Biltong, a Dried Beef "jerky" Which Is Very Popular in South Africa
Ingredients
- beef, a good cut, with a little fat cut in long strips about 1
- inch wide, half an inch thick and about 10 - 15 inches long, cut
- against the grain of the meat
- salt - coarse sea salt is best
- vinegar
Instructions
In a large plastic or enamel basin - sprinkle a good layer of salt. Lay the meat down on this bed, sprinkle the salt over this, then lay another layer, sprinkle again and so on, until you have used up all your meat. Leave for 1 hour. Then, turn the meat, and sprinkle again with salt. Leave for 40 minutes. Put vinegar in a basin. Take each piece of meat and run through the vinegar entirely. Squeeze through your hand to get most of the moisture off. Hook the meat hook through the top and hang in an area where air moves well - turn a couple of fans on to ensure that they dry properly. The biltong shouldn't touch each other - and generally it takes about 3 days before you can eat. Some people like it pink in the middle with the black on the outside, but others prefer it very dry. In South Africa, small sticks are made with less time in the salt - called tv sticks - because the men like to eat it while watching television.
