In response to a few queries on my previous blog... a blog on Biltong.... South Africa's favourite snack food!

What is biltong?

Biltong is basically dried meat. Back in the Voortrekker (pioneer) days, our forefathers had no way of storing the meat they carried. Biltong is traditionally made from wild meat, though beef is commonly used today. For the Americans, think 'jerky'. Its not to be confused with jerky though, as the preparation and seasoning is quite different. For any Brazilians reading, it is completely different from 'carne seca'.

How to make biltong?

First, get your husband to make you a biltong box or buy one... or do as my one friend did in desperation. She fashioned a biltong box out of a regular cardboard box until her husband swore he could make biltong in a low oven. The photo above is of our box that Jorge made for me after 7 years of nagging The dimensions aren't important. What is important is that there is sufficient air circulation (we have holes at the top left, which you can't see, covered with a mesh to keep bugs out, and at the bottom right below the drip tray). Under the 'drip tray' is a high wattage lamp. The door gets attached with magnets... just a quirky way Jorge designed it.

To make the biltong itself...

I use rump or silverside. The cuts I use here are either Alcatra or Coxão mole. I cut the meat into 1/2 inch strips. Some folk cut theirs way thicker, but I prefer mine thin for quicker and more thorough drying. Doing a Google search, you will find quite a few variations on the process of biltong making. I have tried a few. What I have here is the method I find works the best for me.

I pour about 2 cups of vinegar into a bowl. I like to use cider vinegar, but regular white vinegar works just as well. Wash the strips of meat in the vinegar and squeeze them dry. The vinegar helps to tenderise the meat too. Now I use my Tupperware marinading container (I use this because the meat doesn't lie flat on the bottom of the bowl). You can use a covered colander too. This is just so that the meat doesn't lie in the juice that will drain. I coat the meat in a mixture of rock salt, ground coriander and ground black pepper. When I'm feeling energetic, I roast some whole coriander and crush it lightly and use that. It brings out the flavour beautifully and the kitchen smells like magic

Layer the meat in the container, cover and refrigerate for about 24 hours.The longer you leave it in the fridge, the saltier your meat will be. Now you're ready for the final step. Pour about a cup of vinegar into a bowl and top up with about a liter of hot-as-you-can-handle water. Rinse the meat in this vinegar water. Don't worry about spices washing off. The flavour has soaked in. Squeeze dry well. Sprinkle with a little coriander and whatever other seasoning you prefer. I often sprinkle a little garlic salt on, but some folk enjoy paprika or herbs and goodness knows what else.

Time to hang the meat. We use paper clips, bent out, though tonight we found we were out of paper clips, so I threaded a needle with fishing gut and strung them up with that Leave your meat to dry in a airy room for about 3 - 4 days. Just keep checking it regularly and ban all from tasting. Many a batch of biltong has been decimated before 'completion'