Back strap Biltong

[backcountry_sassn]

I lived in Zimbabwe for a couple years and was introduced to this thing called Biltong. A lot of people say it’s African Jerky but there is actually a pretty big difference between the two. Where jerky is cured with salts, Biltong is cured with vinegar. And where jerky is thinly sliced then dried, Biltong is dried in thick chunks and then is cut into thinner pieces to eat. To make this work, you can stick it in a dehydrator. The meat has to be slowly air dried to make sure the inside moister is removed before the outside gets to hard. Putting it in a dehydrator dry the outside too quick which will leave the inside too moist, causing it to rot. The vinegar curing and the way it is dried is what gives it that defined Biltong taste and texture.

Cut into 1 inch thick slabs.
Pour enough brown vinegar in the container to cover the bottom. Then sprinkle the container with salt, pepper and coriander. Set meat in the container and brush vinegar on the top side of the meat. sprinkle with salt, pepper, and coriander. Put on the lid and set in the fridge for 12-24 hours. Flip the meat every few hours.
Next, pat the meat dry and hang somewhere with plenty of air flow, but not direct air being blown on the meat. There’s videos on YouTube that show you how to make a Biltong box or you can just hang it somewhere. Let it hang for about 5 days. Sometimes longer depending on humidity and temperature. The meat will be hard on the outside and have very little give in the middle.
That’s all! Slice when you are ready to eat and enjoy your Biltong

 

[kwyeewyk]

Sounds interesting, I'll have to give this a try, thanks.

 

[seeth07]

Why a backstrap? Seems like a shameful way to utilize the best cut of meat. Seems like a good recipe for your rump roasts or front shoulder blade roasts.

 

[backcountry_sassn]

Why a backstrap? Seems like a shameful way to utilize the best cut of meat. Seems like a good recipe for your rump roasts or front shoulder blade roasts.

Cant really say what the beat cut of meat is because everyone has there own likes. People claim backstrap as the best because it’s the easiest to cook. Backstrap is my favorite cut to use for dried meat because it’s tender. I have lots of uses for the other cuts. The front shoulder has become my favorite cut because there is so much you can do with it. Backstrap is always the last cut I have in my freezer.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

A friend in college from S. Africa was a religious biltong maker. It's not my favorite, an acquired taste maybe; people who like it seem to REALLY like it.

 

[seeth07]

Backstrap is my favorite cut to use for dried meat because it’s tender.

You hit exactly why its the best cut. Because every single recipe you can utilize back strap and have good results. Many recipes however are successful using less forgiving cuts. I'm just saying that I think a cured cut is less forgiving in which cut you use so why use a backstrap for it.

 

[SG25]

A friend in college from S. Africa was a religious biltong maker. It's not my favorite, an acquired taste maybe; people who like it seem to REALLY like it.

My FIL is from S. Africa and turned me onto Biltong. I love it though!

 

[kwyeewyk]

Why a backstrap? Seems like a shameful way to utilize the best cut of meat. Seems like a good recipe for your rump roasts or front shoulder blade roasts.

Probably kinda like using the pork loin for Canadian bacon. If you don't have a freezer you're forced to cure everything you can't eat fresh, I suspect that's the main reason to use backstrap.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

My brother lived in Africa for several years, he fell in love with the stuff. Makes several batches with all kinds of game meat. I would rather gnaw on month old hide than eat the stuff. I suppose if I had no other means of keeping fresh meat it would be fine but I never found it better than cooked and prepared meat. To each their own. His wife is from Africa and she cant stand the stuff.

 

[backcountry_sassn]

You hit exactly why its the best cut. Because every single recipe you can utilize back strap and have good results. Many recipes however are successful using less forgiving cuts. I'm just saying that I think a cured cut is less forgiving in which cut you use so why use a backstrap for it.

I’ll say the same thing I said before. It’s because it’s tender and I use all my other cuts for other recipes. It’s what I had leftover in my freezer so I used it. I’m not going to break down a perfectly good front shoulder to make Biltong or Jerky. First of all it would be very tough. I don’t like tough jerky. Second of all I prefer the things I can make with other cuts over making them with backstrap.

 

[seeth07]

I’m not going to break down a perfectly good front shoulder to make Biltong or Jerky. First of all it would be very tough.

I can't comment on this biltong stuff but when it comes to jerkey, if you cut the meat correctly cross grain and you're properly caring for your meat before hand, I can turn a rear or front leg shank meat into jerkey that just falls apart in your mouth, aka not tough. I can't grill a leg shank straight out of the freezer like I can with a backstrap.

 

[backcountry_sassn]

I can't comment on this biltong stuff but when it comes to jerkey, if you cut the meat correctly cross grain and you're properly caring for your meat before hand, I can turn a rear or front leg shank meat into jerkey that just falls apart in your mouth, aka not tough. I can't grill a leg shank straight out of the freezer like I can with a backstrap.

it’s the same with Biltong. Cut it cross grain and it’s more tender. I do the same with all cuts. I just don’t care to use us backstrap for my everyday cooking so it’s what I use for jerky. I prefer to eat the other cuts over backstrap. That’s my personal opinion and works great for my style of cooking.

 

[1_pointer]

it’s the same with Biltong. Cut it cross grain and it’s more tender. I do the same with all cuts. I just don’t care to use us backstrap for my everyday cooking so it’s what I use for jerky. I prefer to eat the other cuts over backstrap. That’s my personal opinion and works great for my style of cooking.

I hope he gets what you're putting down this time. Thanks for sharing the biltong idea, I'm going to have to give that a try.

 

[JTHOMP]

I shared some homemade jerky with a guy and learned he had lived in South African and was telling me about biltong. He was excited about it so it can’t taste too bad.
With the air drying process, how much of a factor is humidity and temperature?

Oh and depending on which bag of jerky I grabbed to share there’s a good chance it was cut from backstrap.

 

[Bambistew]

I make about 40 lbs or more biltong a year. Its good stuff. Made almost an entire dall sheep into it one fall. My wife about killed me. Haha

As far as back strap, who cares. I hate tenderloins, and usually give the stringy, bloody tasting meat to friends or the dogs. To each his own... they make soso jerkey.

 

[kwyeewyk]

I hate tenderloins, and usually give the stringy, bloody tasting meat to friends or the dogs. To each his own... they make soso jerkey.

When I was young I could never figure out how to cook tenderloins to be tender, now I just clean them up and bbq them whole, then carefully slice across the grain, adjust each slice as needed since there's a little change in the grain in some spots. Just like filet mignon, I guess I like the bloody taste! All of my backstrap scraps go to jerky or stew not grind, if I killed more animals I'd be more likely to use backstraps for other uses, but my wife loves steak so I usually butterfly them.

 

[Rzrbck918]

Interesting, does it taste like vinegar?

 

[LuketheDog]

Why a backstrap? Seems like a shameful way to utilize the best cut of meat. Seems like a good recipe for your rump roasts or front shoulder blade roasts.

"Best cut" is a subjective term at most and it's never shameful to eat what you kill. But, the more a muscle works the better it tastes, and there are parts that taste better than backstraps if you know how to cook them right. I'd take a good braised shank or blade roast over a chunk of backstrap any day of the week, and pastrami has become my favorite prep for backstraps...

 

[Bambistew]

Interesting, does it taste like vinegar?

It has some vinegar taste depending on the type you use, but its not over powering. You taste the corriander and salt over the vinegar, or I do anyway. I like to use malt or apple cider, but traditional versions are flavored with "brown" (malt) vinegar, roasted and crushed coriander seed, course salt and pepper. Some times the vinegar is added prior to marinating, other times the meat is dipped just prior to hanging depends on who is making it. I also add a little brown sugar, red pepper flakes, garlic, etc at times. With tougher cuts of meat, add some baking soda which acts as a tenderizer.

Like the jerky we typically eat/make, the sky is the limit for taste and texture... I don't soak mine in vinegar, rather I spray it on or quickly dip it in a solution of 50/50 water let it drip off, then roll in spices and then place in a bag, or glass/plastic dish to marinate for 36-48hrs. I like longer with game meat, especially the tougher cuts, or ones with less fat, it helps develop the flavor. The salt salt pulls out the moisture, the vinegar keeps the surface pH low to prohibit bacterial growth when you hang it, it doesn't really cure with vinegar.. hence the reason that some people just dip it prior to hanging. I pull it out and wipe off excess spices/liquid and hang, sometimes put some fresh ground pepper on them.

This was my old box, while crude, it has made hundreds of pounds of biltong. haha... it was an old rolling organizer rack that I wrapped in cardboard to keep the flies out, I cut a few holes in the top and screened over for ventilation... it holds about 30-35 lbs of strips. I placed an old dehydrator in the bottom to add a little air circulation and heat as its quite cool and damp here most of the time. Otherwise it the meat would take forever to dry with a light bulb heat source. It takes anywhere from 3-5 days to dry the meat depending on humidity and thickness. I check and rotate them around to make sure they are not getting too crusty nearest the fan, but the fan doesnt' move much air. When they are the right firmness, they get pulled and bagged in the fridge for 3-4 days to even out the moisture, then slice it all and vacuum pack/freeze it after. I like 3/4" cuts vs the normal 1-1.25" cuts mostly because the cuts I use are tougher and a pain to slice when dried. I need to make a biltong slicer...

 

[Bambistew]

When I was young I could never figure out how to cook tenderloins to be tender, now I just clean them up and bbq them whole, then carefully slice across the grain, adjust each slice as needed since there's a little change in the grain in some spots. Just like filet mignon, I guess I like the bloody taste! All of my backstrap scraps go to jerky or stew not grind, if I killed more animals I'd be more likely to use backstraps for other uses, but my wife loves steak so I usually butterfly them.

Oh their tender, I just can't get past the mushyness of them. Friends are always amazed I give them away...