Home-Dried Beef Biltong with Toasted Coriander

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

South Africa's air-dried beef snack, scaled down to a home oven. Whole-muscle top round gets a cider-vinegar bath, a coarse salt cure and a heavy blanket of toasted coriander and cracked pepper, then dries low and slow until the strips are firm at the edges and still deep ruby in the middle. Sliced across the grain, it's tender, tangy and worlds away from sugary supermarket jerky.

Ingredients

• 2 lb beef top round or eye of round, in one piece
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp coarse kosher salt
• 2 tsp dark brown sugar

• 3 tbsp whole coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, for spritzing

Instructions

1. Freeze the beef, uncovered on a plate, for 40 to 50 minutes until the surface is firm but the center still gives. This makes clean slicing possible with a home knife.
2. Trim off any silverskin and hard fat, leaving a thin fat cap if there is one. Slice the beef WITH the grain into strips about 1/2 inch thick, 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide, and 5 to 6 inches long. Long-grain strips dry evenly and tear into tender shreds later.
3. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking constantly, until they smell nutty and a few start to pop. Add the peppercorns for the last 30 seconds. Cool completely, then crush coarsely in a mortar or pulse 3 or 4 times in a spice grinder. You want cracked and flaky, not powder. Sift out and discard the fine dust, then stir in the onion powder and baking soda.
4. Combine 3/4 cup cider vinegar and the Worcestershire in a large bowl or zip-top bag. Add the beef strips, turn to coat every surface, and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, turning twice. The vinegar seasons the meat and, importantly, sanitizes the surface before drying.
5. Lift the strips out and let the excess drip off, but do not rinse. Sprinkle over the salt and brown sugar and toss hard with your hands so every strip is evenly coated. Pile into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate 1 hour (for lightly seasoned biltong) or up to 2 hours (for a saltier, more traditional bite).
6. Blot each strip firmly with paper towels to remove surface salt and liquid, then dredge in the crushed coriander mixture, pressing so the spice sticks in a thick, visible crust. Let the coated strips rest on a rack for 15 minutes while you set up the oven.
7. Set an oven rack in the middle and a second at the very top. Arrange the strips on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet, spaced at least 1/2 inch apart, or hang them from unbent metal paper clips hooked over the top oven rack with a foil-lined sheet on the rack below to catch drips.
8. Heat the oven to its lowest setting, 170°F, and prop the door open 2 to 3 inches with a rolled ball of foil or a wooden spoon so moisture escapes. Dry for 5 to 6 hours, rotating the pan and flipping rack-dried strips every 90 minutes. Spritz lightly with the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar at the 2-hour mark.
9. Start checking at 4 1/2 hours. Biltong is done when a strip is firm and springy with no soft or squishy spots, has lost roughly 45 to 50 percent of its starting weight, and slices to show a dark ruby center with dry edges. For food safety, at least one strip should register 160°F on an instant-read thermometer at some point during drying; if your oven runs cool, bump to 200°F for the final 20 minutes.
10. Cool the strips completely on a rack for 1 hour at room temperature, then rest them uncovered in a paper bag or open bowl overnight so the moisture equalizes. Slice thin across the grain to serve. Store in a paper bag or loosely closed jar in a cool cupboard for up to 2 weeks, or vacuum-sealed in the freezer for 3 months.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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