Hopefully, theyre dry enough to handle the hotter setting. Been making and munching the stuff for years. I like to take 2 to 4 days to dry out biltong at around 28 to 35C, personal preference. The fan was drawing in the oxygen and therefore pumping some more additional fresh air. Weigh the meat and write it on the label. As a 28 yo French woman it was about time ! Do not be light here; make sure that all the meat is covered in vinegar. Hang in your biltong box, or in a well aired, ventilated space with a fan blowing gently to increase air flow. This yellow fat is apparent in cattle that have been grass-fed rather than grain-fed. Is a light bulb mandatory in humid climates? : Biltong - Reddit In general, FSIS recommends achieving a minimum internal meat temperature of 145F (~63C) held for 4 minutes, and a 1 hour hold at RH90% to ensure sufficient delivery of thermal energy to the surface. Hi Charle, what do you use to sharpen your knives and what knoves to you use? MAC is good if you're looking for good price/quality. Learn how your comment data is processed. Making Biltong - The Best Smoking Meat Forum On Earth! Keeping below 24C in the initial phases stops the fats from going rancid. For the finest cuts, fillet, sirloin, or steaks cut from the hip, such as topside or silverside, are used. I recently found out you can equilibrium percentage calculate your pickling of vegetables! Temperature and Humidity for Meat Curing Chamber Im still on the learning curve with biltong but this recipe is giving me the best results. cheers, Sounds like a good time is coming. In fact, if you have other members in your household, its not unusual to have half your biltong missing by the time its ready . Pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper towel and hang the strips in the Biltong Maker. Whole muscle dry curing is also easier then salami, less air is exposed to meat surfaces which could have potentially bad bacteria get into it. If youve made a lot more than that, then consider vacuum-sealing the slabs to keep them for longer. Place the 100 watt bulb in the center of section A. Step #3: cut the holes for the dowel sticks. This is a great recipe but being the experimental person that I am I am considering two-hour smoke I do bacon and Pancetta for 8 hrs and its great. About 17 minutes to read this article. Biltong curing consists of salting the meat and then giving it a dredge in a marinade or vinegar solution. Its not unusual to have an entire slab missing by the time your biltong is ready. The author gave me a tongue lashing because I added fennel which was awesome just not to much as it is so strong and I used worcheshire sauce. I would at least vacuum seal it. You can pick them up pretty cheap online. Bicarbonate of soda is only used when the meat you choose will be tough to chew on. (This is a little less than you would typically use, but youre applying it directly with the biltong spice). So without further ado, heres my tried and tested biltong recipe. Other cuts can be used, but are not as high in quality. You can use red wine instead of vinegar if youd prefer. I have looked at many different recipes and I think this sounds like the best. You can substitute the cumin in this recipe for paprika, and add in some dried chili if you prefer a spicier biltong, but the spices used here are the more traditional ones. Its perfectly fine and very common to dry out jerky which has been in a dehydrator. This is more often found in cows that are a little more aged than the prime cuts of beef. The aim of curing food is to accomplish two things. Lie the meat down in a flat glass container (you don't want to use metal because the vinegar might react with it), then place this glass container in the refrigerator. Salt and vinegar both act as detergents against bad bacteria by displacing water and lowering the Ph level. beef silverside or topside 4 tablespoons salt 8 tablespoons coriander 4 tablespoons black peppercorns 1 tablespoon ground cumin optional 10 ounces balsamic vinegar Worcestershire sauce Instructions Cut the meat along the grain into strips roughly an inch thick and around 8 to 10 inches long. I've used it in the past but try and use as little curing salt in my food as possible. As a babe in the woods when It comes to curing (iv only made hams, bacons, and pancetta) having someone share the lessons they have learnt is much appreciated. The Worcestershire sauce just adds depth of flavor to the biltong. Thank you so much for all of the information on your website! Absolutely brilliant!!! In desperation, Ive taken to resting a knife on top of some over-dried biltong and hitting it with a camping mallet (not recommended, and not only because I upset the neighbours and smashed the chopping board!). If you find that youve cut your biltong early and its wetter than youd like, use clean fingers to rub a little salt and vinegar on the exposed end and hang it back up. When the fan was blowing, that moisture got pushed into the chamber. https://asktheexpert.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/109/~/what-causes-grayish-color-on-cured-pork%3F. Salt is a brilliant flavour enhancer and preservative. It should be mostly powder, with a few pieces of seed shells left in. Microorganisms | Free Full-Text | Effect of Biltong Dried Beef - MDPI The main seasonings are coriander, sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar. Nothing dehumidifies like an aircon. 1 Tablespoon of finely ground black pepper. This might apply to some venison meat or beef cuts not on the prescribed biltong recipe list. I thought there was enough air being pulled through the compressor but it seems it wasnt the case. Can you please advise. The point of using the vinegar is to make sure any bacteria are neutralized. The biltong in these pictures was made by an ex-South African / Zimbabwean couple living in Phoenix, Arizona, who missed their favorite snack in the US, and have perfected their way of doing it which I am going to share with you. Making biltong does not require a load of fancy equipment and many DIY methods are available online. If yo u live in a naturally humid place, or if it has been raining a lot, you need to be extra careful - especially if it's also hot! Airflow and how consistent the moisture is in the environment is key to any dry curing project, but it can work in many scenarios. It's now ready to slice thinly with a sharp knife. You can go up to 6 hours before adding the baking soda if you're using it. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan, then grind down in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. penicillin a.k.a. This should go some way towards fixing the problem. The following are the most common causes of mould and include some tips on how to prevent it: Mould is more likely to occur during hot and humid summer periods, especially at coastal areas unless you put the Biltong Maker in an air-conditioned room. This next point cant be overemphasized; use fresh spices and toast, grind and mix them just before youre about to apply them. Then, one day when marking about the 256th essay during exam time I decided enough Ill do my own writing instead and have never looked back. Now some recipes also dont have fermentation, so just make sure you are following a decent one. Salt is essential to let the meat dry and cure properly. Hi Tom, I recently discovered your website and its a real treasure trove of information. Yeah me neither. Was wondering if you could give me ingredient amounts for a 2kg silverside. Biltong pronounced bill-tong is air dried, and although you can use a dehydrator, most South Africans use a biltong box, as it makes drying the meat easier and more hygienic. What is Biltong? Everything you need to know about biltong How to make biltong - Yuppiechef Magazine Trouble is, it's getting more difficult to find incandescent bulbs. 3) When I make the bigger cabinet should I have: a: Just a fan, b: Just a lightbulb, c: both fan & lightbulb? The paper will allow excess moisture to continue leaving the meat, discouraging mould growth. I prefer brown, but white, balsamic, or even cider will also work. Also, remove any gristle or sinew which once it is dried is pretty much inedible and you dont want that ruining your biltong snack. I'd love it if you could post a photo. Biltong curing consists of salting the meat and then giving it a dredge in a marinade or vinegar solution. Once the meat is ready remove the hooks. If youre making this biltong recipe for yourself, consider making or buying a biltong box or biltong dryer where you can control the environment where the biltong is made. Thanks again. Certainly would disqualify it as authentic . Drying times will vary with humidity, airflow and temperature. it needs much thinner cuts, no more than 1cm. If you want something a little more fancy, there are biltong cutters (a board with a hinged knife attached), biltong knives (traditional knives made for purpose), hand crank mechanical cutters, and at the high end, expensive elecric cutters, mostly used by butchers and biltong suppliers. Using a sharp knife, following the grain of the meat, cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) thick lengths and place in a non-metallic container. Although you can buy a pre-cut steak and hang that as a biltong slab, your best option is to buy a whole roast and cut the meat yourself into slabs. There are some methods I have come across, like having bowls of saltwater inside a small chamber to have some impact on humidity or using some form of disposable cigar environmental control products. Although heat doesnt add to the quality of the product, it can be used to increase air circulation around the meat, by means of a temperature gradient (heat rises!). You can use curing salt. This is what my grandfather did, and I suspect the early pioneers too. Use scales when weighing out ingredients. I only have whole muscle meats hanging in there at the moment : lamb pancetta arrotolata, bresaola and beef bacon. My favorite is apple cider vinegar. Cant wait ! Its not a traditional ingredient if were going full purist, but it balances the saltiness well. Don't use more than 1% Prague/pink salt to the weight of the meat. Some dry biltong in a dehydratorand some people use a DIY biltong dehydrator or "biltong box" as it's often called. It should be mostly powder, with a few pieces of seed shells left in. go old school.look up south African biltong. This recipe will still work for that but make sure to use 6% salt still. See the post for an in-depth explanation of the processes involved. How to Make Biltong (with Pictures) - wikiHow This site is owned by eatcuredmeat.com, it participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This batch of for Saturdays rugby. For me the best biltong has got to have a nice layer of fat on it, but if you want you can trim the fat as much as you like or choose a lean cut like eye of round. (freezers can deteriorate smell/flavor so it depends how its frozen too (with air or without like with vacpac (which we do for harvest wild game generally), i friend had a wild young goat in the freezer for 2 yearswe roasted it up, it was amazing! I have a question this time : I just bought a wine cellar (18 bottles). What humidity should biltong be? It's 3 hours salting and 2 hours marinating. Your tutorial is very good and your recipe looks amazing. It all depends on the type of dryer and thickness of the meat as to how soon your meat is ready. If the airflow is too strong, it will dry the outside of the meat, and the inside wont cure properly. I live in Alaska and our house and garage stay about 66F. When I took the shoulder out of the bag to hang, it had a slightly greyish tinge to it. Great instructions and simple well balanced ingredients. After so many failed previous attempts, finally your recipe worked beautifully for meits like being back in south Africa again, Love it. If you use old spices mixed weeks ago, youre compromising the taste of your biltong. If you dont have access to a vacuum sealer, stick your biltong in a paper bag and place it in the fridge for a few days. The golden standard for perfectly cured biltong is medium wet with lots of fat. Another way is to rub the biltong with very hot cut chilli then add the rub. Thank you for the time you have put into the presentation!!! Oui, vive la France ! If you are hanging the meat in a room with afanit may take up to 10 days to dry. Worked well. by Runder Biltong February 26, 2022. I love this recipe. I programmed it at 11C/52F. Build Your Plastic Biltong Box: Step By Step - karnivore.co You can always just test the environment like out the back, in the garage or some other place protected from pests with a bit of airflow. It's very simple to make, takes much less time than other cured meats and is the perfect snack for many occasions. Rub a little salt on the cut ends to protect them. Its just too delicious! If you need more information on how to store your biltong after you have made it, you can check out these ideas here. Most mould problems are caused by improper drying procedures. For most people, a balcony with a fan blowing over the meat would be the easiest. Truthfully, it beats jerky by a mile. Mold proliferates at a humidity above 55%; it also increases with poor ventilation. As far as I am concerned the light bulb is used to draw air upwards and out of the Shops that sell biltong will often hang it and leave it out, and these are ample storage conditionsjust try to make sure none of the pieces are touching. Hey mate, thanks! By drying the meat we get rid of excess water which in turn helps to preserve it and also give it amazing flavour. It is a baseline for you to start with. Can be stored in the freezer for many months. Never, ever eat any biltong that has mold growing on it! After 3 hours simply wipe off the salt but. What is the science of drying/dehydrating meat? Biltong, jerky, etc It will continue to dry slowly, but it will also keep for a long time this way. What were trying to achieve when drying biltong is to concentrate the flavour of the beef by removing a lot of the moisture, similar to dry aging. Brown vinegar is more traditional. (Non aged). You want to see the different spices. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Just remember that although biltong meat will dehydrate to about 50% of its original mass, the fat will pretty much stay the same. I believe eating and cooking well attributes majorly to a happy life. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. It was my 1st time ever making biltong. If you pick the right meat, you wont need to use bicarb at all. having travelled to ZA 3 times over the years to hunt i am firmly obsessed with biltong and drywors. I made my first biltong by hanging it from a piece of wood jammed into a window frame beside a cool window, with a fan on low to circulate air. Think it should be fine with a fan to keep the air moving? Want to know how to make the best biltong of your life? Make sure the meat is covered in the biltong spice. But its good to just go over the basics, first off the quality of the meat. You can buy ready made biltong boxes, or make your own. The third day of Jazz Fest looks to be a gorgeous one. Weigh the meat individually and place a label onto a stainless steel or paper clip or meat hook and then the paper clip or meat hook through the meat. I then sealed it and placed a HEPA filter over it. Rely on airflow. It kills bacteria on the outside of the meat, and helps to draw moisture out. It is eaten in great quantities here, but its popularity is only now starting to spread around the world. Having said that, dont be tempted to try and make it in the ovenbiltong takes several days to dry, and most ovens wont go low enough to dry the meat slowly enough to avoid cooking it. You can use red wine vinegar rather than balsamic vinegar if you prefer. If you like quite a dry biltong then the venison is really good. Check out the courses link at the top if you want a booklet on DIY curing chamber, my charcuterie course will be out later this year too! Additional comment actions. Shelf life of Biltong : r/Biltong - Reddit Hot cutting tool. The length of the strips will depend on the height of your dryer as the meat must not touch the tray at the bottom. Which comes from areas that are pretty much untouched. It basically just follows the procedure but since it is common to have a fermentation stage having that higher temperature and higher humidity allows that pH and acidity to increase to create a hostile environment for bad bacteria. That way, you can cut the biltong into the thickness of slabs you prefer and trim off the amount of fat so that it is precisely how you would like it. Space them about 3 - 4 inches apart. There are a lot of creative, almost ceremonial devices oncutting biltong, but I think nothing beats a good, sharp knife. This was specific to my curing chamber since it was designed to have a fan continuously operating even when the compressor wasnt on (it was a drinks fridge). You are using an out of date browser. It slows the contraction of the proteins, leaving the final product still dry, but less tough. Once youve got the coriander seeds ground, coarsely grind your black peppercorns and add them to the mix. In the early days, when there were no fridges to store fresh meat, and once a steer had been slaughtered or an antelope had been shot, people had to preserve the meat by air drying it. Ive had similar things with chambers, but when the compressor is drying things out too much it does tend to get the dreaded case hardening (which can be remedied by vapacing for 2-3 weeks in fridge). If you find that youve been testing your biltong for readiness for 2-3 weeks and it just doesnt seem to be drying in the middle, this may be your problem. Back in the days when refrigerators werent a thing, the pioneers needed a way to preserve their meat. plugged into a temperature controller? About to start my first batch, will let you know how it turns out. My curing chamber does operate a little bit drier, its a big double door to bar fridge that I converted. Could you use a freeze dryer to make this? Note that biltong treated (in humid areas) with saltpeter and baking soda for mold will have a much redder final color but should not be moist inside. Well explained. I got contacted by a man in East Africa, he was keen on dry-curing meat he definitely needs to build something suitable. Ive been using malt vinegar. Mold can look like its only on the surface but often the threads in the mold may have penetrated the food to a deeper level. Use a non-reactive storage container when soaking the meat in vinegar. Be sure to get it all or its likely to spread again. Homemade Biltong Recipe - How To Make Biltong - Karnivore This site may earn commissions when you visit certain links. I'm looking to start making my own, and I live in an area that's over 90% humidity for. The right amount of fat to keep on your meat for biltong is contentious, and quite honestly, it comes down to personal taste. I'd consider getting a commercial dehumidifiercause I've had biltong go mouldy before so the risk is real. Why wash off and waste all that good flavour? She actually liked it and that was fantastic! BILTONG MAKING INSTRUCTIONS - Biltong Makers Yes you could do that or you could grind the chilli flakes a bit and add more. As with jerky, biltong making arose out of necessity. This fat can add a considerable amount of flavor to your biltong. Once you have tasted biltong, youll be a fan of this spiced dried meat that South Africans have made famous around the world. Pick one side of the meat slab and slide the meat hook through. I was able to share it with my friends and everyone really loved it. So, my plan is to use the standard dehydrator. So some rewiring was done, which only turned on the fan when the compressor was on. Once youve made the biltong spice mix, rub it onto both sides of the meat. Making Biltong in high humidity? : r/Biltong - Reddit Put a small meat hook or paperclip through the meat with a label attached to it. So glad I found your post!! Roughly 20cm in length, and 1cm thickness is ideal. Case hardening happens when the outside of the biltong dries very fast, but the inside of the biltong strip remains raw meat. Ill wait for the cooler months to try salami. Below are a few items that will make your life easier. They were known as the "Voortrekkers" and the biltong story started with them. Opinions vary on curing methods, spice mixes and drying conditions, and there is a lot of misinformation around, so trial and error has been my friend. Hanging and curing naturally in 10-14 days is best, this is why the snack is typically made in the winter where the air is cool and the humidity low. - Soak meat overnight in vinegar. and moisture balance to make a success of biltong making. You're trying to dry the meat, not cook it. Thoroughly wash and dry your hands, and squeeze the flattest sides of the meat in with your fingers. When you trim the biltong, you need to choose for yourself. If youre really savvy, you might vary the thickness of slices from thin to thick allow for consistent grazing over the drying process (highly recommended). Based on your DIY chamber booklet Ive almost got a complete setup hooked up over the past week, cant wait to see the results. When it comes to slicing biltong remember that it is quite tough, and the knife can slip easily. Tanja, I live in Colorado (low humidity) and just hang my biltong in the garage with a fan blowing it. If you like very smokey then go for longer but you will lose some of that pure meatiness a bit if you smoke it a lot. Biltong traditionally did not include sugar at all and the preservation is mainly achieved by the addition of vinegar. Required fields are marked *. The air fryer will give a harder dryer piece of meat in 4 to 6 hours. Authentic Biltong Recipe Ingredients 4 lbs. He did use 3/4 tablespoon of pink salt in his wet marinate.I'm going to try and add fennel. Thanks Sebastian. Now I am going to expand to Biltonghad my first taste and loved it. Thank you so very much. The easiest way to measure dryness is with your fingers. They did this either by curing or dehydrating their meat. Its important to know that biltong is not smoked meat it is air-dried. Once youve given it a try, please let me know how you like it, and if there are any variations to the traditional ingredients you swear by, no matter how strange! Four hours should be enough; however, I often leave the tray in the refrigerator overnight. . The trick is just getting it done. So, many omit the salt soak and add the salt to the spice mix instead. Since curing meat in a curing chamber is a craft, temperature and humidity do not have to be exact, but more so within a range. What youre looking for is a slow drying process with gentle airflow. What cut of meat is used for biltong? | how to make biltong People who visit South Africa and are introduced to biltong always want to take some back to their home countries whether it is Scandinavia, France, Italy, or the UK just as long as they can get meat products through customs. ), A Biltong recipe that produces consistent results with an authentic, traditional spice mix. Are there any issues you have to pay special attention to when making biltong in a humid climate? There is a reddit r/biltong for any questions and recipes you may have. Thank you! Hint and tips for making Biltong - Biltong Makers This is definitely one style and very popular. These coated slabs are then marinated in vinegar for a few hours, then air-dried for several days until dry. Biltong is air cured, not cooked, not dehydrated. Your biltong will be ready once it's lost 50% of its weight. But have never seen anyone in south africa use this. This is why it is important to check on the progress of the biltong every single day.