Dendeng – Indonesian Sweet-Spicy Dried Beef
Dendeng is a traditional Indonesian dried meat marinated with palm sugar, coriander, and other spices, then dried. There are two main variants: Dendeng Balado (spicy, with chili) and Dendeng Manis (sweet). The meat is sliced very thin, marinated, and dried at low temperature.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Prepare Marinade
10 minutesMix palm sugar, salt, coriander, garlic, galangal, chili and tamarind paste into a uniform paste. Add 1–2 tbsp of water if needed to make it spreadable.
Slice & Marinate Meat
4–6 hoursSlice beef (rump or silverside) against the grain into 2–3 mm thin slices. Apply marinade on both sides and marinate in a covered container in the refrigerator at 4 °C for 4–6 hours.
Smoking & Drying
8–12 hoursSpread meat slices on racks in the smoker at 55–65 °C. Lightly smoke with coconut shells and beech for 2 hours, then continue drying without smoke. Ready when the meat is dry, slightly glossy, and reduced to about 45% of its original weight.
Pro Tip
Finely grate or melt the palm sugar before mixing – this distributes it evenly in the marinade and allows it to caramelize nicely on the meat surface during drying.
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