Making Biltong

[daveomak]

I may be obsessive... NAH !!! I just want to know the absolute correct way to do stuff..... then alter the method to fit my needs.... I feel the members should have that choice also....

Know how to do it correctly then do what ever suits your fancy....

Beats the dickens out of telling members how to do it half-assed and wrong....

 

[crankybuzzard]

I may be obsessive... NAH !!! I just want to know the absolute correct way to do stuff..... then alter the method to fit my needs.... I feel the members should have that choice also....

Know how to do it correctly then do what ever suits your fancy....

Beats the dickens out of telling members how to do it half-assed and wrong....

Dave, you olde phart, I gotta give points for that!

Excellent post! You're correct too!!

:points:

 

[mummel]

Hey Cranky - do you have a link to your biltong recipe / method?  Thanks.

 

[crankybuzzard]

Sure do.  It's nothing too special, but the SA gent here at work likes it.

The below is for 1 kilogram of meat (or close to it)

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) to cover meat in a glass dish

24 grams kosher salt

10 grams toasted and ground corriander seed

5 grams brown sugar

2.25 grams cure #1

.75 gram garlic powder

.5 grams black pepper (fresh ground)

.5 grams white pepper (fresh ground)

• Slice meat to the size you prefer.  I do pieces about 1" thick x 2.5" wide
• Place into a glass dish and cover with ACV.  Let sit a minimum of one hour, I do 2 usually.
• Once meat is finished in the ACV, remove and pat dry with paper towels.
• Mix all dry ingredients together very well and press into the meat slices on all side.
• Place meat slices on a rack above a sheet pan in the refigerator and allow seasonings/cure to work their magic for a minimum of 24 hours, I do 36 at least.  The pan or a LOT of paper towels are required!  There will be quite a bit of water pulled from the meat at this point.
• After sitting in the frig for the alloted amount of time, remove the meat and place on hangers.  you can also tie a string around the pieces to hang with.  
• Weigh each hanger of meat, or each piece of meat, and mark the weights for later reference.

If you're not using a biltong box, and want to hang to air dry, loosely wrap the meat hanger with 2 layers of cheese cloth to prevent critters from blowing your meat.  Yeah, I said that.  

Allow the meat to dry until you have approximately 50% weight loss.  That can be anywhere from 3-10 days depending upon your location and style of drying.  DO NOT HANG IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT!

I plan to slice and package my biltong tonight, so I'll either post pics here or start another thread...  

 

[mummel]

Awesome thanks.  Do you have to toast the coriander?  Or what if I buy coriander powder?  Not the same?

 

[crankybuzzard]

I don't care for the flavor of the jarred powder.

I take the amount of seeds in weight, add about 10% or so more, then put them into a HOT cast iron skillet.  Shake them all the time they are in the pan and wait until you get a noticeable color change.  I keep a little pile of untoasted seeds by the stove so I can see.  If you burn them, toss em, no good no mo!

Once the color change happens, remove from the heat and immediately transfer into a cool bowl to stop the cooking process.

You can also use the ground seeds untoasted as well.  But, once you toast some, you'll love it.

I grind with a coffee grinder, but a blender, or a morter and pestle work too.

Will this be your first go at biltong?

 

[mummel]

Yes this is my first attempt at biltong.  Really excited to see how it turns out.  I need to slice up my top round this evening.  I already bought a coffee grinder for my coriander seeds, but I was wondering if I could skip the roasting step or if it makes a big diffs?

My droewors will be ready hopefully tomorrow night!

BiltongandDroeWors_zpsa620852e.jpg

• mummel
• Sep 28, 2015

 

[mummel]

Crank, how long do the roasted seeds keep.  If I make a batch, can I store them in a jar, or do they lose their flavor over time?

 

[crankybuzzard]

I buy the seed 5# at a time! and I only toast a bit more than I think I'll need, so I haven't kept any after toasting.

Un toasted works fine, and that's how I did it when I started. It's just a personal taste thing.

I just sliced all of mine up. Sliced at around 1/4". I'll bet I snacked on a 1/4 pound!

image.jpg

• crankybuzzard
• Sep 29, 2015

image.jpg

• crankybuzzard
• Sep 29, 2015

image.jpg

• crankybuzzard
• Sep 29, 2015

This was dried to just over a 50% loss in weight using the recipe and procedure above.

 

[mummel]

Looks amazing.  I went to work on my top round from Costco yesterday.  In all honestly, I had no idea HTF to cut the thing.  I just hacked away to get some strips.  Some pieces were with the grain, others were not.  I will have to find a tutorial on how to cut up a top round.

Nice looking meat though!  Im pretty excited.  I have my droewors drying at the moment.  Because of Jaquin, its like 100% humidity outside.  Unlikely it will be dried soon and I am on vacation next week.  I may have to hang some biltong when I get back. 

Where do you buy your coriander seeds?  It looks like about $10 / lb on Amazon, which seems expensive.

 

[mummel]

Here's the piece I hacked up last night.  Im trying to find a tutorial on how to cut this baby.

IMG_3031.JPG

• mummel
• Sep 30, 2015

 

[crankybuzzard]

That's a big chunk of meat!  Grain going every which way.

I normally only do the top round roast.  With that piece, I'd separate it at each muscle connection and then slice each individually.

I buy my corriander seeds at the feed and seed store, I tell them I need cilantro seeds!  Yep, corriander is the seed of cilantro.  5 pounds cost me 20 bucks.  I planted my cilantro and use the rest for biltong and other recipes.

Check out this tutorial

http://www.beefinnovationsgroup.com/ValueCuts/round/data_pdf/top-cutting_guide.pdf

 

[mummel]

Cranky do you cut against or with the grain for biltong?

 

[mummel]

That PDF is really helpful, thanks.

 

[crankybuzzard]

I cut with the grain to cure and dry, and then slice across the grain to eat.

 

[mummel]

But I think that PDF is saying cut against the grain when making the steaks?  So I essentially need to do it in reverse for biltong?

 

[crankybuzzard]

 
But I think that PDF is saying cut against the grain when making the steaks?  So I essentially need to do it in reverse for biltong?

Correct!  Makes for a very tender chew.

 

[mummel]

So I checked my droewors last night.  Looks like its been hanging at around ~85F with ~41% RH for 2 days.  It was definitely not dry.  I went to bend it and it felt really tough, and did not break.  Any idea how long this stuff is supposed to hang for at these conditions?

 

[crankybuzzard]

 
So I checked my droewors last night.  Looks like its been hanging at around ~85F with ~41% RH for 2 days.  It was definitely not dry.  I went to bend it and it felt really tough, and did not break.  Any idea how long this stuff is supposed to hang for at these conditions?

No help here...  Once yours were complete, I was going to ask how it went and how you would recommend doing it.

 

[mummel]

VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/235700/droewors-south-african-dried-sausage#post_1469044