Hey foodies, it’s been a while since my last post. I have been crazy busy building our new house which took all my time and energy and the last two weeks where the first time I had time to cook and bake with a little passion.
Over Christmas, I got an air fryer as a gift. Now I have to admit, I was one of those people looking down at air fryers thinking they were a gadget or trend that would fade. But since I got the Ninja Foodi Max, I have been using it almost every day. I must say, I am not affiliated to Ninja in any way or form, this is my real opinion. The machine is amazing, it grills, fry’s, bakes, roasts and dehydrates.
Now I, have been a great fan of South African Biltong, but never had the equipment or space to make my own. I have often been playing with the thought of making a drying box but it never came to be. So this week, I thought hey, the Air Fryer dehydrates why not try and make some beef jerky or biltong?
Next thing you know, I’m at the local butcher buying some silverside and trimming off the fat and fascia. Biltong spicing is easy, all you need is some:
- Apple Vinegar
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Rock Salt
- Whole pepper kernels (Grind rough)
- Coriander seeds (Roast in a pan for a few minutes then grind rough)
And thats all, now if you are anything like me, I have ZERO patience the first time I cook something. Im just too excited to try it so I often rush and dont wait the suggested times. Here are some things that everyone recommended and I DID NOT DO:
- Marinade the meat for 24 hours
- Cut the meat along the “grain” (I only found that after but it didnt make any noticable difference)
- Let the meet air dry for 5 days… nope air fryer magic right there
So how did I Do it? Easy 🙂
- Step 1: Clean the meat from any skin, fat and facia and cut it into thumb thick strips. Some people freeze it for 30 minutes so its tough enough to slice evenly. I didn’t do that of course 😛
- Step 2: Place the meat in roasting tray or other flat container where you can lay each one out flat without overlapping them, add the Apple Vinegar and Worcestershire Sauce (don’t ask me to pronounce that) and turn it so its well covered on both sides
- Step 3: Cover the meat with the salt then with the crushed or ground pepper and coriander seeds. Make sure you roast the coriander seats a little it brings out the flavour and oils.
- Step 4: Seal in a vacuum bag and refrigerate. Most recipes will tell you for 24 to 48 hours and while it might make it better, I didnt wait longer than 1 1/2 hrs.
- Step 5: Set your Ninja Food Max to dehydrate at 70c or 160f for 6 hours. Note that 750 grams cut to finger thick strips lined the tray perfectly.
- Step 6: after 2 hrs, turn the strips upside down and let the machine finish.
And that was really it, im sorry i didnt take a lot of pictures of the process but you get the gist. If you want me to make this a more elaborate recipe post with video, let me know and ill try and carve out some time to do it.
Ninja Foodi Max Biltong
Equipment
Ingredients
- 750 grams Silverside Beef
- 30 grams Coriander seeds
- 5 grams Pepper Seeds
- 15 grams Coarse Rocksalt
- 25 ml Apple Vinegar
- 10 ml Worcestershire Sauce
Instructions
- Roast the 30 grams Coriander seeds and grind them to a coarse grind along with the 5 grams Pepper Seeds. Place in a bowl and set aside
- Trim the 750 grams Silverside Beef and any facia and cut in to finger thick strips along the grain of the meat (longside)
- Place the meat in a roasting dish and rub the 25 ml Apple Vinegar and 10 ml Worcestershire Sauce to cover both sides. Cover with the 15 grams Coarse Rocksalt and add the ground Coriander and Pepper mix to fully cover all sides.
- Place the meat and any juice in a vaccum or ziplock bag and marinate for about 1 1/2 to 48 hours haha.
- Set air fryer to dehydrate at 70c or 160f for 6 hours, place the marinated meat on the frying pan and let it dehydrate for 1 1/2 hrs. Then flip and let it finish the cycle.