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Borts
Air-dried beef strips
Mongolian air-dried beef strips, made safely in the oven
Borts is the winter-dried meat of Mongolian herding families: in the cold, dry air of late autumn, strips of beef are hung inside the ger until they shrink to hard, dark sticks, then pounded and stored in a bag to last until spring. A handful of borts dropped into hot water makes an instant soup, and nomads carry it on long journeys. In Mongolia it is also made from horse or camel meat; this recipe uses beef. Home kitchens don't have the steppe's freezing dry air, so here the meat is heated to a safe temperature first and dried in a low oven. A common mistake is leaving fat on the strips; fat turns rancid, so trim it all. Chef's tip: slice the meat while half-frozen to get thin, even strips.
- Total time
- 450 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 3 ⅓ lb very lean beef (topside or silverside)all fat and sinew trimmed
- 1 ½ tsp salt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Freeze 3 ⅓ lb very lean beef (topside or silverside) for 1 hour until firm, then slice with the grain into long strips 1 cm thick and 2–3 cm wide. Rub all over with 1 ½ tsp salt.
60 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan). Lay the strips on racks over trays and heat for 10–15 minutes until the meat reaches 160°F, which makes it safe to dry.
15 minStep 3: Lower the oven to 158°F (or its lowest setting) with the door propped open a crack. Dry for 6–7 hours, turning once, until the strips are dark, hard and brittle all the way through.
420 minStep 4: Cool completely. Keep whole, or pound or grind into coarse flakes. Store in an airtight jar in a cool, dry place for up to 2 months, or in the fridge or freezer for longer.
30 minStep 5: To use, drop a handful into boiling water with salt and simmer for 10 minutes with noodles or flour dumplings for a quick soup.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 0 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does borts take?
- About 450 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 420 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
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