Mike’s Biltong Recipe

    Biltong is cured meat. It originated in South Africa, and is a favorite snack food. Biltong is made from raw
    fillets of meat cut into strips following the grain of the muscle. Once the strips are cured, it is served by
    slicing pieces sliced across the grain. The word biltong is from the Dutch bil (“rump”) and tong (“strip”).
    Biltong is most commonly made from beef from any kind of game meat can be used.

    Meat Selection: Use good gristle-free cuts of meat typically from the Loin, Sirloin, Round, or Flank cuts. There is obviously a cost/quality trade off with meat selection. Whichever end you choose, look for long sections of muscle that can be cut into strips. For an economical option I buy Top Round Steaks or Top Round Roast. I ask the butcher to cut the steaks at 1 ¼” thick and to trim any thick fat off. The Top
    Round Roast option leaves me with more work and quite a bit of offcuts which go into cubes for meals (stew or fajitas) and I cook up the gristly bits for the dogs. When cutting Top Round Steaks which start out
    at + 5” x 11”, I usually get; two 10 x 2 x 1 ¼” strips, two shorter 4 x 2 x 1 ¼” strips; and less than 10%
    offcuts. It’s common to leave a strip of fat on biltong although I trim the entire fat strip off. While preparing
    meat strips, I usually separate the offcuts into 2 piles, i.e. one with the good quality gristle and fat free bits
    for stewing, and the other with the gristle and some fat, which I cook up as treats for the dogs.

    Vinegar and Spice Mix: Use dark vinegar, so either Malt Vinegar, or Apple Cider Vinegar. The essential
    spices for biltong are; salt, coriander, and pepper, although beyond that you could add any number of
    spics to vary the taste. Variations include adding BBQ, hot red chili, peri-peri (chili spice mix that hails
    from Mozambique), garlic, mustard, or paprika to the basic ingredients. I suggest you start with the basic
    recipe and perfect that before starting to experiment with variations. The ratios for my standard spice mix
    are; 3 parts salt, 2 parts coriander, 1 part black pepper, and ½ part brown sugar. Buy good quality coarse
    sea salt and whole peppercorns and coriander seeds. Use a pestle and mortar to freshly crack the pepper
    and coriander to a coarse grind. I find it best to grind the salt, pepper and coriander separately, and then
    mix it all up in a jar. For a 20 pound batch of biltong I will need about 1½ cups of spice mix and 1 of
    vinegar.

    Equipment Needs: A largish pestle and mortar. Good sharp knife. Two cutting boards – a large board is
    good for laying out the strips when applying spices. Rectangular dishes for marinating. Dishes can be
    stainless steel, glass, or ceramic, ideally 2 ½” to 3” deep and 9” x 14”. Wire for making S hooks to hang
    the biltong. (One option is to open up paper clips to make S hooks.) Container to store and shake spice
    mix. A drying line to hang the biltong strips from. I place cardboard on the floor to catch a small amount of
    drip and seed droppings. One or two home fans for drying. If using one you will need of swap sides or
    turn the biltong once or twice a day during the trying process.

    Method: Cut meat into strips. This is 75% of the effort. Keeping you knife sharp makes it a lot easier. Lay
    meat out in a tightly packed single layer on a large cutting board. Lightly sprinkle vinegar over the meat,
    and spread it evenly with your hands. Sprinkle spice mix evenly over the entire surface. Pat the spices
    down into the meat with your hands to help the spices stick on the mead surface. Place a single layer of
    meat in a marinating dish with the spiced side down. Now apply vinegar and spices to the top side of the
    meat you have placed in the dish. Repeat this for your 2nd or 3rd layers depending on depth of dish.
    Cover with foil or kitchen wrap. Place in refrigerator for + 10 hours. Turn the entire black of compacted
    meat over. The easiest way to do this it to have a 2nd identical dish, and place face to face like a
    clamshell, and then turn it over. Place it back in the refrigerator for another + 10 hours. Insert hooks into
    the tip of one end and hang the biltong on the line. Place fans so that they blow air over the meat to assist
    drying. Visit your biltong daily and take down when desired dryness is reached. Usually 2 to 6 days
    depending on thickness. Remove hooks, wrap tightly and freeze or eat. Refrigerated shelf live is week or
    more, i.e. the same as supermarket cold cuts. I like to slice thin for serving. Thin slices = more slices.

    Curing and Storage: I make biltong in winter. Colorado’s dry winter climate makes curing extremely
    easy. I simply hang the strips from a line just below out basement ceiling, and set a small fan on it.
    Curing takes 2 to 5 days depending on the thickness of the strips, and the desired dryness. I like a little
    softness and tinge of pink in the center. Test for dryness by squeezing between fingers. Note at medium
    dryness the biltong strips will lose about 35% of volume. Once desired dryness is reached, remove wire
    hooks, and wrap in plastic wrap, and place in freezer. I use Glad Press’n Seal which is good stuff.
    Because building is dried, thawing is relatively quick, i.e. 1 to 2 hours at room temperature, or 2 to 4 hours
    in the refrigerator depending on size and thickness. If you make biltong in a wet season you will need to
    add spotlights to ensure a dry surrounding. In humid climates you will need to make a biltong box or
    biltong closet with lights installed.

    Enjoy Share and Experiment. Biltong is best enjoyed with beer. I usually take a sliced biltong and nut
    mix to one of my favorite. In South Africa, one would never go to a Rugby match without biltong. Try to
    perfect your technique with each new batch, and experiment with different spices. I only make it in winter
    months (October through April).