Basic Biltong Recipe

Ingredients

Meat

• 5 kg Beef— top rump or silverside cut

Curing spice mix

• 5 tbsp Brown or Cider Vinegar
• 6 tbsp Coarse Salt
• 5 tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 5 tbsp Coriander Seed
• 4 tbsp Brown Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Instructions

1. In a dry pan, toast the coriander seeds. Grind the toasted seeds down in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder, whichever you prefer. The result should be mostly powder.
2. Using a sharpened knife, cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) thick lengths, following the grain of the meat. Once cut, place it in a non-metallic container.
3. Once you have combined all of the spices together, sprinkle generously into the meat. Sprinkle the vinegar onto the meat and, using your hands, rub everything in thoroughly whilst turning the meat to ensure coverage on both sides.
4. Put a lid on, or cover the container to allow your biltong to cure for 24 hours in the refrigerator, turning and rubbing through the meat two or three times across the curing time.
5. Once the 24 hours is up, take the cured meat out from the container and pat it dry with clean kitchen towels. Ensure you don’t pat off too much of the spice mix.
6. Insert a hook into the thickest end of each length of meat. Hang the strips in your biltong box, or in a well-aired, ventilated space with a fan blowing gently to increase the airflow. Do not point a fan directly at the hanging meat to avoid case hardening. Ensure none of your meat pieces are touching. Place some newspaper or other material below the meat to catch any liquid for easy disposal.
7. Drying times will vary with humidity, airflow and temperature. You can test the readiness of your biltong every couple of days by squeezing the sides together with clean fingers. If you feel any give under your fingertips in the meat, it’s still ‘wet’ inside and not yet ready.
8. Once thoroughly dried, slice and savour.