Biltong is a dried meat snackfood, popular in southern Africa. It is made using the following procedure:
- Prepare a brine mixture according to the following recipe (for 100kg of fresh meat-brine mixture i.e. 1 weeks production):
- Salt 3.74kg
- Sugar 1.87kg
- Potassium nitoate 0.02kg
- Biltong spice mixture 0.37kg
- Mixed spice 0.21kg
- Black pepper 0.10kg
- Onion powder 0.03kg
- Garlic powder 0.03kg
- Ground ginger 0.03kg
- Mustard powder 0.03kg
- Potassium sorbate 0.20kg
- Select beef from the hindquarter and cut it into strands along the muscle fibres. Cut across the muscle fibres to produce 2cm pieces. Discard all fat and connective tissue.
- Wash the meat and weigh.
- Rub the brine mixture into 93.4kg meat and leave it to stand for 12 hours.
- Hang the meat in the sun under insect netting.
- Dry until the meat reaches 25% of the original weight.
- Package in polythene or preferably cellulose bags.
Equipment required
- Scales (0-10kg)
- Scales (0-1kg)
- Knives
- Cutting boards
- Heat sealer Plastic or stainless steel buckets
- Insect netting
Equipment suppliers
Note: This is a selective list of suppliers and does not imply ITDG endorsement.
- Scales: Avery Denison Limited 18-20 Regents Street Leeds LS2 7QE United Kingdom
- Heat sealer: Gallenkamp Limited Bishops Meadow Road Loughborough Leicestershire LE11 0RG United Kingdom
References and Further Reading
- Small-scale Manufacture of Beef Biltong in Botswana, The Botswana Technology Centre, 1987