenty of patience
Step 1. Make a biltong box
This is simply a drying box. Mine was made from some left over laminate flooring, but you could use a sturdy cardboard box. It needs vents top and bottom and a lightbulb to warm the air and make it circulate. I added mesh grilles over the vents to stop flies getting in.
There's a nice diagram of one here: http://www.sa-austin.com/other.html
Step 2. Toast the Coriander
Put the coriander seeds in a pan and heat them over a low heat, shaking occasionally. When they are all a nice golden brown turn off the heat, shake a few more times while the pan cools. Grind coarsely using a pestle and mortar, coffee grinder or food processor.
Step 3. Make up the spices:
Combine the crushed coriander seeds with coarse ground black pepper, brown sugar and salt.
If you like spicy biltong de-seed 6-8 dried chillis, grind them into flakes and add them to the mixture. If you like garlic biltong, mash up 3-4 cloves of garlic and add the to the spices. Normally you can keep any surplus spices in a sealed container for a few weeks, but garlic adds too much water so mix what you're going to use.
Step 4. Cut up the meat
Cut the meat into thick strips (1" square works well), removing gristle and fat where possible.
Step 5. Marinade
Put the cider vinegar in a bowl. Dip the meat in the vinegar, covering all surfaces, remove and allow to drip for a few seconds. Then coat with spices. Place the meat in a non-metallic bowl and leave to marinade overnight.
Step 6. Hang up to dry
Scrape off most of the spices, then hang the beef up to dry making sure the pieces don't touch. Don't forget to turn the light bulb on. This is where the patience comes in.
After about three days the surface should turn purple and crusty. If you like your biltong 'wet' it's time to give it a try. After about five days your biltong should be firm but slightly flexible. This is how I like it, chewy. After about 7 days your biltong will be bone dry, one of my colleagues loves it this way.
Step 7. Slice and share
The dryer the biltong is the thinner I slice it. Use a sharp knife and be careful. In theory dry Biltong will keep for weeks, but in practice once your mates find out how good it is there will be none left.
Chilli biltong is excellent drinking food. The combination of meaty, spicy and salty works really well with a cold cider or three.
What you'll need.
1) A biltong box (more about this later)
2) A kilo or more of decent beef (I buy topside when it's on offer)
3) 250ml of cider vinegar
4) 1/2 cup whole coriander seeds (buy a 100g bag, not little jars)
5) 1 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely ground.
6) 1/4 cup coarse salt
7) 1/4 cup brown sugar
8) ~8 dried chillis (optional)
9) ~4 cloves of garlic (optional)
10) A means of crushing the coriander seeds (I use a pestle and mortar)
11) Assorted bowls & plates
12) Plenty of patience
Step 1. Make a biltong box
This is simply a drying box. Mine was made from some left over laminate flooring, but you could use a sturdy cardboard box. It needs vents top and bottom and a lightbulb to warm the air and make it circulate. I added mesh grilles over the vents to stop flies getting in.
There's a nice diagram of one here: http://www.sa-austin.com/other.html
Step 2. Toast the Coriander
Put the coriander seeds in a pan and heat them over a low heat, shaking occasionally. When they are all a nice golden brown turn off the heat, shake a few more times while the pan cools. Grind coarsely using a pestle and mortar, coffee grinder or food processor.
Step 3. Make up the spices:
Combine the crushed coriander seeds with coarse ground black pepper, brown sugar and salt.
If you like spicy biltong de-seed 6-8 dried chillis, grind them into flakes and add them to the mixture. If you like garlic biltong, mash up 3-4 cloves of garlic and add the to the spices. Normally you can keep any surplus spices in a sealed container for a few weeks, but garlic adds too much water so mix what you're going to use.
Step 4. Cut up the meat
Cut the meat into thick strips (1" square works well), removing gristle and fat where possible.
Step 5. Marinade
Put the cider vinegar in a bowl. Dip the meat in the vinegar, covering all surfaces, remove and allow to drip for a few seconds. Then coat with spices. Place the meat in a non-metallic bowl and leave to marinade overnight.
Step 6. Hang up to dry
Scrape off most of the spices, then hang the beef up to dry making sure the pieces don't touch. Don't forget to turn the light bulb on. This is where the patience comes in.
After about three days the surface should turn purple and crusty. If you like your biltong 'wet' it's time to give it a try. After about five days your biltong should be firm but slightly flexible. This is how I like it, chewy. After about 7 days your biltong will be bone dry, one of my colleagues loves it this way.
Step 7. Slice and share
The dryer the biltong is the thinner I slice it. Use a sharp knife and be careful. In theory dry Biltong will keep for weeks, but in practice once your mates find out how good it is there will be none left.
Chilli biltong is excellent drinking food. The combination of meaty, spicy and salty works really well with a cold cider or three.