Biltong,
a traditional South African delicacy, is the name given to strips of meat,
carefully seasoned, spiced and air-dried to create a preserved, chewy meat
snack.
When
the early European settlers in South Africa ventured into the interior of the
land 300 odd years ago, this dried meat was invented as a substitute for fresh
meat during their journey.
The
name biltong is thought to stem from the Dutch words bill, meaning buttock of an
animal, and tong, meaning tongue, but in this context
referring rather to a piece of meat cut into a strip than to the actual tongue
of an animal - therefore biltong = dried buttock meat, cut into strips looking
like a tongue.
Recipes
for biltong (dried meat) are numerous. Only prime cuts of meat, usually the
hindquarter of the animal are used, cut into the strips looking like a tongue
and sprinkled with vinegar and rock salt to tenderize, flavor and preserve it
after which it is seasoned with a combination of spices like pepper and
coriander.
The
meat is then hung to air-dry in a warm breezy place, out of the direct sunlight
and in a place protected from dust, flies and other insects. The secret of
success is to quick dry it to prevent mildew forming. Fortunately, special
‘biltong-makers’ (dehydrators/meat curing boxes) are available to speed up the
process. But many eager biltong fans, like me, use a portable washing rack in
an unused room with a huge fan directly on the meat!
Usually,
biltong is made from beef, game and ostrich - but the real experts even make
chicken and shark biltong! And then there is also bacon biltong!
Using Biltong
At
first early settlers soaked the dried meat in water before slicing and using it
in cooking meals. It is believed that later they ate it in its raw, dried form.
Today, apart from being eaten on its own as a snack, biltong can also be grated
to flavour cheese sauces, savoury biscuits, and exotic dishes and even in soup.
A High Protein Snack
Biltong
is regarded as a reasonably healthy snack as it is high in protein, phosphorus,
iron, zinc, magnesium, thiamine and vitamin B12. Ostrich and game biltong are
excellent to use to lower your fat and kilojoules intake.
Ingredients
·
25 kg (55 lb.) beef, tender cuts such as loin, rump, fillet, and silver
side or topside
·
1.25 kg (2.7 lb.) rock salt
·
1 cup brown sugar
·
2 tablespoons black pepper
·
100 g (3.5 oz.) coriander seeds, coarsely ground
·
500 ml (16 fl oz.) brown vinegar
·
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
How to Make Biltong
1.
Cut the meat into strips 5 - 7 cm (2 - 3 inch) wide and 2 - 4 cm (¾ - 1½
inch) thick. (The strips will look just like an animal tongue!)
2.
Rub all the strips thoroughly with the rock salt, place in a container
and allow standing for 2 hours.
3.
Take the strips out and scrape off the salt with a broad blade knife.
4.
Place the strips in a glass dish, big enough to accommodate all the
strips without laying on each other. Mix the vinegar and Worcestershire sauce
and pour over the meat strips. Cover and allow standing for one hour, then turn
over and allow standing another hour.
5.
Strip off excessive vinegar mixture with the hand and mix the brown
sugar, black pepper and ground coriander. Rub this mixture thoroughly into each
strip of meat.
6.
At one end of each strip, hook through an S-shaped wire or plastic hook.
7.
Hang these strips in a dehydrator or meat curing box and leave to dry -
it will be reasonably dry after 4 - 5 days.
Once it is dried,
eat it as a snack as it is, using a sharp knife to slice it, or use a meat slicer
for this purpose. Alternatively, use the sliced pieces on a sandwich or use the
slices to substitute the normal meat in any soup.
HendrikHDB
