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Biltong without salt .

You can use saltpeter for curing it also , although I dont know if this creates the same issues as salt .

You could also use coarsr salt , and then wash this off in vinegar before you hang the biltong which would cut the amount of salt a fair bit I would imagine .

For any SA exiles in the South of England, I discovered a supplier of biltong at my local farmer's market.

They are called CapeGoldBiltong and have a website.

I didn't try any at the time (too many pesky youngsters hanging around for freeebies) but I will next time I go back.

Saraf? Once you have tried their biltong, please can you report back and let us know if it was good?

Thanks.

Saraf and nicaubs, why dont you make your own biltong? My sister lives in London and makes her own. And its not difficult - well my sister has a nice drying cupboard, and it works well in it. Her drying cupboard is kinda near where her central heating thing is....... otherwise just a cardboard box, with a globe hung in it, and some air passing through is good enough. In fact you can buy biltong makers, cardboard boxes, and then make your own! Ok, it would not be game biltong, but beef biltong, which frankly I prefer anyways!

Thanks Jazil

That is a great idea. I had no idea it is that easy to make.
I will definitely try it one day!

Do you have any idea what spices your sister uses?
Is it just salt?

Thanks again for the tip.

Jazil - I've thought about it but haven't got the room. I know Krok has her own biltong cupboard though and it sounded brilliant.

Salt and roast corriander in equal quantitys , and a little pepper or sugar if you like .
If conditions are very humid , you may want to add a very small amount of saltpeter (1 teaspoon for like 10kgs of meat ) to your mix to prevent any problems while drying .
I normally add it because it gives it a nice tang .

Add the spices at roughly 4 times the amount that you would add to a piece of steak you are frying .

Dip the meat in brown vineager (Dont lie it in vineager it goes tough) then spice it on both sides , layer it in a dish overnight to draw the flavour .

Take it out the dish the following morning , dip it in vinegar again then hang it .
Make sure there are no folds in the meat which will cause areas not to dry .

You can experiment with the spices , its no different than cooking , the main thing is to have salt to cure the meat .

Most visitors to Kruger braai every night with the exception of a potjie other nights. A potjie is as traditional as Biltong, Beer, and a Landy Every family has at least 1 winning recipe, so why not share it with the rest of us, I can even see a Forumite's recipe book seeing the light!

I am surely not a potjie expert, but not two of my potjies have ever been the same. People also have different opinions about adding water or not. Some persons say you should never stir a potjie during the cooking process - only just before dishing up. Well, then that so-called experts should never join me for a potjie because I'm probably doing everything wrong. But I love my potjie.

Most commonly I use lamb shank and occasionally beef brisket or chicken. Veggies will be anything fresh I can get, but never without sweet potatoes and potatoes. Carrots, cabbage, mushrooms and baby marrows are also regularly added. I like to use beef or lamb stock instead of water.

But a fixed recipe? No, I do not have one.

Stoffel,

I have at last met someone who cooks just like me. Our friends and my wife get so cross with me as I am continually lifting the lid , putting another bit of beer in, or a tiny peeled chilli or some fresh Oreganum or some freshly grated Parmesan or Ginger. You can never have too much Garlic in the Potjie especially in Kruger where a nice Garlic reeking satisfied Potjie Eater will not have any problems from mozzies and sadly romance tends to be shy of Garlic as well!!!!
We have a very good friend who puts on his apron and measures everything to the last gram, and ml and uses the correct wood for the correct temp and literally uses a stop watch to time it. Sure it works and his potjies are dam nice and expensive to make, but he's never had half a caravan park at Keurboomstrand waiting for seconds!! That evening I used the fillets off the 3 Kabeljou we had caught. I literally steamed them on two large flat bottomed pots where I had lined the potjie pots with the leaves of 3 lettuces so I wouldnt burn the fish flesh. I also layered a couple of bits of bought haddock from the local fish shop. Ontop of that I put a nice thick layer of thinly cut potato slices and onion rings. I seem to remember there was lots of cream and black pepper used with mushed tomatoes and some dry white wine plonk with lots of button mushrooms and fresh Dill. There was more but I cant remember as i cant refer to a recipe as I didnt use one as usual but the aroma around the caravan Park was fantastic even if I say it myself...All the manne kept telling me I should open up a seafood restaurant.

Stoffel your method and style of cooking is THE ORIGINAL way of doing Potjie when the Voortrekkers just chucked what they had into the pot...Well done it sounds like you and I should organise a potjie competition (No Recipies) at Balule sometime...now that would be a gas!!

Sorry Amanzi I have only tips and experience to tell as I've never really used a recipe in other words my potjies are never the same

Yes, garlic and onions are essential ingredients to a potjie.

A potjie, in order to qualify as a potjie, has to be different every time! Otherwise it is not a Saffie potjie!

And be generous with the garlic!!

That's what I'm talking about!

Don't worry, I don't have a fixed recipe myself, but have always found that a potjie will be winner if you remember the some of the following essential ingredients:
garlic
Onions
Good quality meat
Mushrooms
Good stock
a little bit of good garra-masala

A potjie should never be the same, that's why it's so popular!

I think the only standerd potjie recipe should be called a "moerby- potjie"...... You just gooi in.

And then off course the most important 3 ingredients to any successfull potjie:
GOOD FRIENDS
GOOD BOTTLE OF RED WINE
and HARDEKOOL!

*drool* my mouth is watering now!!! Roll on the forumites recipe book . Sadly I'm only just learning to cook, so nothing great to add from here. Stokbrood is probably as good as I can do with bush tucker - ie. make dough, place it round a stick, hold it over the fire as if it were a marshmallow. Once cooked into a nice breadroll with a hole in the middle spread some tomato/onion mix inside the long hole and place a lekker piece of wors in the middle. Damn, now my mouth is drooling again...

On the subject of "stokbrood"... What is a potjie without a freshly baked "Potbrood"???

Imagine: taking a slice of freshly baked bread, plastering it with the butter or margarine, and cleaning out your plate, making sure you're getting that last bit of gravy.....

A tip for next time you make a potjie on an open fire: Put a coating of dish-washing liquid on the bottom of your potjie (the outside, yes, the side facing the fire) before placing it on the coals. When it's time to clean-up, cleaning the pot will be a breeze!