Salt serves as an exceptional enhancer of flavours and as a reliable preservative. By effectively eliminating bacteria from the meat’s surface, it aids in the preservation process and facilitates moisture extraction. However, achieving the perfect balance of salt quantity can indeed be challenging. So how do you judge the amount of salt necessary for your next batch of biltong?
To determine the right amount of salt for biltong, you can employ the guideline of utilising 2-2.5% salt in proportion to the total weight of your meat. This rule aids in achieving the perfect flavour enhancement while ensuring food safety in your biltong preparation. It’s important to note that the precise amount will vary based on personal preferences.
Using 2% is the minimum amount of salt per kilogram required for effective food preservation; any less will not draw out enough moisture from the meat. Removing the water content from your meat is the main step in preventing food spoilage, as moisture grows the food spoiling bacteria. Salt also has anti-microbial properties, which kill pathogens on the surface of the meat.
While some people like to judge the amount of salt by instinct, this often comes with a lot of practice. For precise and reliable results it’s most beneficial to calculate the amount of salt by using a simple percentage equation. If you don’t like maths, keep reading and you will discover a very useful percentage calculator.
What Is The Right Amount Of Salt To Use?
Determining the right amount of salt for your batch of biltong is a make-or-break step in your prepping process. If you use too little, you will end up with unsafe biltong, and with too much, it could be unbearably salty.
Personally, I like to use the smallest amount of salt required to make a safe and delicious supply of biltong. 2% of salt, per the amount of meat I’m using, has always worked out well without lacking any flavour.
(Also, using the minimum amount of salt will not require washing off the brine before hanging it to dry, as some recipes suggest).
Here is a useful calculator (thank me if you hate math) to determine the amount of salt (in grams) to use per your total amount of meat (also in grams, sorry). Simply enter the amount of meat you will be using in grams (1kg = 1000 grams) and then the percentage that suits your tastes (2-2.5%).
What Kind Of Salt Is Best For Biltong?
Now you know how to calculate the perfect amount of salt for your next batch of biltong, but did you know that the type of salt also has an impact?
The best salt for biltong is coarse rock salt which works on the meat effectively without permeating too intensely. Salt only needs to work on the meat’s exterior to kill bacteria and start drawing out moisture. Using sea salt or Himalayan pink salt is ideal as they are the purest forms of salt with good flavour.
It is best to avoid table salt as the granules are particularly fine and will draw into the meat deeply, leaving you with seriously salty biltong! If you happen to have some super salty biltong, here is an article to help you!
Another mention is to avoid using any iodised salt as it can leave a slight chemical aftertaste in your finished product (trust me, I have used iodised table salt, and that was a double whammy mistake).
Do You Need To Use Curing Salt For Biltong?
Curing salt is a mixture of sodium chloride (salt) and sodium nitrite, which is vital for making cured meats such as ham, salami, pastrami, etc. But is it necessary to use curing salt for biltong?
You can use curing salt for biltong, but it is not necessary. Rock salt provides all the necessary preservation qualities for killing bacteria and drawing out moisture to make safe biltong. (In fact, people would say using curing salt is “overkill” in regard to biltong).
If you choose to use curing salt, use no more than 1.5 % for the total weight of your meat. Using more will result in a noticeably overpowering taste in your biltong. Remember that biltong has safely been made for hundreds of years using simple rock salt and vinegar.
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