If you can’t live without biltong like we do, why not try making your own? It’s really easy once you know the basics. Here are some tips that will have you making biltong in no time.
Biltong is a tasty South African style of air-dried, cured meat that’s similar to jerky. Traditionally made from beef or game, biltong can also be made from pork for a bit different flavor. When done right, pork biltong has a concentrated meaty taste with a pleasant chewiness.
The curing and drying process takes some time but the flavor payoff is so worth it You’ll be hooked after your first bite of homemade pork biltong! Follow my detailed instructions below to make this addictive snack yourself,
Select the Right Pork
To start, choose a nice lean cut of pork for making biltong Good options include pork loin, tenderloin, or sirloin roast You want meat that is low in fat since the drying process intensifies flavors. Plan on about 2 pounds of pork to make 1 pound of finished biltong.
Trim off any excess fat or silver skin from the pork before starting the prep. Cut the pork into long strips, around 1⁄2-inch thick and 4 to 6 inches long. This shape speeds drying for the ideal chewy, jerky-like texture.
Mix Up the Curing Spice Rub
A dry cure of spices and salt is essential for both preserving the meat and infusing tons of flavor Here’s a basic curing recipe you can customize to your tastes
- 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust spices as desired. You want a nice balance of savory, sweet and heat. Thoroughly coat the pork strips all over with the spice cure.
Hang the Pork to Dry
Find a spot with good airflow to hang the cured meat strips vertically. The best temperature is around 60-70°F with a breeze. Drying racks designed for biltong or jerky work great.
You can also rig up a system using metal S-hooks stuck through the top of each strip hanging down from rods or heavy string. Place a fan nearby to keep air circulating.
Let the pork biltong strips dry for 4-7 days, checking them daily. They are ready when stiff to the touch with the texture of raw leather. Biltong is safe to eat even when still slightly pliable.
Optional Extra Smoky Flavor
For an extra layer of smoky flavor, put the dried biltong in a paper bag with some wood chips. Carefully seal the bag and use a needle to poke a few small holes. Place near the fan for 6-12 hours, changing out the wood chips halfway. Apple, hickory and mesquite wood chips work nicely.
Storing Your Homemade Biltong
Once your pork biltong is ready, you can enjoy it right away. To store, seal the strips in plastic freezer bags or containers. Kept cool and dry, biltong will last for several weeks. Refrigeration helps extend the shelf life even more.
If you made a lot of biltong at once, consider freezing half of the pieces for enjoying later. Thawed biltong may need a brief time near the fan to recrisp before eating.
Serving Suggestions
Chewy, salty-sweet pork biltong is delicious on its own as a protein-packed snack. But it also makes a stellar addition to many dishes. Here are some tasty ways to use it:
- Crumble over salads, rice bowls and tacos
- Mix into pasta dishes for extra meatiness
- Stuff into sandwiches and wraps
- Skewer with vegetables and fruits
- Chop up in omelets or scrambled eggs
- Simmer in hearty bean or vegetable soups
- Pile onto cheese, cracker and olive platters
The deep dried spices and smoke flavors mean a little biltong can add tons of flavor. Try it in all your favorite recipes for a savory boost.
Let’s Review Pork Biltong Basics:
With this simple process, you can make amazing biltong at home:
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Choose a lean, tender cut of pork and slice into strips.
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Massage a dry cure spice rub all over the meat.
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Hang strips to air dry for 4-7 days until stiff.
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Optional: Add extra smoke flavor with wood chips.
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Store dried biltong in bags in the fridge or freezer.
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Enjoy the intense jerky-like meat in snacks and meals!
It takes a little patience, but the payoff of flavorsome homemade pork biltong is so worth it. No need to buy pre-made when you can customize your own to suit your taste buds.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE YOUR BILTONG
THE MEAT
Since the meat is the main part of biltong, high-quality, free-range meat works best. However, it may take some trial and error before you find the best meat for your taste. But that’s the fun of making your own biltong—you can make it exactly the way you like it, since biltong can be made with a lot of different meats. Most of the time, beef, ostrich, and other wild game are used to make biltong. However, chicken, fish, and pork can also be used.
At Ember, we use silverside beef for our biltong but you can also use toprump or even venison. It is best to use lean meat because mold is more likely to grow on fatty meats while they dry. Lean meat dries faster and makes biltong that is more flavorful and tender. To go over this one more time, you can try making biltong with different cuts and types of meat. The key is to find the best balance between quality, price, and availability.
SPICES & MARINADE
Coriander is the most basic and important spice for biltong. Salt and cracked black pepper are next on the list. Adding more spices will make the biltong taste even better, but those are the basics. Don’t be afraid to try new things with your biltong spice mix; you might find a great new way to make it (and beat us).
Vinegar is an important part of any biltong marinade because it cures the meat as it dries. Vinegar also adds a unique flavor to biltong and softens the meat so it feels like steak. Instead of regular vinegar, you can use red wine or apple cider vinegar to give it your own unique twist. In fact, the biltong marinade isn’t just for taste; it also stops bacteria from growing while the meat dries by marinating it in vinegar and spices, especially coriander.
Want to give your biltong an Ember touch? Marinate it in spirit vinegar, coriander, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, nutmeg, ground clove, and chili. You’ll feel like you just opened a pack of our Original Biltong.
TOOLS
The tools you will need to make your biltong may vary depending on your chosen drying method. But here are some essentials that you will need and may well be already in your home:
- Hooks for drying or even metal paper clips that have been bent open can be used to hang the meat.
- To grind up your biltong spice mix, you can use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.
- biltong box or a room with a low-speed fan to move the air around. A steady flow of air past the meat is good to keep mold away and remove moisture, but not so strong that it dries out the outside of the biltong too much.
Sun drying used to be the only way to dry biltong. This meant hanging pieces of meat from tree branches to dry in the sun. There are still people who follow this tradition, but we’ve come a long way since then and now there are more modern ways to dry biltong at home.
OVEN
This method doesnt require any special equipment, just your good old oven. It’s really simple, and it’s great for people who have never made biltong before and aren’t ready to buy a biltong box or dehydrator yet. After marinating the meat, pat it dry and place it in a single layer on the wire rack of your oven. Make sure there is space between the slices so they don’t touch. Place it in the oven with the light on to warm it up and the door slightly open to let air flow and dry the meat. Your biltong should be ready in about 2 to 3 days.
BILTONG BOX
This is the most common way for people who like to make biltong at home to do it. The biltong can be made at home or bought online. A biltong box is simply an enclosed container where you can hang your meat to dry. It will likely have small holes on the sides and a low-wattage bulb to help it dry, which could take up to seven days. You can sometimes also put a fan near the holes and set it to low to get good air flow. You can buy this online or make it yourself at home with a few pieces of wood and a storage container. Some people even use old refrigerators as biltong boxes. You can make good biltong as long as the area where you’re drying the meat has good air flow and a heat source that isn’t directly on the meat.
FOOD DEHYDRATOR
A food dehydrator is a helpful appliance for people who thoroughly enjoy dried fruits, veggies, fish, and meat. A fan and a small amount of heat are built into it. This makes warm air flow that dries the food and removes the moisture. It’s especially helpful for people who make biltong often because it can be faster than all the other ways. But remember that if you want to make great biltong, you need to keep the dehydrator at no more than 30 to 40 degrees Celsius and cut the meat into thinner slices so that air can flow. You will have your biltong ready in about 2 to 3 days.
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FAQ
Can I use pork to make biltong?
What is the best cut of meat for biltong?
Is biltong legal in the US?
Is it cheaper to make your own biltong?