To maximize the taste and quality of your homemade biltong, it’s important to invest time and effort in selecting the best meat (both in terms of cut and grade). This will give you the best chance of producing the most delicious and high-quality biltong possible.
The best cut of meat for biltong is silverside and topside, which are both lean cuts with long muscle fibres. These cuts provide for tender biltong with just the right amount of fat marbling. Although traditionally, biltong utilises any cut of meat; the results will vary in taste and texture depending on the choice.
Beef can have fat in two locations: extra-muscular fat, which is found on the outside of the meat, and intramuscular fat (also known as marbling) which is found inside the meat. To be appropriate for biltong, the cut of beef should be relatively lean with minimal fat marbling and as few sinew strips as possible.
Although fat can make meat tender when cooking, it is not ideal for drying as it can turn rancid instead of drying properly. If the meat has fat on the exterior but is lean on the interior, it is suitable because the excess fat can be removed through trimming.
Tenderloin, sirloin, and rump or hip steaks are among the other suitable cuts for biltong. If you’re not purchasing meat from a butcher, buying whole roasts is advisable. By doing so, you can slice the meat along the grain into the appropriate length strips instead of using pre-cut strips from the supermarket (these are usually cut against the grain).
Therefore, when making biltong, it is important to choose the right cut of beef that is lean with minimal fat marbling and sinew strips, with silverside and topside being the best options. If you’d like to delve deeper into this topic, keep reading for a comprehensive breakdown.
What Makes The Best Cut For Biltong?
Biltong needs to be made from high-quality, uncooked, and unprocessed meat. The best biltong producers use cuts of meat that are tender and have the right amount of marbling.
As a general rule, the best cut of meat is beef silverside (also known as bottom round and rump roast), followed by topside (also known as round or top round). Silverside is Ideal as it’s very lean with slight fat marbling which supports a traditionally chewy yet flavourful outcome.
Topside has more fat marbling than silverside, which will result in a more “wet” type of biltong, similar to a rare tender steak. The distinction between Silverside and topside is very much down to personal preference, with silverside being the most traditional and topside being the most tender.
The term “biltong” is derived from the Dutch words “bil” (meaning “buttock“) and “tong” (meaning “strip” or “tongue”). In Africa, biltong is typically made from any lean muscle of various animals, including kudu and gazelle. (I wrote an article so you can know all the types of meat you can choose from).
However, in countries like Australia, beef is predominantly used, and the focus is on obtaining either silverside or topside cuts for making biltong. Both silverside and topside cuts are taken from the buttock of the cow, which is lean and tender, with long muscle fibres. These long muscles are ideal for making biltong, as it requires minimal fat marbling and is hung in long strips to air dry.
While you may be looking for a tender cut with plenty of fat marbling for a BBQ or grill, it is not ideal for biltong. Intermuscular fat does not dry well and can easily become rancid within a couple of days. If the meat is lean, it will dry all the way through which is important for the process of preserving the meat. (Learn more about how to dry biltong here).
The other benefit of using silverside and topside is that they’re some of the cheapest cuts of beef. The more expensive cuts are wasted money when it comes to making biltong. On average, 1kg of silverside will cost around $12 (AUD) and Topside is slightly more expensive $13. Compared with beef rump costing on average $15 and sirloin a very pricy 25kg (AUD).
(If you’d like to know how to dry biltong on a budget or if you’re unsure if it’s cheaper to make biltong at home these are some helpful articles).
Any lean cut can be used to make biltong, these include tenderloin, sirloin, rump steak and so on. Although you will find people discussing all kinds of cuts on online forums, please remember, that the cut will affect the final product (dramatically). It’s best to avoid very fatty cuts like brisket (big no) and pre-cut steaks which are usually cut against the grain.
What Are The Differences Between Silverside And Topside?
Silverside Beef
Silverside is a portion of meat originating from the outer part of the hind leg and is located between the knuckle and topside. This cut is named after the silver connective tissue that runs along the side of the cut. Due to being made up of well-used muscles, silverside is exceptionally lean and is the most commonly used meat for traditional biltong. Silverside biltong provides a combination of tenderness, chewiness, and toughness while delivering a powerful beefy flavour.
Topside beef
The Topside cut comes from the inside of the hind leg, between the thick flank and the silverside. The Topside cut is very lean and tender, which makes for a soft and succulent biltong product. When biting into topside biltong, you will notice distinct fat marbling and a tender mouth feel, like eating a rare steak.
In summary, the best cuts of meat for biltong are silverside and topside due to their lean and tender qualities. While any cut of meat can be used, the taste and texture will vary on the choice. It’s important to choose cuts with minimal fat and sinew for optimal results. Now you have more knowledge about biltong cuts, which means you are one step closer to having the most authentic and professional biltong around.
Biltong Brainiac: Test Your Dried Meat IQ
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