What is the shelf life of basturma at home?

Basturma is dried, almost completely dry meat . It is prepared from almost all types of meat. Chicken, beef and pork are most often used. Previously, the product was prepared to preserve meat in a usable form, since there was no possibility of freezing. Now considered more of a delicacy , it is usually eaten as a snack. Thanks to salt, spices and removal of moisture, it can be stored for quite a long time .

Factors that affect shelf life

The safety of basturma is influenced by the following factors:

1. Compound . The more salt and other preservatives, the longer it is stored. It is advisable to use not only regular salt, but also nitrite salt to eliminate the risk of developing bacteria that cause botulism.
2. Package . If the product needs to be preserved for a long time, but will not be consumed periodically, it is advisable to use vacuum packaging.
3. Temperature . It is recommended to keep in a cool place,
4. Humidity . The place must be dry.
5. State . The product must have an elastic structure. If the basturma is excessively soft, the cooking technology has been violated, so the product cannot lie for a long time.
6. Ventilation . The room should be well ventilated.

How to store basturma so it doesn’t dry out

Basturma is dried meat from which excess moisture has been removed. During storage, the structure of the product changes and it may dry out. To prevent this from happening, you need to adhere to the temperature and humidity conditions. In the room where the delicacy is stored, the air humidity should be 60%. A decrease will lead to dryness of the basturma, but the product can be restored. Just soak a towel in boiled water and wrap it around the dry beef. Leave it in this form for 1-2 hours, and then start slicing.

Delicacy meat is quite demanding on storage conditions. If optimal temperature, humidity and sunlight are provided, it will not change its taste for six months and will remain edible. It is recommended to keep basturma outside the refrigerator, in a cool room, after wrapping it in cloth. Only if these recommendations are followed will dried beef retain its taste and aroma. Ignoring the tips described will result in damage to the product.

Storage Features

The product can be stored for quite a long time even at room conditions. This is due to the fact that during the drying process moisture is removed . A lot of salt is used, including nitrite salt. Any salt not only enhances the taste, but is also a preservative . There is a fairly thick layer of spices on top of the meat, which also protects from external influences.

Storage periods and methods do not depend on the type of raw materials . Basturma made from chicken, pork, beef and other types of meat is stored the same way. This is due to the cooking technology.

In a refrigerator

Traditional basturma is not stored in the refrigerator . Moreover, the product was originally created so that it could be kept under normal conditions . But now manufacturers still recommend storing such meat in a cool place in order to completely eliminate the risk of the development of pathogenic microorganisms.

To prevent drying out, use a plastic bag or container with a tight lid. The ideal option is a vacuum bag . Sealed packaging protects not only from drying out, but also from third-party odors. The product can last for about six months in the refrigerator. But, the specific period may vary depending on the amount of salt.

In the freezer

Food technologists and experienced chefs strongly do not recommend freezing basturma. This negatively affects nutritional quality. At sub-zero temperatures, meat fibers are damaged. The defrosted product has a softer, looser, more crumbly structure. The taste becomes significantly weaker.

Freezing can only be done as a last resort if there are no other options. This may be required, for example, if you will not be at home for 1-2 years . In such a situation, the freezer will help keep the product in a usable form. Naturally, after defrosting, the taste will be far from the same as initially.

At room temperature

Basturma was originally created as a meat dish that could be kept indoors for a long time. In ancient times, this was one of the main types of food on long hikes. Very little moisture remains in the meat; it is completely saturated with salt, which significantly extends its shelf life.

Storing indoors is the best way to preserve the taste of the product. The main thing is that the room is well ventilated . It is advisable to use a bag made of natural fabric as packaging. You can simply wrap it with gauze. In such conditions, basturma is preserved for 6 months .

Preventing drying out

During the drying process, moisture is not completely removed. It is important that it remains in the structure of the product throughout the entire shelf life. The dried product can be consumed, but it is too hard .
To prevent the meat from drying out, it should be wrapped in a cloth soaked in clean water. The product is then placed in bags and left at room temperature.

How to properly store basturma

Any temperature fluctuation has a negative effect on the product. Jumping will cause it to lose its taste and smell. As a result of constant exposure to these factors, the meat can dry out and become hard. It is advisable to keep the product in a cool place. You can use the refrigerator and its freezer compartment, but you must take into account that in a confined space the basturma will change its structure and become less fragrant.

If there are no other suitable storage locations, it is important to choose the right packaging. Before putting the basturma in the refrigerator, wrap it in thick paper and a plastic bag, or simply place the pieces in a plastic container with an airtight lid. Such packaging will help to avoid chapping and will not allow the process of bacterial growth to begin. It is necessary to pack the delicacy well, because it has a pronounced spicy smell, which will spread throughout the refrigerator compartment and affect the shelf life of other products.

If possible, it is better to keep the basturma in a suspended position, having previously placed it in a linen bag made of natural material. The product in this form is sent to a cool room, the temperature in which reaches +5...+10°C. In this case, the meat will receive access to air and retain its taste, color, smell and benefits.

Attention! The shelf life of basturma greatly depends on the salting method used. The more salt and spices used, the better the product will be preserved.

Signs of bad basturma

You can determine that the basturma has deteriorated by the following signs:

• The structure has become too hard.
• Rancid taste.
• Formation of black, white or multi-colored spots. This indicates mold damage.
• Change in color to something uncharacteristic for basturma. Usually turns greenish.
• Unpleasant rotten smell.

Missing basturma should not be eaten . If it begins to rot (unpleasant odor) or becomes moldy, consumption may lead to poisoning. Dried meat can be consumed, but its taste will be worse than the original.

Making beef basturma at home

Often, basturma can be consumed immediately after it has just withered. The finished product can be used in the preparation of snacks, sandwiches, hamburgers, salads and appetizers in combination with vegetables.

To prepare the dish, you need to purchase fresh beef . Some experienced chefs prefer to use young buffalo meat for basturma because of its thinner connective film compared to beef meat. Buffalo basturma turns out even more beautiful due to the inclusion of white veins; the dish takes on a “marbled” appearance. For all basturma recipes you need only the softest and most tender meat: fillet or meat from the rump muscles.

The most popular and delicious beef basturma recipes:

• Tenderloin dish. You need to separate the muscle from the inside of the piece of meat and clean it of the fat layer. If the pieces are large, you can cut them into several pieces lengthwise. Pieces of meat should be rolled in spices and hung on hooks in a cool place with good ventilation.
• Fillet basturma. The method of preparing basturma does not differ from the previous recipe. There are minor differences in preparing meat for deboning. The lower back muscle is most suitable for this recipe; the fat from it does not need to be cut off. The meat must be processed carefully so as not to cut the muscle tissue. The pieces need to be made small so that it wilts easier: just cut it into strips 3-5 centimeters thick.
• Rump dish. This recipe for making basturma is also called “Weisbrat” in Armenia and Turkey. The rump is considered the most delicate part of the carcass and has a beautiful pink color. For cooking, you will not need all the meat of the rump, but only one of its muscles, which differs from the other parts in the shape of a cylinder. It must be very carefully separated from the carcass and cut lengthwise. You will get 2-3 identical parts that need to be dipped in spices and dried.

Various cooking methods make this dish suitable for dietary nutrition if consumed in moderation, and its beneficial properties strengthen the body. A variety of recipes allows you to prepare a dish for every taste .

Mastic toppers

Today I’m telling you and showing you how to make beautiful, spectacular, and incredibly time- and labor-saving fondant toppers for a children’s cake! At the same time, we’ll learn how to work with sugar and wafer paper, the topic is interesting, the material has great potential, but we’ve never written anything about it, we need to improve!

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I will demonstrate it using the example of a children's cake with Fixies. I recently had a story with him that is probably familiar to every home pastry chef. Nine in the evening, the doorbell rings - neighbors. Cake for tomorrow. To kid. With the Fixies! “He’s asking very much - he really wants it - it’s a birthday - how would it be without a cake - help me out!” The situation, frankly speaking, is not pleasant, and the most reasonable thing is to refuse, but how? After all, people are not completely strangers. And Fiksikov, meanwhile, wants almost everyone. In general, in such cases, if you can’t refuse, and you don’t know how to draw, the only way out is printing on sugar or wafer paper and mastic toppers. Well, don’t sculpt the whole company, really?

The only condition is the opportunity to make this same sugar or waffle picture somewhere. To print, you need a printer, and not necessarily a special confectionery one (I’m not even sure that such exist), but filled with cartridges with food coloring. The service of printing on edible paper is provided by some confectionery stores, as well as private confectioners at home, those who have purchased a printer and cartridges. So that the paint does not dry out and the printer serves for a long time and properly, you need to print pictures at least once a day, which is why almost everyone who has this printer does not refuse those who want to make sugar pictures. You just need to find a person who lives near you, write to him, agree on a price, send him the file in a jeep and agree on a time when you can pick up the finished picture.

You can print with food dyes on both sugar and wafer paper. Sugar is denser, the image on it is brighter, but it is usually a little more expensive. What to use is up to you.

Here is my sugar picture.

You see, it is packed in a zip bag (in this form, including a large thick envelope, the store where I print gives the pictures to clients is very thoughtful and pleasant). If you are not going to use the picture right away, store it in a ziplock bag: it will not allow air to pass through, and your picture will retain its inherent slight flexibility. From a long stay in the open air, sugar pictures dry out, become brittle and brittle. But this, by the way, does not threaten the waffle, but it is brittle in itself.

Let me show you the sugar picture closer. It is slightly rough, and the print is quite bright. The paper itself is glued to a thick film.

Here you can roughly understand the thickness.

So, let's make a topper for a children's cake!

...along the contour, with a slight indentation, however, as you like.

Take a piece of mastic, which dries quickly. This could be gelatin mastic (but it is not at all tasty, in my opinion, and becomes very hard; I decided that if children decide to chew on the topper, it could simply be dangerous for their teeth)) or purchased mastic like Vizyon or “Top -product”, to which you can add SMS (powder, sold in confectionery stores) to speed up drying. However, if you have time, you can do without SMS, it will just take longer to dry.

I have here white vanilla mastic “Top Product”, probably the most budget-friendly one today, but very good.

I added a pinch of SMS.

Kneaded it. Rolled it into a ball and flattened it slightly.

Rolled it out to a thickness of 5 mm (it can be thinner, depending on how thick your skewers are).

I attached a picture. I drew a stack around the outline.

Cut it out. This must be done very carefully!

I inserted the skewer a few cm deep so that it would hold well. The thickness of the skewer must be completely immersed in the mastic! In other words, when rolling out the mastic, take into account the thickness of the skewer.

Lubricate the mastic with a thin layer of decorgel (can be replaced with honey diluted in water), very lightly and evenly.

We remove the film from the picture.

Carefully glue the image to the mastic.

Our topper is ready!

Let it dry and you can add it to the cake!

Drying time depends on many factors: mastic, topper size, room humidity. This little Nolik made from Top Product mastic with the addition of SMS dried in at most an hour.

And here is the whole bunch. Bright and beautiful! And most importantly - quickly, if there is somewhere to print the picture.

A solution for those who need everything at once for a 1 kg cake)

Here are our fondant toppers on the cake.

Well, the whole cake.

The cake has a minimalist design. The only decorations are toppers made of mastic and screws, also made of mastic. It was an urgent cake, as you understand, so I had to do everything very quickly and a silicone mold from the CakeUp store literally saved me in that situation. I simply sprinkled it with cornstarch, took small pieces of mastic, painted them in the desired colors, filled the recesses with them, ran a knife along the surface of the mold, holding it flat and cutting off the excess mastic, and took out the parts!

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If you have time, you can let them dry a little or freeze them in the freezer, they will come out even better. But even so, in a hurry the result is excellent!

The mold with numbers, by the way, is also from the same store. And the stand))) In short, I have a lot of everything from there) But what can you do if the things are really worthwhile!

We work with waffle paper in the same way. Well, or almost: the image on it is not as bright as on sugar paper, so you can often find a recommendation to cover it with decor gel on top. This way it will indeed become much brighter, but it will acquire a gloss, and not everyone likes it. The waffle also comes in waves more often, but I think it's a matter of practice.

The cake has a minimalist design. The only decorations are toppers made of mastic and screws, also made of mastic. It was an urgent cake, as you understand, so I had to do everything very quickly and a silicone mold from the CakeUp store literally saved me in that situation. I simply sprinkled it with cornstarch, took small pieces of mastic, painted them in the desired colors, filled the recesses with them, ran a knife along the surface of the mold, holding it flat and cutting off the excess mastic, and took out the parts!

Cooking [edit | edit code]

Fresh meat is trimmed of excess fat, salted, then placed under a press (rubbed with salt) to remove excess moisture and give it a shape convenient for slicing. Then they are transferred to a mixture of garlic, ground red and black pepper seeds, as well as fenugreek (chamana), which has the consistency of batter. The resulting pieces are hung out to dry.

Not to be confused with pastrami - smoked marinated meat.

The common feature of the technology is aging under pressure.

Meat has been present in the human diet since ancient times, being one of its main components. In order to preserve meat in conditions when there was no trace of refrigerators, cooks tried their best: smoked, dried, marinated in spices, dried - in a word, experimented. And - a funny curiosity! — as a result, it is meat products prepared “the old fashioned way” that today have gained a reputation as the main delicacies that can become a decoration for any holiday table.

One of these delicacies is basturma. Dried beef tenderloin, seasoned with aromatic spices, is famous for its piquant taste and unique aroma.

• Purchased products are vacuum packed. Oxygen affects the development of bacteria, the meat dries quickly, and the appearance does not change.
• Preservatives are not used in preparation; the taste is created by spices.
• The shape of a fresh product is restored after pressure.
• Dark brown or burgundy color. A rich red tint indicates nitrates in the composition.
• The surface is covered on all sides with a thick layer of seasoning, which prevents bacteria from entering the meat.

To prepare basturma, fresh beef tenderloin is used, which is seasoned with seasonings and aromatic additives, pressed and then dried. The preparation process takes about a month, after which the product is considered fit for consumption. It is very important to properly store ready-made basturma at home, otherwise it will change its taste and may completely deteriorate. Under certain conditions, the delicacy will last for a whole year and will not lose its taste and beneficial properties.

Gorloder: boiled recipe, canning

For preservation, you can use the following recipe.

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• tomatoes - two and a half kilograms;
• apples - half a kilo;
• sweet pepper - half a kilo;
• garlic – one hundred and twenty grams;
• dill - fifty grams;
• vinegar - two large spoons;
• hot pepper – one hundred grams;
• parsley - fifty grams;
• sunflower oil - one glass;
• black pepper and salt to taste.

• Sterilize and heat the container before storing.
• Wash vegetables under running water.
• Remove seeds and core from peppers and apples.
• Cut the tomatoes into cubes.
• Grind the remaining ingredients in a blender or meat grinder.

Pour the resulting mass into a container, add vinegar, spices and vegetable oil. Place the pan over medium heat and cook for at least 2 hours. Dill and parsley can also be ground in a blender or finely chopped, then added to the sauce before the end of cooking.

The hot seasoning is poured into jars and rolled up.

Jars can be stored in a pantry or basement.

The best meat for basturma

Which meat is the most delicious basturma? Gourmets believe that it is made from beef, but in practice this appetizer can even be made from chicken and pork, the main thing is to carefully trim off all the fat, otherwise the basturma will become too hard. If you take chicken, then choose the breast. However, chicken basturma tastes like dried fish, so don’t be surprised!

The ideal meat for basturma is fresh red beef, but in no case frozen. It should be free of films, veins and fat; it is best if it is the flesh of the back of the thigh or the flesh of the back, that is, fillet. If there are small veins on the back, then it’s not a big deal.

Take 1.5 kg of beef, rinse it well, remove all excess (films and fat), dry the meat with a paper towel, and then cut it into pieces weighing no more than 0.5–0.7 kg and about 4 cm wide, otherwise meat will not be salted. So, from this amount of meat you will get 3 pieces for making basturma.

Salami production

The raw materials are in hardened form before production begins. Many products contain smoked meat. Raw materials processed by smoke give the sausage a specific aroma and taste.

The meat is first twisted into minced meat. Then the raw materials are mixed with salt, seasonings and spices.

Fat is added to the resulting consistency. After which the mass is poured into the shell. The resulting sausage is hung in the dryer. Typically the dryer contains a temperature of 40 degrees, which gradually increases. The fermentation process begins in the dryer. Bacteria develop under the influence of temperature.

The drying process begins when the fermentation process ends. The product is transferred to a cool and damp place. At this point the product reaches its solid state. In traditional recipes, the fermentation process is omitted. The hardening process is influenced by climate, as well as the shell and size of the product. Nitrates and nitrites are used as additives. They give the sausage a natural red color. Nitrates and nitrites kill the growth of harmful bacteria. The combination of all the ingredients makes the salami safe to eat.

Storing jerky in the refrigerator

Cooks advise storing basturma outside the refrigerator, in a cool, ventilated place, but if there is no such room in the house, then a refrigerator is preferable.

Storing dried meat in the refrigerator for a long time can change its taste. Therefore, despite the ability to store basturma for up to six months, stored in the refrigerator should be consumed as quickly as possible. There the meat is stored wrapped in cling film. The option of preserving basturma in vacuum packaging is the best.

Use in cooking

The finished product is consumed immediately; no additional preparation is required. It is served as a separate dish, cut into thin slices, and laid out on a wide plate. The taste is improved by sauces, dill, parsley, basturma is consumed with beer, with side dishes of vegetables, and combined with pasta and mushrooms.

• Meat preparation and seasonings are soaked in wine.
• Use 1 kg of veal.
• 1 liter of red wine.
• 2-3 tbsp. lie salt.
• 2 tea. lie hot ground pepper.
• Garlic – 4-5 cloves.
• Khmeli-suneli to taste.
• Dried pomegranate seeds.
• Meat plates are cut 5-6 cm thick.

Dry-cured products are prepared in salt brine, squeezed out, placed under weight for 1 day, large pieces stand for 3 days. The pressure is removed from the workpiece when the water stops being released. Seasoning is carried out, and the products wrapped in gauze are hung in a draft.

The pork is cut into slices 3 cm thick, lightly beaten, treated with apple cider vinegar, salted well, coriander, pepper, and sugar are added to the seasoning. The workpiece is placed under a load and placed in the lower section of the refrigerator for 1 day. Chaman is not cooked, dry spices are used. Raw meat goes into the oven, the minimum temperature is set, the door remains open so that the food does not bake.

Cognac is made from expensive ingredients, the pork becomes tastier and more tender. It is salted, in a cold place for several days, placed under a load for 3 days, and lubricated with cognac-based chaman.

The tenderloin is the most delicious, other parts are used more often because they are cheaper. Chicken breast is the most affordable, soaked in spices faster, and uses a different set of ingredients:

• 6 breasts, cleaned.
• 0.5 kg salt.
• 1.5 tbsp. lie different types of pepper.
• 1 tbsp. lie Sahara.
• 0.5 tea. lie sumac.
• Cognac is added to create a thick mixture.
• The breast is covered with salt and placed under pressure.
• Cover yourself with chaman.
• Suspended for 2 weeks.

Cognac gives the product a pleasant smell and softens it.

Beloved by many, basturma is made from dried beef tenderloin. It has a peculiar piquant taste and a pleasant meaty aroma. To make this dish, fresh beef is used, which is pre-soaked in a salt solution and then pressed down with a heavy press. After the moisture has evaporated, the meat is treated with various spices and placed in a cool place where it will dry. As you can see, making jerky yourself is not difficult. But if you have doubts about your culinary abilities, you can always buy it ready-made. Read on to find out where and how to store basturma at home.

Beef basturma

• The tenderloin is divided into pieces 3 cm thick, 0.5 kg each.
• Fat and connective films are removed.
• The workpiece is washed and dried.
• Salt is poured into a wide container, the meat is rubbed and sprinkled completely.
• Placed in the refrigerator for 3 days.
• The salt draws out the liquid, it is drained, the workpieces are turned over, covered with dry crystals every day.
• The fillet is washed under the tap and wiped dry.
• Wrap with gauze and press for 1 day.
• Hangs outdoors at room temperature in the shade for 3 days.
• The gauze is removed, the workpiece is rubbed with a thick layer of wet spices.
• The coating should adhere well to the pieces.
• The second layer of spices is applied after the first has dried.
• The fillet is wrapped in gauze, tied with twine, and hung in the fresh air in the shade.

Nutritional value and beneficial properties of the dish

100 grams of the finished product contains 15 grams of protein and 20 grams of fat. People who watch their weight and follow a diet are recommended to eat no more than 100 grams of dried meat per day; the calorie content of this amount of ready-made food is quite high and equals 240 kcal.

Due to the technology of preparing the dish at low temperatures, the meat retains a large amount of minerals and other useful microelements. It is enriched with vitamins A, B and C, calcium and magnesium. After eating basturma, fatigue goes away and strength is restored.

The spices that make up the basturma shell are useful for the prevention of colds, increase immunity and reduce inflammation.

Despite all the beneficial properties of the dish, you need to eat it with caution. Here is a list of contraindications and possible harm from excessive consumption of basturma:

• Eating large amounts of beef threatens the formation of uric acid during the digestion process;
• People suffering from gout and kidney disease should take this dish with caution;
• Too much spice can harm the liver.

Do you use expired food for cooking at home?

Yes, the main thing is to process it if it is meat or expired kefir for pancakes.

27.04%

No, it is very dangerous and not useful.

37.6%

If the products have fungus or mold, then we throw them away; if they are a couple of days past their expiration date, we use them for food, even without heat or other treatment.

35.36%

Voted: 1694