Beef basturma according to the classic Armenian recipe

Step-by-step cooking

1. Step 1:

   

   Rinse the meat under running cold water and dry with a towel. With a fork, make punctures on all sides of the beam to improve the outflow of excess fluid during salting meat. We put the meat in a deep dish, having previously poured salt on the bottom. After placing the meat in a bowl, fill it with salt to the top. In our case, it took about 2 kg of salt.

2. Step 2:

   

   Cover the dishes with a lid or cling film and put it in the refrigerator for three days. After the expiration date, we take out the meat and wash it from salt under cold running water. Dry again with a clean towel or napkins.

3. Step 3:

   

   To give the desired shape (optional), we place the meat under an improvised press for a day. We used a board and cans of water. After a day, the balyk acquired a flattened shape and now it can be hung on a hook.

5. Step 4:

   

   Now we are preparing the coating. In a deep bowl, mix all the dry ingredients indicated for it, and three garlic on a fine grater or crush. We need flour in order to make the mixture stickiness. Add so much water to the mixture to make a paste-like substance, which will be convenient to coat the beam. It remains for us to apply the resulting paste in a dense layer on the beam in such a way that there is not a single spot that is not smeared.

6. Step 5:

   

   This operation is convenient to do with a silicone spatula. You need to coat it quickly so that the spices do not have time to dry out ahead of time. If the spices have dried up, add a little water and continue the operation. The final touch: with a hand soaked in water, we smooth the paste over the entire area of the balyk to smooth out irregularities and fill small voids.

7. Step 6:

   

   We put the balik in the refrigerator for 25-30 days, hanging it on a hook. We have adapted the refrigerator door for this purpose. At the end of the term, we take the balik off the hook, cut it into thin slices and eat ourselves, treat friends, guests, neighbors. Bon appetit to everyone!