Part 4 - Cutting and Packaging -
Over a few days the steaks will slowly harden on the outside. Thinner pieces of meat will, of course, dry quicker so use these to get an idea of when the bigger cuts will be ready.
You can leave the meat for an extra day or two if you prefer it dry.
Index
- Thank you to @appreciator for featuring the first part of this post in the Daily Quality Content Rewards post!
So this is the final result, the outer shell is crispy and the inside tastes a bit like roast beef.
It's difficult to cut, even with a very sharp knife, so it's best to use a chopping board or an electric meat cutter. Thinner slices have a lot more flavour so try to slice it as thinly as possible.
My batch of 4kg of beef silverside ends up yielding about 2kg of dried beef, now that the moisture has drained from the meat.
If you store the meat correctly, it's safe to eat for 6 months or more.
Use a vacuum sealer to seal the bags. Leave some air in the bags and don't use the vacuum or the meat will taste oily when the bag is opened.
These little white packets absorb the oxygen in the bag and keep the meat fresh. I also add a couple of toothpicks to each bag.
Finally we're done and our delicious snack is ready!
Now I think it's time for some Netflix, a beer and of course some of our delicious beef biltong!
Hope you enjoyed the series,
@deimus