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Dried Meat

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Anyone like dried meats, like Jerky and Biltong?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biltong

I think they can make good snacks, better then crisps and other over processed foods. But really expensive.

What other kinds are there?

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ah, beef jerky, how I love thee.

    Shame it's pretty hard to locate :/ Only a few supermarkets have it, and even then half the time they don't have any.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Is it proper dried meat, like a piece of dried steak, or is it all lips and testicles ?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Like steak and usually expensive cos a lot of the weight of meat is water but once it's dried you loose that water and paying for pure meat .. Biltong is so yummy
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I like beef jerky. Makes a decent snack and I can get it in my student union.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Addict wrote: »
    I like beef jerky. Makes a decent snack and I can get it in my student union.

    Have you tried the South African version then?

    I think people forget dried meats were the norm before there was fridges.

    Make a good source of food for traveling too

    http://www.wildwestjerky.co.uk/history.htm
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I find biltong quite an aquired taste. Currently have a small stock of kudu biltong in the fridge, still can't bring myself to eat it, I'll leave it to my boyfriend. Still, it's a pretty healthy snack. Might be more partial to beef biltong next time.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My South African mate runs his own South African shop in the town that I live in, where he makes his own Biltong and other South African stuff. Fucking gorgeous, he makes his own flavours, he's got traditional, chilli bites, chilli sticks, sunday roast, garlic e.t.c. I used to help him cut it up and stuff and used to get loads for free. :yum: Perfect for the munchies!
    He now lives in Brighton and runs his own South African Butchers, but he still owns the shop where I live.
    I've had the stuff from the shops and that's really nice too, but nothing compares to his stuff.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Have you tried the South African version then?

    No, but coincidentally my friend has just returned from a 2 week holiday in South Africa and I have requested some, so I will get to sample some pretty soon when I see her.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I love Biltong. My dog loves it more though :heart:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Addict wrote: »
    No, but coincidentally my friend has just returned from a 2 week holiday in South Africa and I have requested some, so I will get to sample some pretty soon when I see her.

    Are you even allowed to bring back meat from outside the EU?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Are you even allowed to bring back meat from outside the EU?

    We were allowed to bring back biltong so long as it was specially packed.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    go_away wrote: »
    We were allowed to bring back biltong so long as it was specially packed.


    What's specially packed involve?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What's specially packed involve?

    In a special packaging :razz:
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    SkiveSkive Posts: 15,286 Skive's The Limit
    I love Biltong. My dog loves it more though :heart:

    :yes:

    Jerky and Biltong make perfect dog snacks.
    I love it too though, and it seems every service station now sells it.
    Weekender Offender 
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Skive wrote: »
    :yes:

    Jerky and Biltong make perfect dog snacks.
    I love it too though, and it seems every service station now sells it.


    Sounds like a very expensive treat for a dog.

    I saw Biltong marketed as a healthier alternative to snacks like crisps and reckon it probably is a lot better for you.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I really like jerky, i've not tried biltong. What's the difference?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    LAHVE LAHVE LAAAVHE the bacon crispy strips from Marks and Sparks! :heart:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I really like jerky, i've not tried biltong. What's the difference?

    Not sure myself - not had enough Jerky to compare - I'd probably guess Biltong is slightly more moist.





    The History of Beef Jerky by Tommy Stabosz

    Jerky was first introduced by the South American (Peru) native tribe called the Quechua (part of the ancient Inca Empire) in 1550. The product (Charki), was boned and defatted meat (deer, elk, or buffalo) cut into slices and rubbed with salt. This meat was rolled up in the animal's hide for 10-12 hours and then sun dried or smoked over fires.

    In South America, the Native Americans ate sun-dried venison and buffalo called tassajo, which was made with strips of meat dipped in maize flour, sun and wind dried, and then tightly rolled up into balls. North American Cree Indians mixed berries and suet (fat) with pounded cooked meat and pressed into concentrated small cakes to make pemmican.

    Biltong came from pioneering South African forefathers who sun dried meat while traveling across the African subcontinent. Folklore has it that African tribesmen would place strips of venison under the saddles of their horses to tenderize and spice the meat! Seasoning became a blend of vinegar, salt, sugar, coriander and other spices.

    The Indians and early settlers dried meat primarily from deer, elk or buffalo using salt, whatever spices they had and sun drying. As the Spanish arrived, the name evolved to charqui. Most travelers preferred to pound the charqui between large stones and boil it in water before eating. During ocean exploration and colonization, the Spanish sailors stocked the pacific islands with goats. What couldn't be eaten would then be cut into strips and hung in their ships to air dry. When the Spanish Conquistadors invaded the Americas, they were surprised to see the natives of North America drying meat as well. Soon, the natives adopted the Spanish term, Charqui, only adding their accent; the word ?jerky? first came to be.

    North American Pioneers would first dry meat by hanging it on the outside of their covered wagon sun drying (2-3 days). Another method was to build a scaffold over a slow fire and smoke the strips. While the heat and smoke would complete the process in half a day, the smoking method required a stopover; it wasn?t long before awareness for disease and germs became prevalent and smoking became the norm.

    Today jerky is made from thin strips of virtually any meat or from ground or chopped and formed meat. Manufacturers spice and dehydrate the product; some introduce smoke or using liquid smoke for flavoring.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yuckky yuck yuck
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well my friend brought back some Biltong from South Africa. I think she just had to put in a sealed bag, but I don't think anyone checked anyway.

    Had 2 different types: kudu and eland. Both very tasty but I think I preferred the kudu.
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