One of the great things about having lots of beef is that you can make things that you other wise wouldn't due to the cost. We had out butcher put an entire Topside aside for Hubby to make Jerky or Biltong. It weighed 9.5 kg which is a huge piece of meat to most people but you need to start with a lot as the meat shrinks as it dries out. We borrowed a few books from the library and did some research online about making jerky but since it is not something I am a fan of and being pregnant am not allowed to eat it anyway I left it to Hubby to make what ever he wanted.
He decided on 3 different flavours made with a wet marinade, Mango, Orange and Kung Pow, which were all loaded with Trinidad Scorpion chillies.
After trimming and portioning out the meat the marinades were made and the meat was sealed in bags with each of the different marinades and left for 48 hours.
After 2 days of soaking the meat was dried in the oven on a low temperature. I do own a dehydrator but was concerned that it I put the jerky through it would forever be tainted with chilli and pass that flavour on to everything I dehydrate in the future.
Hubby wanted his beef to be more like Biltong than Jerky meaning that the meat is not dried all the way through and is still a bit soft in the middle.
Once the meat had reached the desired moisture level Hubby sliced it and vacuum sealed it in portions. We probably could have stored it like that at room temperature but we opted to keep it in the freezer just in case.
We took a whole lot of it away with us on our month long trip down south and there is still a little left but Hubby has been enjoying it as an after work snack and on weekends so I suspect it will soon all be gone. He will now have to wait until we are in New Zealand to make more.
Do you make jerky or biltong?
Yes we make biltong, but havent for ages - the price of beef is through the roof. lucky you having that meat available. We dont marinade the beef - simply sprinkle with vinegar and then use a dry rub. We have made a dryer out of an old drawer with a light bulb in the bottom and flyscreen over the front. It works well. by the way do you make sosaties? I am looking for a good recipe for the marinade.
ReplyDeleteHi AA I think when we get to NZ we will come up with a better solution maybe a solar dehydrator so that we can make more but I like your idea. No I do not make sosaties so no help there sorry.
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