The ideal temperature and drying time for biltong is 22C to 24C for the first 24 hours and thereafter at 30C to 33C for two days. The fennel and chilli is very much an inspiration that came from Italian cured sausage I had. 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!). Some visitors even buy the biltong box kits when they visit, which they can assemble at home. 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. Hang the meat in a well-ventilated, dry-air, warm environment(close to 30C or 86F) protected from insects and animals. I'd love it if you could post a photo. I double checked, but I am presuming you didnt use any nitrates/nitrites. Thanks again. South Africans can get fussy about the way it is sliced too so bringing out the slicer and cutting according to guest preferences also makes something of a talking point at a gathering! Used your recipe with some wildebeest, and the only change was adding some allspice berries to the dry herb mix. Salami is definitely the advanced category of using a curing chamber. If your approx. Now, these are my dry curing conditions, although I have spoken to award-winning biltong makers internationally. Below are a few items that will make your life easier. In the early days, I also used the right conditions in a friends shower, not ideal but it did help change the pH acidity which was the goal. I bookmarked your website years and years ago as found you were the best recipe. I don't know anyone that likes dry or hard cured biltong but some do prefer it. I love this recipe. 01 May 2023 01:09:48 I ended up unplugging the humidifier as it appears I dont need it in such a small space. These methods rely on drawing air across a cold surface. Remove the spices from the pan and let them cool down before blitzing in a spice grinder. Biltong is a dry beef product that is manufactured without a heat lethality step, raising concerns of whether effective microbial pathogen reduction can occur during biltong processing. Two or three slabs will not last that long and will be eaten within a week or two. Now with the current climate and setup I have this has the chamber averaging around 7deg C. My thinking is that this is preferable to when I had the fridge controlled by the temp controller to maintain ~12deg C, but RH was averaging 85%. Cheers T. Ive been wanting to find out if my crawlspace (no actual crawling required) is suitable for hanging and curing meats. by Runder Biltong February 26, 2022. Once dry, these biltong slabs are sliced and eaten. For most people, a balcony with a fan blowing over the meat would be the easiest. The meat is then air-dried in a dry environment with very good airflow. Optionally add the bicarbonate of soda and give it a good mix through. Would love to try this. Not sure it would move the needle much over here though. It all depends on the type of dryer and thickness of the meat as to how soon your meat is ready. I like a little fat because it helps carry flavour, but I tend to remove most of it before hanging. As soon as you spot mould wipe it off with vinegar making sure to get all of it. You can use any vinegar for marinating your beef slices. Step #5: glue the fan. 1 Cup of vinegar. Texture-wise biltong is more similar to bresaola when made correctly and beef jerky is more of a leathery sometimes wet and chewy consistency. For this biltong recipe, we will spray the vinegar onto the meat. Don't worry too much if you leave it longer in the wet cure. One can get extremely creative with this so here are a few ideas. Pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper towel and hang the strips in the Biltong Maker. 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). There are other spices you can add, but these four make the foundation of the biltong spice mix. Also dont use balsamic as this will alter the taste. - pat meat dry and season with biltong spices - coriander (mandatory), chilli (optional) and salt and pepper. Other cuts can be used, but are not as high in quality. Im confident that this fool-hardy recipe sticks with the traditional roots of the dried meat, whilst adding a little refined finesseit does not disappoint. A combination of good airflow and relatively cool temperatures are the key to successful biltong making. Cover the container and let your biltong cure for 24 hours in the fridge, turning and rubbing through the meat occasionally. 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! Too much sugar is really unpleasant thoughyoure walking dangerously close to beef jerky territory and Id really recommend against it. If you are drying your biltong in a biltong box, make sure that the biltong slabs are not longer than the hanging length you have in the biltong box. 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. That said, its fairly forgiving and a day or two over wont do too much harm. When you have mastered the art of making biltong you will have plenty of friends flocking around to enjoy big games with a couple of drinks and the platter of biltong being passed around. Try to create these conditions in whatever way you see fit. Dankie! I however eat it like Biltong This is my version: Cut topside or silverside into 2 cm wide strips and marinade in salt, curry powder and lemon juice for 24 hrs. Do a speed test on our app and win R5,000, https://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/613014-The-Official-Biltong-Enthusiasts-Thread. I have one question this batch had lost a little bit of the Worcester sauce and vinegar flavour as I added bi-carb of soda to the mix. We, South Africans, save the sweetness for desserts and we do have some super-sweet ones like koeksisters something like a doughnut thats plaited, deep fried, then dunked in a cold lemony syrup; or malva pudding a soft pudding thats given a sauce that soaks through made from cream, butter, and sugar. This should go some way towards fixing the problem. One question I would like to ask is how do you make chutney biltong flavour. The most important thing to remember when choosing meat is the quality and fat marbling. If it swings like 10%, no problem. If you use old spices mixed weeks ago, youre compromising the taste of your biltong. Some dry biltong in a dehydratorand some people use a DIY biltong dehydrator or "biltong box" as it's often called. Your email address will not be published. Anyone from Natal (or any other humid part of the world) who makes biltong: do you need to do anything special? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Rub a little salt on the cut ends to protect them. This yellow fat is apparent in cattle that have been grass-fed rather than grain-fed. I really enjoy the percentages used to calculate almost everything. Spray every part of the meat liberally. Ive been making my own for a few years, gradually tweaking the recipe and feeding it to people with a how is it, honestly?, and plenty of willing feedback. After so many failed previous attempts, finally your recipe worked beautifully for meits like being back in south Africa again, Love it. Salt and vinegar both act as detergents against bad bacteria by displacing water and lowering the Ph level. I have an Anova Precision Oven which can dehydrate meat at that exact temperature and humidity. Just follow these simple instructions: Slice the meat into suitable strips and sprinkle with Biltong spice or marinate it in a brine of your choice. My South African friends say Biltong is superior to Jerky in every way and if that is true, I can't wait to try this. Biltong is best done at around 21C .Air dried Mongolian beef use a higher temp to dry with heat . This time-temperature lethality process targets a 5-log reduction in the most thermally resistant pathogen, Salmonella spp. But what I love of the weight ratio youve added in. You must log in or register to reply here. Thank you very much for sharing it. Leave it too long and youll have some tooth-bustingly tough biltong on your hands. 4) Whats your biltong chamber look like? In principle, biltong is made by marinading, spicing, and airdrying strips of meat. I had another wine cellar that was too small to hang the meat, I had to lay it so the pieces preciously mentioned have been curing in there at 13C for 2-3 weeks and I just transferred them to the 17C wine cellar to be hang. Add a hook to the thickest end of each length. Use less salt! Some recipes call for several stages of curing and washing off spices, reapplying them, etcthis is not necessary. Then you can decide what you will do with the rest of your meat. Can i exclude the sugar from the the recipe or replace with a sugar alternative? BTW Charlie, have you ever used a pre-mix call Crown Mills now Crown National? 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. Just found out youre back and to save myself a major maths equation youve added a superb adding thingy. 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. Any mould left on will grow back. With that said if you want an extra guarantee for safe meat then use it by all means. Truthfully, it beats jerky by a mile. By far the best biltong I have ever tried! Coriander seed is the signature spice that makes biltong instantly recognisable. Then just lay the cured and spiced thin pieces out on a wire rack in the oven. Place some newspaper below the meat to catch any liquid. 9. As soon as the froth disappears remove the meat from the wet cure and pat it dry with a paper towel. You can pick them up pretty cheap online. Store vacuum sealed or wrapped airtight in the fridge or freezer. It is a baseline for you to start with. Four hours should be enough; however, I often leave the tray in the refrigerator overnight. Add the meat to the wet cure and let it sit for another 2 hours flipping twice to make sure it's evenly covered in the liquid. Try to keep as much of the spice on the meat as possible. I recently found out you can equilibrium percentage calculate your pickling of vegetables! For biltong strips, cut tenderized steak into 2cm strips and follow the recipe. I Hunt, Fish, Forage, Buy, Butcher (Wannabe Norcini), Make, Savor (Im not a Saviour), and love curing and smoking meat. I like to take 2 to 4 days to dry out biltong at around 28 to 35C, personal preference. Worked well. If you want to check out the options and a guide on building a curing chamber, here is a detailed page on all the setup. Now and then I had some Louisiana Cajun Spice for a kick. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan, then grind down in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. I offsetting a lid to the compressor, which was just next to the fan in the compressor. It's 3 hours salting and 2 hours marinating. I do not mind waiting 2 or 3 weeks. It makes an amazing summer snack platter when served with drowors, marinated olives, Parmesan sables, spiced nuts, pea and mint dip and freshly baked sourdough bread. I dont like to throw away good spices, so I coat once, leave to cure in the fridge, pat dry, then hang with no additional stages. I had a friend diffuse the airflow with a metal plate and another commercial fridge, which actually also had an impact on stabilising humidity. You should aim for 40% - 50% moisture loss for a wet or medium cure biltong and up to 70% for a hard cure dryer biltong. This is to catch the spices that fall off as the meat shrink and dries. If youve ever tried biltong, youll know exactly what I meannone of that sugary, rubbery stuff-it-in-a-dehydrator rubbish here, please! Once cooled, blitz the spices in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar until nicely broken up but not too fine. I would at least vacuum seal it. 2) Is it ok to do this without the lightbulb? However, the best solution to prevent case hardening from occurring is to change your drying setup to reduce air flow. I then sealed it and placed a HEPA filter over it. I actually tried growing some gray oyster mushrooms in the chamber and it didnt work because they need such a significant amount of oxygen and airflow. My wife cant stand biltong, never has, UNTIL NOW! Have tried others but always come back to this recipe by Charle. 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. Now let the meat marinate. MAC is good if you're looking for good price/quality. You can store it in the fridge for weeks or freeze for many months closed airtight or vacuum-sealed. I use a half pound of beefsteak (anything that doesnt have much fat) and cut the strips in a variety of widths from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inch so that they cure at different rates, and I can enjoy over a few days. After your biltong has dried to your preferred consistency, you can continue to store it hanging in a well aerated space indefinitely. This is why it is important to check on the progress of the biltong every single day. 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. If not why not and if you do how much and how would you put it into the process. If there is any give in the meat, theres still moisture in the middle. And everyone I know who knows how to make biltong live, and has always lived, in bone dry climates. You can air dry the biltong, but it will take longer and you need the right weather, whereas a commercial biltong maker or dehydrator will have a built-in fan for continuous airflow to speed up the process, as well as a light fitting which will prevent the growth of mold, and also help reduce moisture. Could you use a freeze dryer to make this? Tanja, I live in Colorado (low humidity) and just hang my biltong in the garage with a fan blowing it. Make sure none of the pieces are touching. Either way, both are tasty meat snacks with a very loyal global following even though they differ a lot. 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. plugged into a temperature controller? If you are hanging the meat in a room with afanit may take up to 10 days to dry. having travelled to ZA 3 times over the years to hunt i am firmly obsessed with biltong and drywors. The main aim of all of these is to create dry warm circulating air so that the biltong dries correctly and efficiently. Mold is the biggest killer of biltong, especially in humid climates. It really has a recognisable flavour. I had this probably with a large commercial fridge, too much power! An ultrasonic humidifier is the best way to go because you end up pumping out a fine mist and hopefully, there is some kind of filtration going on inside the humidifier. 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. If youve made two or three slabs with this biltong recipe, storing them in a brown paper bag in the fridge should be fine. Jerky is a much sweeter, chewier meat snack and the method of making it has changed from air drying to high-temperature drying which basically cooks the meat. Biltong is not sweet or rubbery like jerky. 3) When I make the bigger cabinet should I have: a: Just a fan, b: Just a lightbulb, c: both fan & lightbulb? When you live in a city or a humid climate, you can use one of the following proven and tested methods. Mould sometimes happen if the airflow is not good enough and the humidity is high. 4 Pounds of beef - cut into 1-inch-thick strips that can be of any length. Unfortunately its pretty hot in France and the actual temperature of the cellar is 17-18C/62,6-64,4F. Humidity and Temperature Ranges for a Curing Chamber. Cheers Tom. Many DIY biltong makers will construct a 'biltong box' with a fan and a lightbulb to create good air circulation and warm temperatures. Thus giving us a delicious product that is safeguarded against spoilage. Roughly 20cm in length, and 1cm thickness is ideal. Mix it with your salt and add as instructed. 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. Put it in an air-conditioned room. Temperature and Humidity for Meat Curing Chamber, Want to Make Charcuterie at Home? Salt is a brilliant flavour enhancer and preservative. If your thinking longer term dry curing. Just make sure you have a little air flow, or the meat can gather mouldIm sorry to say this has happened to me in the past! A Note on Humidity and Mould. From costly handmade stuff that is not practical to my favourite 20 dollar knives with no branding. Add a pinch of pink salt if you want. This will ensure a succulent top-notch result. The air should preferably dry with good airflow. For me, 2 hours is good for maximum beefiness while the cure does its job. Also, I purchased this shoulder a few months ago at the farmers market (sold frozen) and its been in the back of the freezer ever since. The other option if youre new to the whole idea of dry curing meat, is to just use your normal kitchen fridge. I know this is probably because of oxidation but I wasnt sure if this would negatively affect the curing process? On average, biltong will take five days to dry. If the airflow is too strong, it will dry the outside of the meat, and the inside wont cure properly. In this guide, Im going to show you how to make it for yourself. This is the most well explained and straight forward blog post I have found. Room temperature in most houses is fine, but air flow can be a problem. Was wondering if you could give me ingredient amounts for a 2kg silverside. Look for meat that is ultra-fresh and has a bit of fat running through the meat. Buy good quality beef. In a well ventilated, non-humid environment . It will happily stay high quality in the fridge for two weeks loosely wrapped or a few months vacuum sealed. Really awesome recipe!! This batch of for Saturdays rugby. This will balance out the gradient. The yellow color comes from beta-carotene, a type of vitamin A thats healthier for you than the white fat produced from grain-fed cattle. Copyright 2023 NewLifeOnAHomestead.com - All rights reserved. Some people soak their meat in salt first, then rinse off the salt before placing it in vinegar, but it can make the meat very salty. Biltong quite often is 1 thick. Just wondering what the downside would be to having the temp a few degrees cooler, but the humidity in the desired range? just a random story. If you want some suggestions on a couple of humidifiers I know do a great job, here is a page with a few recommendations for humidifiers. My Aussie and ZA mates all love it. It's now ready to slice thinly with a sharp knife. I recommend brown vinegar for the best flavour, with cider vinegar coming in a close second. Not a problem the difference between jerky and BIltong is its more traditional and more like the original settlers and natives of America. Therefore, keeping the humidity low and keeping good air circulation will prevent mold. Leave the meat to dry for between 24 hours to 4 days in the biltong maker, and close to a day if using a dehydrator. So make sure you meet slabs are dry before rubbing them with the spice mix. This is usually the secret to how to make biltong . 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. I use the same recipe also and my wife loves it and unfortunately, the dog is now addicted. Used it before when I had to go on a long hike. The top of this article goes through all the best beef cuts for making biltong. 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. While the meat is marinating, toast the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and chilli flakes in a dry pan on medium heat. 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. This recipe looks fantastic, very new at all of this. Secondly, you need your biltong slabs to fit into the drying area that you have. Although the actual meat of biltong will have little marbling and close to no fat, you will quite often see a ridge of fat that runs along the top of a biltong slab. Ive since upgraded to an old fridge with the mechanics removed, holes in the bottom, and a fan drawing air past the meat. The word biltong comes from the combination of the Dutch words bil which means buttock and tong which means tongue or strip. If youre interested in a simple guide and recipe, please check out the page I wrote on jerky & biltong here. For texture and flavour. 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. When cutting the meat to prepare, cut along the grain of the meat. These coated slabs are then marinated in vinegar for a few hours, then air-dried for several days until dry. Once youve got the coriander seeds ground, coarsely grind your black peppercorns and add them to the mix. The main seasonings are coriander, sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar. Biltong made from beef or venison is the most popular. Its tricky to get the salt quantity right. Store wrapped airtight or in vacuum bags in the fridge or freeze for longer storage. In general, biltong should last for at least 4-6 days before being at risk of developing mold. Be sure to get it all or its likely to spread again. 4 1/2kg now drying. Vinegar does a perfectly good job of sterilising the meat without mountains of salt. Let's discuss beef as it's the most widely used meat for making biltong. 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. Do this in a well-ventilated kitchen. I never like the pre-mix because they add some flavouring too, but that's just me. This moisture gets in the way of your biltong absorbing the biltong spice and marinade. 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. 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. This is something that took me a while to figure out on my first curing chamber. It is advisable to put a tray down before hanging up the meat because they will tend to drip a bit before they get dry. Place the meat and the cure in a fitting non-reactive food-safe plastic or ceramic container. 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). Ill be getting something like this soon, temp & humidity sensor/logger prob get most consistent in basement? Was it tasty or did you run into any problems with your biltong recipe, let me know in the comments below how yours turned out? Ive been using malt vinegar. 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. Most South Africans have a biltong slicer, which makes the job easier. Hang in your biltong box, or in a well aired, ventilated space with a fan blowing gently to increase air flow. I sometimes use them in case of emergency biltong shortage, so Im not sure how to break it to them. Later that night, he was vomiting, and had diarrhea so badly he collapsed his wife had to call the ambulance and he was rushed to hospital and placed in intensive care, only to be released from the hospital ten days later. Can it cause spoilage or just a longer time for the meat to cure ? This recipe will still work for that but make sure to use 6% salt still. Similar to Biltong Sukuthi is cut into thin strips, spices and salt are rubbed on and then it is either air dried, or smoked until it is totally dried out. Use a non-reactive storage container when soaking the meat in vinegar. Thank you. This is what my grandfather did, and I suspect the early pioneers too. Most likely, what youre looking for is a really tough consistency with just a little bit of give. If youre impatient and cant wait for your biltong to dry, plan ahead and cut some thinner pieces to hang with the restthese will keep you going while you wait for the thicker stuff to be ready. Just remember that although biltong meat will dehydrate to about 50% of its original mass, the fat will pretty much stay the same. Cut with the grain of the meat and aim for thick slaps. I salted for roughly 3 days in a ziplock bar in the refrigerator with a pan and 8 lb weight on top (as per Ruhlman and Polcyns Salumi). I'd consider getting a commercial dehumidifiercause I've had biltong go mouldy before so the risk is real. Sprinkle the salt all over the meat including the sides. Tom, gem of a site and already great help as I begin my own dry-cured meat hobby. Place several (about 7) wooden rods (C) inside the box about 2 inches from the top. Biltong dries best when it is cool, not humid, and theres plenty of airflow. The choice is yours but I fully recommend leaving the fat on. 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. Instructions. There are a lot of creative, almost ceremonial devices oncutting biltong, but I think nothing beats a good, sharp knife. But its good to just go over the basics, first off the quality of the meat. Unfortunately, the hot and humid climate will limit how dry your biltong can get and the conditions are perfect for bacteria, microbes, and enzymes to flourish. Some like theirs tough like old leather. This site contains affiliate links. Its perfectly fine and very common to dry out jerky which has been in a dehydrator. This is so we can hang it up and track the moisture loss by weighing it. The meat is then air-dried in a dry environment with very good airflow. I know we have amazing charcuterie, Im Muslim so no pork for me. This might seem a little odd, but it has scientific reasoning. The airflow is just enough to draw away moisture, but not too fast so as to avoid over drying the outside of the meat. I have used it with great success with beef, kangaroo, fallow and red deer meat. When you trim the biltong, you need to choose for yourself. The process of making this traditional, deliciously meaty South African snack is simple, though getting it just right can be tricky. your thoughts? Then you disappeared and I cried. Over the years, many ways have become available for people to make cured meats at home or in tight spaces. Once you have tasted biltong, youll be a fan of this spiced dried meat that South Africans have made famous around the world. Step #2: cut the holes for the fan and the dehumidifier. Low humidity for biltong is anything below 50%. Step #1: draw templates for cutting. Fixed that for you. If you need more information on how to store your biltong after you have made it, you can check out these ideas here. There are air-drying nets available, so if you dont have an electric dryer you may simply want to hang the meat up with a fan directed toward the meat. My local butcher goes way overboard with salt on their biltong. You can use curing salt. 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.
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