Biltong is the most popular traditional South African product, and its origin dates back to the early Dutch settlers. They used biltong and droëwors to stockpile meat that they could take with them on their long treks into the unknown interior before the days of refrigeration.
However, this product is still extremely popular in South Africa and can be found in supermarkets, butcheries, and specialty stores. Biltong is usually eaten straight from the bag; however, it is also becoming increasingly popular as an ingredient in many foodstuffs. The word biltong originally translates as ‘strip of lean meat’ and is used in South Africa to describe either a product that is made from beef or game meat.
Generally, a combination of ingredients delivers the characteristics of biltong: taste, flavor, and color. Ingredients, for example, spice mix, type of meat, and strained yogurt, determine aroma compounds, water activity, and sensory attributes.
Biltong is traditionally made from strips of silverside beef, while fillet or loin can be used for non-traditional biltong products. Biltong seasoning is known as a secret blend, giving biltong its unique flavor and is usually only known by and made up by each producer. In commercial practice, the spice mix is regarded as a critical key influencing both quality and shelf life.
What is Biltong?
Biltong is a tried-and-tested survival food that has seen many traversing vast spaces with precarious access to food. As a preparation technique, biltong is as old or older than most in history’s records. It deserves its reputation as a highly nutritious, low-suspense method of preserving meats. In its wonderfully uncomplicated list of ingredients and methods, we find the techniques of prehistory and indigenous wisdom.
Biltong is the word used in South Africa for dried and cured meat but is also known in Southern Africa as bulltong (which can translate to bull’s tongue). Traditionally, biltong was made by hanging strips of raw meat up to air dry. This would last for weeks, allowing the people who prepared it to have access to a type of fast food that never went off. The many ethnic groups in South Africa all have their own versions of biltong, which opens us up to stories of the people we can identify as the early biltong hunters and preppers.
Historical Significance
Certainly not a new concept, South Africans have been making biltong for hundreds of years. The practice started as a means of preserving raw meat, which would be eaten by indigenous South Africans. They would take the meat, clean it, slice it into thick strips, and then air dry it. Eventually, the practice evolved to include vinegar and spices before drying.
The results were certainly lean and tasty, which is understandable as game meat is typically very low in fat. They did a great job figuring out the spices and such to make the meat preserve. Being a country of people of various ethnicities, different versions emerged. A few centuries after the original inhabitants of Southern Africa started biltong, the Dutch settlers in the area picked up the practice when they observed the indigenous people preparing biltong. They adopted the practice and replaced the wood used by the indigenous people with a spiced vinegar liquid to cure it, and biltong as we know it was more or less born.
Drying meat out is one of the oldest forms of meat preservation in the world. There isn’t anything special about biltong in this sense. What is special is that South Africans have had quite a bit of time to perfect it due to a lack of refrigeration in the early days. It probably didn’t hurt that the climate is perfect for drying meat either.
Benefits of Biltong for Survivalists and Preppers
Biltong is the perfect food for the survivalist and prepper. If you’re looking for the next thing to take your survival recipes to the next level, then look no further than biltong. Before we start sharing these survival recipes with you, let’s first discuss the benefits of biltong.
Biltong is a kind of South African jerky that is made from dry-cured meat. The biltong we will be making in this guide is not cooked, but rather heavily salted and spiced meat that will last for an extended period of time. It is typically made from beef, but many other types of game meat can be used as well. Biltong is the perfect meal for the prepper or survivalist as it is simple to make, won’t spoil, and is packed with everything you need to keep going in an emergency. Not only is it delicious, nutritious, and portable, but it is also just plain awesome. Biltong reduces fat content and increases protein content as it loses moisture during the curing process. It is a much better and healthier alternative to beef jerky. Jerky is a cooked product, and biltong is dried. There is a difference. Jerky uses nitrates, and biltong uses no nitrates.
Nutritional Value
Biltong is so much more than just meat. With less than 65 calories per ounce, the assumption that biltong is like other dried meat products on the market simply isn’t true. Once we remove the nitrites, dyes, and other preservatives found in traditional beef jerky products, we’re left with something that is full of vitamins B6 and B12, along with minerals like iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and the most important mineral of all, selenium. A much better and better-tasting option for your meat snacks. Ideal for individuals with high blood pressure and congestive heart failure, cancer protection, thyroid support, improving metabolic rate, increasing immunity, and improving mood, biltong is an excellent addition to your diet.
Beef biltong nutritional information per ounce: Calories 65, Fat 2 g, Saturated fat 0.6 g, Cholesterol 23 mg, Sodium 106 mg, Carbs 0 g, Sugars 0 g, Protein 12 g, Vitamin B6 0.2 mg, Vitamin B12 1.6 mg, Riboflavin 0.1 mg, Iron 1.1 mg, Magnesium 13.2 mg, Phosphorus 20 mg, Zinc 2.2 mg, Potassium 253 mg, Selenium 6.1 mg.
Long Shelf Life
Biltong should be kept for three to four months, ground biltong for two to two and a half months, and dry wors biltong for two months. As we do not use any preservatives in our biltong, it is of utmost importance to store the biltong in an area where you do not experience high humidity.
Once biltong is taken out of a controlled temperature area, it gives back some moisture which can affect the shelf life of the product. So it is advised not to put any biltong back into the fridge but to utilize it as soon as possible. The dry wors is just for drying purposes. There are no time or texture concerns with this product. For pre-packed retail sales, the sponsors will have to do their own vacuum packing or cling wrap.
In a survival situation, if you lack a vacuum sealer, you can simply use a bag and insert a straw into the open end. Close the bag up to the straw and suck out as much air as possible. Once air is removed, close the bag up before air comes back in.
Choosing the Right Meat
I want to take a moment to bring up toxins. Most survival instincts tell you that you should cook your meat. You will ingest some toxic bacteria when you make biltong. Yes, your meat is going to taste like biltong, and no, it will not make you ill if you make it right. This is something that no one likes to talk about, but it refers to a fungus. While not everyone likes to consider their yummy biltong with a scientific eye, it is important that you understand the part all of these microorganisms play in getting that almost irresistible succulence.
Choosing the meat can be a bit daunting. I, for one, have tried a number of beef cuts. I would recommend that along with the meat counter manager in your local supermarket, you also arm yourself with knowledge and learn the different cuts of meat. The different cuts of beef have quite a huge effect on the actual end outcome of your product. Try to use meat from an animal as close to organic as possible. That is, the animal that it comes from should have grazed on natural pastures, and no extra hormones or chemicals should have been pumped into it. The reason for this is quite simple; we don’t quite know how the chemical elements in the meat would react with our spicing mix. Different cuts yield different textures. I have found the silverside cuts to work best for my taste. I have found that trying different manufacturers yields different end results. Procuring meat that is not too fatty works better, I think. Use fresh, cold, deboned beef. Ensure that all fat is scraped off as explained above. Try to source the best meat that you can buy. Always check the fat for any discoloration, as this may result from added chemicals to enhance the color of the meat. Always purchase your meat as soon as possible prior to starting, as this would ensure that it is fresh.
Types of Meat for Biltong
There are a few factors to keep in mind when you pick a type of meat for the biltong you are making. Price is obviously something to be aware of when purchasing large quantities of top-grade meat. You don’t necessarily have to spend a fortune on the best cuts of meat. There are options when it comes to different cuts of meat you can use. Many people focus particularly on the best taste possible with their biltong and forgo that massive lean steak they own in order to buy more fatty and better-for-biltong steaks. For biltong, the best available meat cut generally tastes the best when it includes marbling. This marbling is the fat source required to help the drying process. The more marbling fat that is available in the meat, the better the biltong will taste.
Meat cuts with a lot of sinew or tendon are tougher and generally taste less with biltong. These sinews are the parts of the meat that are much tougher and generally much more difficult to break down. When your cuts of meat have too much sinew, the slices could become tough while drying. They’re also much tougher to enjoy when feasting on your biltong. Popular meat cuts include the silverside, meat from the topside, and blade cuts. These are generally considered the best because of their muscle grain and marbling fat, but you can only find good silverside, topside, and blade cuts in some parts of the world.
Preparing the Meat
How do you plan to prepare the meat to make biltong? There are a couple of steps in this process, and I will outline them below.
Firstly, biltong is traditionally made from cuts like topside, silverside, or thick flank. However, not everyone raises their own cattle or has the luxury of getting them from the butcher. The best way is to make sure your cut meets the followi
ng criteria: it needs to be relatively free of sinew, it must not be excessively fatty, and you may need to slightly increase or decrease the amount of salt in the spice mix depending on how watery or salty your meat is.
Secondly, you will need to cut the meat appropriately. The time of year and the relative humidity will play a role in this. On a dry winter day, you will be able to cut the meat into thicker strips than on a hot and humid summer day. The meat needs to be slender enough for the air to move around and dehydrate it completely. If the air cannot move around the meat, it will rot. However, this problem can also be solved by using a fan to supplement the airflow around the meat. It needs to be sliced along the grain, not across it.
A blade designed for slicing meat will make this part much easier. Several discrete small cuts are better than a single slice in one direction. This will also give you the opportunity to get the longest pieces possible from the shape of the meat. However, avoid excessive wastage and cost. Enough people have also found their well-prepared meat on the floor with the family dog snacking on it. Be careful of where and how you work. It is not a fun day if you have to start again. The strips should be 25-30 mm thick.
Trimming and Slicing
Trimming and slicing your meat is part of the preparation. Bigger chunks of meat won’t dry as quickly and may turn rancid. However, meat dries out, losing its weight in water and becoming more concentrated with protein and fat. This is what prevents biltong from going bad. All your meat will do well as biltong, even when it is turning a bit twangy. However, only the pure muscle will last. Removal of excess fat is essential if you want to store this for more than a few months. If you wish to store it for a really long time, the purer the meat, the better. Any meat will still do you good in a long-term survival situation, but fat may turn rancid and provide a friend for salmonella.
If you’re cutting and freezing meat anyway, chances are it won’t last very long at all — in which case, who cares? Besides, the saltpeter and vinegar or citrus in biltong will prevent some bacterial growth. Absolutely pure muscle will store the longest. Biltong will either be enjoyed by a king or a vulture. Good quality silverside, topside, or round steak — with just the right amount of fat on the edges — is your best bet. Odd bits of steak and wild game from your freezer will do well too. Use chicken and fish meat as soon as possible for best results, as they do not last as long when treating them with a dry method such as biltong. Game and beef with gristle and bone should be cut into easier to handle pieces but will last just as long. The initial
curing of it seemed to be more effective.
Marinade and Seasoning
Now that your biltong slices are prepared, they can be further seasoned before laying them to rest in the refrigerator for about 8 hours. While it is possible to make biltong without adding any additional flavoring, virtually all biltong is seasoned to some extent. Since biltong is preserved with non-toxic agents and then ultimately consumed in a raw state, any flavors added may penetrate the meat, giving it a bite that is stronger than flavors achieved by marinades on cooked meat dishes. Most traditional users advocate minimal seasoning so that the resulting product will have a mild, yet rich meaty flavor.
The general rule by weight is: 2 grams coarsely ground black pepper, 5 grams fine salt, and 40 grams mild vinegar. Another traditional combination is coarse salt, crushed coriander seeds, white wine vinegar, and malt vinegar. These recipes can be varied according to taste, adding a small amount of brown sugar, mild chutney, and Worcestershire sauce in any combination that the user prefers. Marinade and more vinegar for the larger, thicker semi-ripened strips allow the seasoning to penetrate and preserve more thoroughly. The marinade can be drained off after a few hours if the biltong is desired to be less juicy than usual. Salt is sometimes added to ensure that it does not spoil before the vinegar works its preservation magic. Ugly brown streaks and corrosion on the biltong are often a visual indication of a higher than normal salt content.
Many variations are possible. Some additions that are popular are brown sugar, garlic, soy sauce, honey, hot sauce, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, wine, and Worcestershire sauce. A blend can be any sweet, hot, acidic, salty, or overall tasty element that enhances the end flavor of the biltong. While there are a variety of unique recipes for making biltong, and everyone has their favorite flavored biltong recipes, it can be fun to experiment with different herbs and spices to obtain a wider choice of taste variations.
Drying and Curing Process
This is not beef jerky! Jerky is generally a somewhat biblical list of things that could cause health problems, even demise, in a survival situation. Salt can and does store and keep indefinitely. When used properly, biltong, like jerky, is a great way to store meat on the move for later. However, there is a big difference. The absolutely critical part of this process that makes or breaks biltong is the vinegar. Please do not use something from a big box store that does not have enough acidic acid in it to make pickles. The priority is that biltong is typically drier, while not dried out, than jerky.
The drying process will vary according to the composition of the meat mix. Different meats, different overdone or underdone levels of meats, and different storage temperaments of the creator will mean dried meat will differ as well. The basic process is this: Hang your biltong in a cool, dry, non-UV sunny area with air circulation. Typically, about two weeks will give you the average texture that is most popular. A month or more will start to approach the “shelf-stable” preservation that many seek. Drying out can take a bit of time for larger slabs or if stored in a high humidity, lower temperature environment. Keep an eye on your biltong. Check it now and then. Make sure the vinegar water does not pile up on the bottom or that it is not getting direct sunlight and heat, and not drying out uniformly. If you see white collagen, then the vinegar is doing its job of breaking down the connective tissue.
Hanging and Air-Drying
Once the meat has been prepared and spiced, it is time to begin the drying process. Several people prefer a tubed sock or a recently purchased pair of pantyhose that they cut into sections to be fastened on one end and the other tied off. One may also use cooking twine; try not to tie it too tight around the meat as it may damage or cause cuts. One must consider where the biltong will be hanging or drying. Make sure that the string with the meat is long enough to be tied on both ends. Hang the biltong to dry in a warm room; hang it so that it does not touch the walls, and the air is allowed to move around it. No mold can grow in a dry space, so it is safe to hang the biltong out in the open.
Another method is to hang biltong by the meat. In order to do this, poke a small hole at the top of the meat and pull the string through to make it completely secure. The biltong should hang in a dry and warm place. It may take up to 7-8 days to thoroughly dry biltong.
To know when it is ready, tap on the meat lightly with your knuckles. If you hear a clear sound, it indicates the meat is ready; if you hear a muffled sound, then biltong still needs to hang. The most important part of the process is the wind that is needed to dry the meat. If the meat is dried in a shaded area with no light or air, then that biltong will not be that great. The less wind there is, the greater the likelihood for the biltong to begin to grow mold.
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