Jerky!

[snupytcb]

Try Biltong and you will stop wasting your time with Jerky

more info please. i have never heard of this.

[chefrc]

Biltong
This is the South African version to Beef Jerky. This is a Tried and True Recipe. Very easy and Very, Very Good. I think it was Alex that wanted a Jerky that was cured without Soy Sauce. If that is the case. Here it is

Ingredients needed:
Beef (Preferably London Broil)
Rock Salt
Coarse Ground Black Pepper
Coarse Ground Coriander
A Vinegar (preferably Apple-Cider vinegar)
First, be sure to sterilize all your hooks, knives, and working surfaces by washing well in hot water and soap.

Get some 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick strips of beef. Make sure it's cut with the grain. The pieces should be about 6 inches long. Liberally sprinkle rock-salt on each side of the pieces of meat and let them stand for an hour. The longer you let it stand the saltier it will become.
After the hour, scrape off all the excess salt with a knife (don't soak it in water!). Then get some vinegar - preferably apple-cider vinegar, but any vinegar will do. Put some vinegar in a bowl and brush (do not dip) the strips of meat with the vinegar - just so that the meat is covered in the vinegar. Hold the biltong up so that the excess vinegar drips off.
Then sprinkle ground pepper and ground coriander over the meat on all sides.

Once you have done this, the meat is ready to dry. There are several methods of drying. One is to hang it up on a line in a cool place and have a fan blow on it. This method is a bit difficult because if the air is humid the meat can spoil. The method I use is a home-made 'Biltong Box'. This is basically a sealed wooden box (you can use cardboard if you like) with 3/4 inch holes in it and a 60w lightbulb inside. Just hang the meat at the top of the box, and leave the lightbulb on at the bottom. The heat from the lightbulb helps dry the meat (even in humid weather) in about 3-4 days. Remember, the box must be closed on all 6 sides except for a few holes (as per the diagram below). The whole theory behind this method is that hot dry air rises thus drying the biltong. The holes are quite important as they promote good air circulation in the box.




16 inches across
_______________
FRONT | |
|x-----------x| < ------- Hang biltong here on a wire or S hook
| B B |
36 inch | I I |
high | L L |
| T T |
| O O |
| N N |
| G G |
| |
|x-----------x| <------- Put a piece of perforated wood
60W light | @ | covering the lightbulb here. This
here --> | ||| | prevents blood from dropping on the
--------------- lightbulb. Make sure the wood has
a few holes in it to let the hot air
rise.


16 inchesr across
_______________
SIDE | |
| O O O
| | -------- Holes at the top of the box on
36 inch | O O O both sides.
high | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|------------ |
| O O O < -------- Holes at the bottom of the box
60W Lite | | by the lightbulb on both sides.
here --> | O O O |
---------------


You'll know when the biltong is ready when it is quite hard, but still a bit moist inside. Of course, some people like it 'wet' and others like it 'dry'. It's all a matter of taste. Most South Africans like it in between - basically just a bit red inside. If it has gone green, then the meat has spoiled (i.e. don't eat it).

Variations include the above recipe, but add flavors like Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, tabasco sauce, soy sauce, etc.. Just brush these sauces on after applying the vinegar using a basting brush.

A friend of mine was telling me about this and I pulled it off the internet and revamped it so we could use it more easily. Go to Lowe's and buy a ceramic light socket, wire it to an extention cord and stand it up in the bottom with the bulb in it.

[chefrc]

Soryr the drawing did not come out good , It is a 16 x 16 x 36 inches high cardboard box place a light in the bottom with a cover over it

[DavyB]

Biltong
This is the South African version to Beef Jerky. This is a Tried and True Recipe. Very easy and Very, Very Good. I think it was Alex that wanted a Jerky that was cured without Soy Sauce. If that is the case. Here it is

Ingredients needed:
Beef (Preferably London Broil)
Rock Salt
Coarse Ground Black Pepper
Coarse Ground Coriander
A Vinegar (preferably Apple-Cider vinegar)
First, be sure to sterilize all your hooks, knives, and working surfaces by washing well in hot water and soap.

Get some 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick strips of beef. Make sure it's cut with the grain. The pieces should be about 6 inches long. Liberally sprinkle rock-salt on each side of the pieces of meat and let them stand for an hour. The longer you let it stand the saltier it will become.
After the hour, scrape off all the excess salt with a knife (don't soak it in water!). Then get some vinegar - preferably apple-cider vinegar, but any vinegar will do. Put some vinegar in a bowl and brush (do not dip) the strips of meat with the vinegar - just so that the meat is covered in the vinegar. Hold the biltong up so that the excess vinegar drips off.
Then sprinkle ground pepper and ground coriander over the meat on all sides.

Once you have done this, the meat is ready to dry. There are several methods of drying. One is to hang it up on a line in a cool place and have a fan blow on it. This method is a bit difficult because if the air is humid the meat can spoil. The method I use is a home-made 'Biltong Box'. This is basically a sealed wooden box (you can use cardboard if you like) with 3/4 inch holes in it and a 60w lightbulb inside. Just hang the meat at the top of the box, and leave the lightbulb on at the bottom. The heat from the lightbulb helps dry the meat (even in humid weather) in about 3-4 days. Remember, the box must be closed on all 6 sides except for a few holes (as per the diagram below). The whole theory behind this method is that hot dry air rises thus drying the biltong. The holes are quite important as they promote good air circulation in the box.




16 inches across
_______________
FRONT | |
|x-----------x| < ------- Hang biltong here on a wire or S hook
| B B |
36 inch | I I |
high | L L |
| T T |
| O O |
| N N |
| G G |
| |
|x-----------x| <------- Put a piece of perforated wood
60W light | @ | covering the lightbulb here. This
here --> | ||| | prevents blood from dropping on the
--------------- lightbulb. Make sure the wood has
a few holes in it to let the hot air
rise.


16 inchesr across
_______________
SIDE | |
| O O O
| | -------- Holes at the top of the box on
36 inch | O O O both sides.
high | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|------------ |
| O O O < -------- Holes at the bottom of the box
60W Lite | | by the lightbulb on both sides.
here --> | O O O |
---------------


You'll know when the biltong is ready when it is quite hard, but still a bit moist inside. Of course, some people like it 'wet' and others like it 'dry'. It's all a matter of taste. Most South Africans like it in between - basically just a bit red inside. If it has gone green, then the meat has spoiled (i.e. don't eat it).

Variations include the above recipe, but add flavors like Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, tabasco sauce, soy sauce, etc.. Just brush these sauces on after applying the vinegar using a basting brush.

A friend of mine was telling me about this and I pulled it off the internet and revamped it so we could use it more easily. Go to Lowe's and buy a ceramic light socket, wire it to an extention cord and stand it up in the bottom with the bulb in it.

I like the idea but I am not that adventurous yet. Plus I don't accumulate sick days. Thanks, but I'll stick with my jerky for now.