Is Biltong safe to eat - know the facts about what is living on your biltong

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Is Biltong safe to eat - know the facts about what is living on your biltong

Posted On : Jul-24-2011 | seen (1180) times | Article Word Count : 617 |

Meat preservation has been around for a long time. Often after a large animal was hunted it proved impossible to consume such a glut of meat before it spoilt. It was discovered that a combination of drying and salting had a preservative effect

Meat preservation is something that mankind has pursued since prehistoric times. Often after a large animal was hunted it proved impossible to consume such a glut of meat before it spoilt. It was discovered that a combination of drying and salting had a preservative effect. If this was/is done with skill and just the right amount of salt and/or herbs and spices it could/can not only make the meat edible for months but delicious as well.
People from all cultures throughout the world have their own unique way of preserving meat. The one probably best known to people in the UK other than Parma ham, salami or cured sausages is beef Jerky. Jerky has its origins in America. The Native Americans have a version that includes a combination of very thin strips of meat historically mostly Buffalo but now mostly beef salted and flavoured with prairie herbs before it was/is cold smoked which dries it out slowly. South African Biltong is quite different both in texture and taste using much larger 'steaks' of meat with a totally different curing and spicing method .
In the Uk there are now a lot of shops that sell biltong, you can even buy it on e-bay .when you buy meat these are the things that you should think about - is the person handling your biltong clean, preferrably wearing a glove which they then take off when taking your cash? We have all heard stories of what people do with coins and notes.
Not to get too scientific, but there is bacteria all around us, some good and some bad. Harmful bacteria like E.coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella, Listeria and non harmful like moulds. As we all know, bacteria thrive in warm, humid environments which is exactly what biltong is until it reaches a level of 'dryness'. This dryness is down to water content and water activity which along with acid (vinegar), spices (salt) and preservative, Potassium Nitrate (saltpetre) keep the bacteria at bay.
While we are at it here are some methods to store your biltong. Biltong can go bad if it is not stored properly - Sliced Biltong should ideally only be wrapped in paper and should be unwrapped . Once unwrapped, it should be stored in either a wooden or glass bowl without a lid so that the meat can breath. Please note that you must turn the meat every day so that it does not remain in contact in the same area, because if covered or not turned it will sweat and as a result will go mouldy. This happens because when it sweats the moisture lies on the wrapping and a mould will grow on the wrapping and later it will spread to the biltong as well. The bowl should then be placed in a cool dry place until needed.
Biltong in sticks, you must unwrap them as soon as you receive them and hang them up to air for the same reasons as above. Please note that the best before dates that we place on all meat products will be 7 days from dispatch. This is because we do not know how you are going to store you biltong. If you are going to eat this after the best before, that is perfectly OK, as this is not a use by date just a recommended best before consumption date. If you have stored your biltong as instructed it will be absolutely fine to eat for anything up to 3 months.
Please note that under no circumstance should the biltong be left in the wrapping that you received it in, if you do leave it in the wrapping your biltong might go moldy as a result. If you have not followed our suggested instructions and your biltong goes moldy we will not replace it.

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<h1>Is Biltong safe to eat - know the facts about what is living on your biltong</h1> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_barefootedboy.aspx'>barefootedboy</a> Meat preservation is something that mankind has pursued since prehistoric times. Often after a large animal was hunted it proved impossible to consume such a glut of meat before it spoilt. It was discovered that a combination of drying and salting had a preservative effect. If this was/is done with skill and just the right amount of salt and/or herbs and spices it could/can not only make the meat edible for months but delicious as well.
People from all cultures throughout the world have their own unique way of preserving meat. The one probably best known to people in the UK other than Parma ham, salami or cured sausages is beef Jerky. Jerky has its origins in America. The Native Americans have a version that includes a combination of very thin strips of meat historically mostly Buffalo but now mostly beef  salted and flavoured with prairie herbs before it was/is cold smoked which dries it out slowly. South African Biltong is quite different both in texture and taste using much larger 'steaks' of meat with a totally different curing and spicing method .
In the Uk there are now a lot of shops that sell biltong, you can even buy it on e-bay .when you buy meat these are the things that you should think about - is the person handling your biltong clean, preferrably wearing a glove which they then take off when taking your cash? We have all heard stories of what people do with coins and notes.
Not to get too scientific, but there is bacteria all around us, some good and some bad. Harmful bacteria like E.coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella, Listeria and non harmful like moulds. As we all know, bacteria thrive in warm, humid environments which is exactly what biltong is until it reaches a level of 'dryness'. This dryness is down to water content and water activity which along with acid (vinegar), spices (salt) and preservative, Potassium Nitrate (saltpetre) keep the bacteria at bay.
While we are at it here are some methods to store your biltong. Biltong can go bad if it is not stored properly - Sliced Biltong should ideally only be wrapped in paper and should be unwrapped . Once unwrapped, it should be stored in either a wooden or glass bowl without a lid so that the meat can breath. Please note that you must turn the meat every day so that it does not remain in contact in the same area, because if covered or not turned it will sweat and as a result will go mouldy. This happens because when it sweats the moisture lies on the wrapping and a mould will grow on the wrapping and later it will spread to the biltong as well. The bowl should then be placed in a cool dry place until needed.
Biltong in sticks, you must unwrap them as soon as you receive them and hang them up to air for the same reasons as above. Please note that the best before dates that we place on all meat products will be 7 days from dispatch. This is because we do not know how you are going to store you biltong. If you are going to eat this after the best before, that is perfectly OK, as this is not a use by date just a recommended best before consumption date. If you have stored your biltong as instructed it will be absolutely fine to eat for anything up to 3 months.
Please note that under no circumstance should the biltong be left in the wrapping that you received it in, if you do leave it in the wrapping your biltong might go moldy as a result. If you have not followed our suggested instructions and your biltong goes moldy we will not replace it.About the Author: for more on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.biltongonline.co.uk/" >biltong</a> why not visit biltongonline . we also do a wonderful range of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.biltongonline.co.uk/peri-peri-beef-biltong.html" >peri peri</a> biltong Article Source: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Is-Biltong-safe-to-eat-know-the-factsabout-what-is-living-on-your-biltong_68393.aspx'> http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Is Biltong safe to eat - know the facts about what is living on your biltong_68393.aspx</a>

Article Source : http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Is Biltong safe to eat - know the facts about what is living on your biltong_68393.aspx

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for more on biltong why not visit biltongonline . we also do a wonderful range of peri peri biltong

Keywords : biltong, peri peri, peri peri biltong,

Category : Food and Beverage : Food and Beverage

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