I spent some time in South Africa and totally fell in love with their beef jerky! Thought I'd share how I make it so everyone else can love it too.
1: Buy London Broil, cut lengthwise in strips about 3/8 - 1/2 inch thick. You can trim the fat, but I prefer to keep in on as it's my favorite part.
2: Fill a bowl with apple cider vinegar, quickly dip strips, wring, then lay on a rack. Cover with salt on both sides, and put in the fridge for 1-4 hours.
3: Save the vinegar you used originally, mix with 3 parts hot water, rinse all salt off the meat, and wring dry.
4: Make a mixture of black pepper, ground coriander, crushed coriander, roll the meat in it, and voila!
At this point you can dehydrate it in a mechanical dehydrator, but i prefer to hang them in a hot box equipped with a 75-100 watt bulb and a small fan to aid in air circulation. The key to good biltong is to not dehydrate it completely. The outside should turn dark brown, and the inside should be a dark dark red. It keeps 2 weeks unrefrigerated, 2 months in the fridge, or you can freeze it. Best to keep it in a brown paper bag. Step 4 can be substituted for whatever you want (chili powder/smoked paprika, cumin, and barbeque sauce have all been good options for me), To eat, cut it up at a 45 degree angle with scissors or a knife. If you want to know how I made the hot box, just drop me a line.
