Jerky or Biltong

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #1

Not sure of the difference. This one is cured in vinegar salt pepper chilly and roasted coriander.

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(Bob M) #2

Iā€™ve always wanted to make Biltong. Supposedly, itā€™s moister than Jerky. It uses a little heat and less air supposedly. This sums up some differences:

Iā€™ve been wanting to make a Biltong box for a while now:

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #3

I go for about 50% weight loss and that keeps it nice and moist. It still lasts well like that. Love it. I have used the air fryer dehydrate fuction with success.

(KM) #4

Could you expand on that? I was just traveling and bought the only jerky without a ton of sugar and other unwanted ingredients I could find - $26 a pound! (about L48 per kilogram, 50% of which is probably table salt). :scream: Itā€™s made me a lot more curious about how to make it myself. Even using Wagyu beef wouldnā€™t cost that much!

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #5

Very easy to make. Theyā€™re more than one way. This is my take on it. Iā€™m not near my recipe notes so Iā€™ll update the qualities.
Choose beef that wouldnā€™t be too tuff in its raw state.

Cut into thin long strips. Cut with the grain.
Marinate in vinegar and soy sauce. 1hr
Now for the dry rub. First roast coriander seeds and grind.
Combine salt, black pepper and flaked chilli.
Rub in well and leave for 24hrs.
Thread onto screwers and suspend for about 3-4 days at 70 degrees.

Weights to follow

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #6

OK Youā€™ll need to proportionally change these depending on the weight of your Beef. Lamb etc.
I should add, make a note of the weight because we are looking at about 50% weight loss from drying.

4500g Beef.
120g Vinegar of your choice.
60g Soy
ā€¦
110g Salt
34g pepper.
68g roasted and ground Coriander.
23g chilli flakes.

(Geoffrey) #7

I will have to try this with the next deer I take. Iā€™ve made a lot of jerky but Iā€™ve never tried biltong.

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #8

Your butchery skills should serve you well Geezy. Deer sounds perfect for Biltong.
Jerky and Biltong are obviously very similar and I guess with your temps 2-3 days might be enough.
Thereā€™s some good YT vids also

(KM) #9

thank you!

#10

I am eating kangaroo droewors while I wait for the pan to heat up to cook some lamb chops.

" Wild kangaroo (>60%), organic grass-fed & finished Australian beef brisket, gluten-free white vinegar, coriander seeds, sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves and collagen casing.

Free from preservatives, dairy, gluten, soy and sugar, our classic droƫwors has a 12 month best before date and are best kept in the pantry or fridge."

#11

The cut for biltong is silverside. But needs some sinew trimming.

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Based in Canberra, Australia.

(Bob M) #12

Iā€™m not sure Iā€™ve ever seen silverside. Looks like in the US, itā€™s called bottom round or rump roast.

(Polly) #13

I have been making dog treats using either lean beef or venison and apple cider vinegar. Essentially it is jerky without the sugar or spices. I tried one piece from the first batch and it was remarkably palatable. I would happily make this for human consumption with a bit of chilli and coriander.

#14

Sounds good, not like I ever ate jerky, itā€™s super expensive, I rather buy some fresh meat with that moneyā€¦
When I have read recipes, I wondered if I can just skip the spices, well of course, I thought but itā€™s good to see someone did that! Not like I am against spices but I like to keep things simple and good meat and vinegar is already a great spice, isnā€™t it? Or is it not noticeable in the end? Whatever, I like simple, I would try that.

Sugar. Does beef jerky normally has sugar?! Whatā€™s wrong with this world? (Zillion things I know very well but putting sugar into meat is a big one in my eyes.)

Maybe one day I will try to make biltong. Not jerky, I do like my meats a bit fattierā€¦

(KM) #15

In the US, almost any commercial jerky has sugar in it. Much like bacon. Itā€™s not a lot, probably not enough that youā€™d even taste it, but it still seems unnecessary, just a way to sneak a little bit more cheap government subsidized crap into otherwise decent food.

(Geoffrey) #16

You are correct. I have found some that is clean but itā€™s rare.

#17

Oh, that super tiny amount, the <0.5g per 100g here? I kind of accepted itā€™s a thing in many items but I still donā€™t like it (as you wrote, unnecessary. and sugar in meat, I hate it even if I was forced to accept a teeny tiny bit sometimes when just not buying any of a lovely, important group of processed meats was the bigger bad. I need my variety) and then I got super choosy and I just donā€™t want added sugar at allā€¦ Now I am in the phase where I weed out everything with any amount of added sugar from my diet, it was already pretty low when I went low-carb and it gradually lowered and I am sure it doesnā€™t matter a thing to my body but I just got this mood, it was enough and itā€™s probably not too hard to avoid added sugar at this point. I still can keep my beloved sausages and some smoked pork as these are possible to buy without sugar here :wink:
I canā€™t eat normal bacon anyway as itā€™s insanely salty. Itā€™s a very common trait here, I looked at tests and people had huge problems with the salt. Itā€™s just the sliced or cubed bacon, not the bacon ends or cured pork belly I buy sometimes (I donā€™t remember if they have sugar but I will check next time).

That is the huge advantage of making things ourselves: we control the saltiness :smiley: And everything else. Thatā€™s why I make almost everything I eat myself since many years (except what I canā€™t. I never learned to make good mustard, I can make the kind to mix into dishes but not some loveliness to put on my boiled eggs and sausages). I canā€™t smoke meat, I theoretically can dehydrate meat :wink: I will remember that when we think about buying beef from the beef farm, thatā€™s good, fresh stuff but we have a short time to act and very rarely, there were 2 calves this year. They have smoked stuff just like the pig farm. And very good cheese, super flavorful.

(KM) #18

Yes. My stupid expensive Tillamook jerky had zero added sugar and proudly announced it, but I later notice it has ā€œflavoringsā€™ā€. For ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  sake, what is That? Natural? Chemical? Honey? Celery? Coriander? Saccharin? Motor oil? Really, you parade ā€œsugar freeā€ in my face and then dump mystery chemicals on me two ingredients later. :rage:

#19

I think that under 1% can be labelled as ā€˜0ā€™. Sugar, like salt, and sugar salts are used as preservatives.

Sorbitol, a sweet flavoured carbohydrate, a sugar alcohol made from glucose, and is food additive 420.

Mannitol is a poorly absorbed sugar-alcohol sweetener and is food additive 421.

There are so many more, starches treated in all different waysā€¦

Iā€™m sticking with whole foods.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #20

Under U.S. law, amounts of 0.5 g and over per serving, but less than 1 g can be listed as ā€œUnder 1 g,ā€ and amounts less than 0.5 g per serving can be listed as 0 g. Note that serving size is completely at the manufacturerā€™s discretion, as well.

(My practice is to assume that the amount is either 0.9999999 g/serving or 0.4999999 g/serving, as the case may be, and multiply the serving size to get something reasonable.)

In civilised countries, manufacturers are required to have a panel showing amounts per 100 g of product, regardless of whatever the serving size may be.

You are most wise, my friend.