Biltong – South African Delicacy

Cut the beef in strips, along the grain of the meat, approximately 1/2 inch thick. It is nice to have a small piece of fat on the one thin side of the strip, but it is not necessary to have it.

Mix the dry ingredients and spices well.

Sprinkle some of the spice mix in the bottom of a container. Preferrably a big plastic container.

Lay the meat strips on the mixture, then sprinkle some more of the mixture over the strips before placing the next layer of meat into the container. Repeat untill all the strips have been placed in the container.

Cover and stand in a cool place for about 2 hours.

Mix the vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and pour over meat. Let it stand overnight. You can turn the strips once during this time to ensure that all sides get the benefit of the vinegar.

Remove the strips from the mixture and shake of excess salt. You can add some extra pepper sparingly on the strips now, before hanging them up to dry.

Use little meathooks (or make your own from paper clips!) Thread the hooks through the tops of each piece of beef. Hang the meat in a cool place with good ventilation. I usually use a fan to help with circulation. The strips should hang separately, not touching each other so that the air can circulate well all around it. Place newspaper on the floor underneath where you hang it, it will drip some!

Leave for about 5 days to a week to dry. From day 3 you can feel how dry they have become. The idea is that the outside should be firm and dry but the inside just a little bit soft and not totally dried out yet.

Once the process is complete, keep dried pieces in a well ventilated area, preferably in a brown paper bag to prevent it from spoiling. It also freezes well.

Cut into thin pieces and enjoy. For a special treat – make a green salad with avocado and some cut biltong. Use Balsamic vinegar as dressing!