Put a layer of salt and sugar cure in the bottom of a dish, then a layer of meat. Then another layer of cure and more meat, and so on until all the meat is used up. Leave the meat to cure for about 3 hours, then do a test.
Wash off the excess cure with a little of the vinegar and then cook it in the microwave. You are checking for saltiness, and if this is enough for you. It is not finished as a product for some time yet.
If the meat is acceptable, clean the rest, hook and then place to dry. It should take 4 to 5 days.
Drying methods
You can build or buy a drying cabinet. A commercial drier should be perfect for the job, too. You can also use your oven. You need a digital thermometer, and it should be set at itʼs very lowest setting, the meat hung over the splines of the grill tray. The door should be left open, and you need a temperature of about 35 C. When you are out, it is a good idea to turn the oven off. If the oven is a little hotter, the meat will also cook, but this isnʼt such a bad idea, you still get a great, though not completely authentic, product.
If you are using a drier, set it at its lowest setting and if it has a thermostat control, make it 35C.
You know when the meat is ready when the outside of the meat is completely dry, and the inside of the meat is no longer squidgy - it is hard. It is now you will be glad you cut across the grain early on in the process.
I have eaten biltong created in a dryer and again just hanging from the kitchen ceiling (in a large drying net) and also from a chap who dries it in an old fridge, and finally just hanging from a hook, with a big fan blowing the strips.
Easy Jerky
This is the stuff we make mostly, a really simple recipe in which the thinly sliced steak is coated in Worcestershire Sauce, a little salt and coriander seeds before drying. I normally dry in the dehumidifier, but the recipe (overleaf ) can be finished in the oven. You can hot or cold smoke it too, you can't really go wrong except by adding too much salt. Go easy on the salt!
The Worcestershire sauce is salty itself, and all you need ia a pinch per piece of meat. You simply layer the meat on top, adding more sauce, more correander and more salt as you go. You can use soy sauce if you prefer!