What it is
Pork balyk is dried meat that is pre-salted and then dried under natural conditions to a certain condition. Further smoking is possible, which will give the meat a refined aroma.
Of all the products, homemade pork balyk is universal.
It can be served as a separate appetizer, cut into thin slices, used for sandwiches, or made into a salad with balyk. By adding pieces of meat to the soup, you can make it aromatic and enhance the taste.
How to cook pork balyk at home
Cooking pork balyk at home allows you to be confident in its quality. There are certain nuances and secrets of creating a dish that will have the perfect taste and will bring not only pleasure to the body, but also benefit.
Tender pork balyk, homemade
Simple recipes will help you prepare dry-cured balyk at home, fully meeting your personal expectations.
Choosing meat for balyk
The key parameter for choosing meat is its freshness. A piece of pork should not be frozen. It would be ideal if the meat is no more than a day old. This way you will be able to achieve excellent taste and obtain a product that is suitable for long-term storage.
When choosing the most suitable part of a pig, you should pay attention to:
- neck;
- tenderloin;
- loin.
You can get a drier product by using tenderloin. There is no fat, which gives juiciness. Pork from the back with a fatty layer - loin - makes it possible to get a softer and more tender product, but its calories will also be higher.
Choosing the right meat!
In addition to these parameters, you need to pay attention to the shape of the piece. It must be correct. A symmetrical piece will be salted evenly and will be convenient for cutting and serving.
Two methods of pickling
There are “dry” and “wet” methods for salting pork before drying. Depending on the option chosen, the structure and taste of the meat will differ. In addition, at home you can marinate pork fillet either with spices or using only salt. In any case, it is necessary to keep the product in the refrigerator for a certain number of days, since the procedure not only adds taste, but also allows you to destroy pathogenic microorganisms.
Natural salting
Meat prepared at home using the dry salting method will be drier. The pieces are rolled in salt, or with the addition of spices. Most often, salting is carried out with coriander and spices, which perfectly complement the taste.
Dry salting
Pork should be coated on all sides and left in a cool place. During the marinating process, juice is released and settles on the bottom, so the meat must be turned over periodically so that the pieces are evenly salted.
Brine method
Using brine at home, you can get more tender and juicy meat. Pork is covered with marinade. To do this, you need to boil water with salt and spices. You should also add sugar, which will help the spices penetrate deeper into the fibers. The product must be placed in a container and left in the refrigerator.
Meat in brine
During the day, you should periodically turn the pieces so that they are salted evenly. It is better to place the pork under pressure to better remove moisture from the meat. The optimal marinating period is 5 days. After the expiration date, the pork fillet is thoroughly washed under running water.
Regardless of which salting technique is chosen, it is recommended to make notches on the surface. This action will help speed up the brining.
Pork balyk recipes
A dish prepared at home will fully correspond to a person’s taste preferences, since you can choose the products and recipe yourself. Photos and a step-by-step cooking algorithm will make the process simple and fast.
Dried pork balyk with liquid smoke
Pork balyk made at home using liquid smoke will have a pleasant aroma and smoked taste.
To prepare 1 kg of pork you need:
- mix 1 tsp. sugar and 7 tbsp. salt;
- rub the mixture over the pork;
- leave for 48 hours in the refrigerator;
- mix 3 tbsp. liquid smoke and 4 tbsp. cognac and coat the meat;
- place in the refrigerator for another 12-24 hours;
- wipe pork from excess moisture;
- hang to dry for a week.
This kind of pork balyk can be additionally rubbed with spices at home.
Red pepper will highlight the refined taste, and herbs will enhance the aromatic properties. Using liquid smoke, you can cook boiled-smoked pork balyk at home using a slow cooker. This option is fast and effective.
Quick pork balyk at home with cognac
Using cognac when preparing a dry-cured product allows you to speed up the process, since alcohol speeds up the process of removing unwanted substances from pork. The dish will be ready in 3-4 days.
To prepare this pork balyk at home you will need:
- Rinse and dry 1 kg. pork tenderloin;
- Make a mixture of 3 tsp. sugar, black pepper to taste and 150 gr. salt. Add 50 ml to dry ingredients. cognac
- Place the pork fillet in a bowl and thoroughly coat with the prepared mixture on all sides.
- Leave in the refrigerator for 2 days, turning occasionally.
- Rub the meat and coat with spices: red pepper, paprika, thyme.
- Wrap the product in a cloth and place in the refrigerator for another 24 hours.
Thanks to the use of cognac, this pork balyk at home acquires a non-standard spicy aroma and original taste.
Pork balyk classic recipe for 10 days
Before preparing pork balyk according to the classic recipe, you need to wash the meat and cut off the veins. The resulting piece is salted using the dry method. 250 grams are poured into the container. salt, place the pork fillet, add another 250 grams. salt.
We put it in the refrigerator for three days, then hang it in the open air, after wrapping it in 4 layers of gauze. During salting, it is important to turn the pork over so that it is salted evenly. Every day of drying you should check the condition of the gauze. If it gets wet, it will need to be replaced. Duration of wilting is 5-7 days. After this time, a sample must be taken.
If the pork balyk is not dry enough, leave it in the open air for another 1-2 days.
Pork balyk with garlic and vodka
This recipe for pork balyk involves replacing traditional cognac with vodka. Fresh garlic will add a distinct aroma. Some of the spices are mixed. Then the surface of the tenderloin is covered with vodka and coated with seasoning.
After this, it is soaked in a plastic bag for 2 hours. Then add the remaining spices and place the bag in the refrigerator for a day. Next, the meat is washed and hung for airing. After 2-3 days you can take a sample.
Baked balyk at home in the oven
If you are interested in the question of how to quickly make pork balyk at home, then the recipe in the oven will be useful. The taste of baked jerky is different from the classic version, but still remains delicious. For 1 kg of tenderloin you will need:
- 1 tbsp. salt;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 1.5 tsp. ground pepper;
- 1 tsp paprika.
To prepare at home, you will need a baking sleeve. The washed piece of pork is wiped dry and coated with spices. The workpiece should be placed in the refrigerator for a day. After 24 hours, cuts are made in the meat, where pieces of garlic are placed. The product wrapped in a sleeve is placed in an oven preheated to 250°. The temperature should immediately be reduced to 200°.
Balyk is baked in the oven for about 1 hour. You can't take it out right away. The meat should be kept inside until completely cooled.
Pork balyk pieces in boyar style
Despite the fact that the recipe requires an oven, this version is not baked, but dried. Pork cooks quickly because the pieces are small - 1.5-2 cm. Spices are mixed with salt to taste and sprinkled on the meat. To add a refined aroma, you must first sprinkle the pork with cognac.
The pork fillet is marinated in the refrigerator for 15 hours. After this, the meat is sent to the oven for 10-15 minutes and dried at a temperature of 70-80°. Then the balyk cools down. We repeat this procedure three times. The result is dried pork. If the pork balyk has not dried enough, you can still put it in the oven under the same conditions.
Fried pork balyk
Pork can not only be baked on a baking sheet, but also fried in a frying pan. To do this, the fillet, rubbed with spices, is placed in a frying pan and covered with foil. Spices you will need are cloves, salt, powdered sugar and ground black pepper.
Cooking time at home is about 50 minutes. The temperature is set to 200°. After the specified time, the released juice is poured over the surface of the pork and sent to the oven for browning.
Smoked pork balyk
Smoked pork balyk delights with its aroma and original taste. Dried pork must be wrapped in cheesecloth and placed in a smokehouse for 1 hour. For smoking it is better to use alder chips. The meat turns out very beautiful and aromatic.
After smoking is complete, the pork is placed in the refrigerator for a day. Smoked pork balyk has a beautiful color. It can be used in preparing various dishes to give them a smoky flavor.
Veal balyk
For preparation we will take the following products:
- veal – 1.5 kg;
- table salt - 1 kg;
- paprika - 1 pinch;
- ground ginger – 1 pinch;
- garlic – 2-3 cloves.
The veal must be divided into four equal parts, put the pulp in a bowl or pan and cover with salt. Then it needs to be refrigerated for five to six days. Every day you will need to turn the meat in the morning and evening. After six days, you can take out the pieces and wash them thoroughly, dry them with a towel, and wrap them in gauze. In this form, we put the balyk back into the refrigerator under pressure. He will lie there for another five days, after which the gauze can be removed. Make a hole in each piece to thread the string through and hang it in a well-ventilated area.
After another six days, the meat can be removed and rubbed with garlic and a mixture of seasonings. Again, put the balyk in the refrigerator for seven days, after which it can be eaten.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
Cooking pork balyk at home is a simple procedure. But some secrets will help you achieve better results. Professionals recommend:
- It is better to dry pork in spring or autumn. In summer, exposing meat to open sun can cause it to spoil.
- To protect the product from flies, it must be covered with gauze. You can also use a few drops of vinegar. It is important not to exceed the dose so as not to spoil the taste of the dish.
- To ensure that the spices stick to the surface better, it is pre-lubricated with vegetable oil.
- If there is a layer of fat on the piece, then it will take longer to dry. It is better to take a sample periodically to determine the degree of readiness.
Delicious balyk will decorate any table
Simple tips will help you make the perfect pork balyk, one that will suit all preferences.
Useful tips from chefs
To improve the taste of the product at home and make it safe, professionals recommend:
- Dry fish in autumn. At this time there are fewer insects and environmental conditions are ideal for drying.
- If an individual has eggs, they need to be carefully pulled out. You can fry it or make delicious cutlets.
- If insects fly onto the product, you can pre-moisten the gauze in vinegar. This will repel flies and other parasites.
- To obtain a pleasant aroma, you can use a smoker. In its absence, a few drops of liquid smoke will make the dish aromatic.
Each chef has his own secrets for preparing balyk from carp. At home, you can create your own recipe, according to which the product will turn out tasty, beautiful and aromatic.
Dried fish is distinguished by its piquancy and is considered a luxurious table decoration. By making the delicacy yourself, you will not only be able to save money, but also tailor the dish to your personal taste requirements.
How to store
To prevent spoilage of the product, it should be wrapped in a towel or gauze and placed in the refrigerator. You can use parchment paper. To avoid mold, the product must be ventilated. When you need to preserve pork balyk longer, you can freeze it in an airtight container.
Pork balyk at home is a real delicacy, the preparation of which does not require much effort, only a certain amount of time.
Using simple ingredients and following detailed recommendations, you can independently create a masterpiece that will surprise your loved ones and guests.
Chicken fillet balyk
Since balyk is not just meat, but a delicacy, there are a lot of recipes from which you can choose something you like. We bring to your attention another recipe, only this time based on chicken fillet.
We will need the following products:
- chicken fillet – 2 pcs.;
- table salt – 0.5 kg;
- Provençal herbs – 2 tsp;
- vodka – 50 ml;
- ground pepper - 1 pinch.
First, mix salt, Provençal herbs, and ground pepper in one bowl. Then pour in vodka and stir it all.
Rinse the fillet first and dry it. Place half of this mixture on the bottom of the pan, and then the meat itself, sprinkle salt on top. The container should be tightly closed and refrigerated for two days. After this time, remove the meat, rinse it thoroughly and dry it with a towel. Here our balyk is ready.
