a Bad initial product won't turn out nice. Mould sometimes happen if the airflow is not good enough and the humidity is high. The aim of curing food is to accomplish two things. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. If your thinking longer term dry curing. If you are hanging the meat in a room with a fan it may take up to 10 days to dry. 1) What is the ideal temperature and humidity range for making biltong? All the best, TOm. You got me addicted to making my own biltong. Also, remove any gristle or sinew which once it is dried is pretty much inedible and you dont want that ruining your biltong snack. This will balance out the gradient. Based on your DIY chamber booklet Ive almost got a complete setup hooked up over the past week, cant wait to see the results. If you want trim the fat a bit or leave it on. Use less salt! Would a box with heat source be the best way to go to make biltong for us up here or can it be done with this colder temp? Secondly, you need your biltong slabs to fit into the drying area that you have. Most mould problems are caused by improper drying procedures. Check your biltong every day for mould. Try a small batch first and keep an eye on it :) 4 Reply ethnastydizasty 4 yr. ago I'm also in the PNW (Vancouver, Canada) and I just finished building a new box. Leave it too long and youll have some tooth-bustingly tough biltong on your hands. This is by far the best recipe I have ever used the salt content is perfect. Always use salt and vinegar. Space them about 3 - 4 inches apart. I do not mind waiting 2 or 3 weeks. I have compiled a recipe book as we speak, which will be available soon, it will include what I have learned around meat curing across many different countries as well. Bicarb has a pretty unpleasant taste, so its important to keep the quantity low. Use a non-reactive storage container when soaking the meat in vinegar. Let it marinate for 2 hours turning the meat a few times to ensure even marination. Its important to note that, while your biltong will shrink by around half the size when dried, the fat doesnt shrink at the same rate as the muscle. With an acidity of at least 10%. Keeping below 24C in the initial phases stops the fats from going rancid. I had some success with dry curing meat because I had the right humidity and the right temperature. If you want to change the flavors up a little, create a mixture of 60% vinegar 40% Worcestershire sauce and use this for the marinade in the biltong recipe. The third day of Jazz Fest looks to be a gorgeous one. Sure thing. white powdery mold (Some folks do like to spray the meat surface in encourage this growth). Cover the meat completely in spices making sure to get it into every nook and cranny. I use a 275 w Infra red lamp for heat connected to a inkbird temperature controller and a computer fan controlled by a light dimmer to give me the perfect environment. What I suggest is that if you get a computer fan and have it mounted inside a curing chamber, it will then pulling the air out. Thank you so much for all of the information on your website! Step #5: glue the fan. Step drill bit. Got one of those cheap BiltongKing makers or some such from Game ages ago. It all depends on the type of dryer and thickness of the meat as to how soon your meat is ready. Please dont rely on heat. For this biltong recipe, we will spray the vinegar onto the meat. This recipe looks fantastic, very new at all of this. If your approx. JavaScript is disabled. Howdy, I prefer 11-13C all the time, since bacteria grows exponentially the hotter it gets. Been making and munching the stuff for years. When starting off, I had the right temperature and humidity, but I learned unless I inoculated the curing chamber it may take a little while to build up some good bacteria a.k.a. Many folks do love it and that's cool too. A friends husband thought if he cut the little moldy section off a piece of biltong hed left in the refrigerator for a while it would be fine. Don't blitz it too fine. I'd love it if you could post a photo. If you are happy waiting a few weeks then the low temp is good and you'll get a very good product. This site contains affiliate links. Could you use a freeze dryer to make this? In most cases, flies arent a problem, but pepper has the added benefit of detering them. Step #1: draw templates for cutting. Very useful information. (Photo by V. Edgar). If youve ever tried biltong, youll know exactly what I meannone of that sugary, rubbery stuff-it-in-a-dehydrator rubbish here, please! Happy you like! If youve got a really raw centre and thick, tough outer surface, give it a try and see if you like the texture. There are other spices you can add, but these four make the foundation of the biltong spice mix. You still need a little air movement, but the slower it dries, the more even the moisture gradient will be from inside to out. As a perfect example of this, the Italians make a beautiful beef product called Bresaola, which is very slowly air dried at cold temperatures, so as to achieve an even dryness and texture. My recipe uses the smallest amount of salt required to make a safe cure, based on the weight of the meat. This is definitely one style and very popular. MAC is good if you're looking for good price/quality. Brown malt vinegar is traditional. 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%. Put it in an air-conditioned room. Which comes from areas that are pretty much untouched. Its just a bit hit or miss and can be frustrating when its inconsistent, but its done this way in homes all across Italy or other places across the world. Some people like their biltong lean without any fat and some prefer the added flavor of a bit of fat on the biltong its up to you but you have to be more careful to ensure that the fat is properly dried. Leave some fat for extra flavour, as you like it. I had this probably with a large commercial fridge, too much power! Biltong is best done at around 21C .Air dried Mongolian beef use a higher temp to dry with heat . I sometimes use them in case of emergency biltong shortage, so Im not sure how to break it to them. Black pepper and beef are a pair made in heaven. Once dry, these biltong slabs are sliced and eaten. 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. 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. The whole concept of using a lightbulb seems fundamentally fuc.ked, Health, Wealth, Leisure and Relationships. Hello I would like to try this recipe how does it work on elk or deer meat they might be to lean. You can read it here. The air should preferably dry with good airflow. Do a speed test on our app and win R5,000, https://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/613014-The-Official-Biltong-Enthusiasts-Thread. Homemade Turkey Deli Ham - Perfect Cold Cut Lunch meat (video), Tomato Bredie - Traditional South African Stew (Video), Authentic Thai Jungle Curry | Kaeng Pa | (Video), Traditional Russian Pirozhki (Hand pies) - Complete Guide And Video, 4 Ingredient Guacamole With Tomatoes And Chipotle, Super Soft Burger Buns - Hokkaido Milk Rolls (Video), Homemade Orange Marmalade With Pectin (Video), Bavette Steak - What Is It And How To Cook It, Authentic Indian Butter Chicken Recipe (Murgh Makhani), Pork Belly Braai | Slow-Roasted Over The Fire, Burst Cherry Tomato, Mozzarella And Parsley Pasta, Adjika Paste | Authentic Georgian Spice Paste, How To Cook A Ribeye Steak Perfectly In A Skillet, Luxuriously Creamy Mashed Potatoes (Video), Italian Salsa Verde - The Ultimate Green Sauce, The Best Carrot Cake Recipe In The World Ever(Video). Let's discuss beef as it's the most widely used meat for making biltong. 1 Cup of vinegar. In the temperate environments that I've lived in, the moisture is always higher at night time and this is also useful since you can want the higher levels of humidity when you cold smoking. You want to be able to identify the different spices. It just needs to be somewhere in the range of humidity approximately and temperature above. Well just an update since this is my third attempt which I followed to a Tee. 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. Biltong is a traditional South African cured meat. 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. This will be the first curing recipe I will try, but I will be using a refrigerator dedicated to this and I will keep it around 12 Celsius, with a fan inside and a device to monitor humidity. Lightbulb to dehumidify, fan to circulate. This step is often skipped, but it can make a big difference to the flavor that is absorbed by the biltong slab. So I go for longer slower biltong which takes 2-4 days. This should go some way towards fixing the problem. I need to buy a portable cooler. Below is an in-depth explanation of everything surrounding the making of biltong. 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. About to start my first batch, will let you know how it turns out. Interesting 7 Deg could mean thinks drying slowly Also, beneficial bacteria (penicillin) prefers is a little warmer too 85 is doable, but when you have meat in there (which is 70% water), its going to probably be a wetter environment, initially. . Can be stored in the freezer for many months. Salt is essential to let the meat dry and cure properly. And everywhere I go my camera goes too so many of the articles are illustrated with my own photos. You want roughly 1/4 pepper to 3/4 coriander seed for a good balance. Remove the spices from the pan and let them cool down before blitzing in a spice grinder. The biltong can avoid case hardening by ensuring that the humidity is moderate to low and the air movement is not pointed directly at the biltong meat. If it smells or looks rotten then throw it out as some other bad bacteria took hold and you can't save spoiled meat. Adding heat nullifies the process, because then you are making jerky, not biltong. Truthfully, it beats jerky by a mile. Hopefully, theyre dry enough to handle the hotter setting. This biltong recipe is easy and all it takes is a little patience as the biltong dries. I have a question on a 4.5 lb Pork shoulder that Im attempting to cure into Spalla. Biltong needs a fresh air supply to wick the moisture off the meat and dehydrates it. Was wondering if you could give me ingredient amounts for a 2kg silverside. I'd consider getting a commercial dehumidifiercause I've had biltong go mouldy before so the risk is real. I like to take 2 to 4 days to dry out biltong at around 28 to 35C, personal preference. Biltong was typically made out of whatever a hunter could catch as that was what was available. I then drilled through the side and opened up an exit hole of about 3 x 3. Learn how your comment data is processed. Cant wait ! Best recipe, and love the weight tool you added. Throw the marinade out or use it to marinade other meats. Copyright 2023 NewLifeOnAHomestead.com - All rights reserved. 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! Then just lay the cured and spiced thin pieces out on a wire rack in the oven. This can be challenging in Africa, where the temperature can get up to 40C in summer. Thats really all you need to make it. Can you please advise. Recipe was easy and the result was tasty. So, my plan is to use the standard dehydrator. So is the the greyish tinge/oxidation okay? The point of using vinegar is to neutralize any bacteria that may affect the meat. I thought it just generated heat. This will be grain-fed beef. What Ive seen with temperature control and different curing chambers is that the compressor or whatever form of cooling is used may create more or less moisture as well as impacting the humidifier or dehumidifier. Try to make biltong in the dry and cooler seasons of the year, as humid conditions can lead to meat spoilage. Some people would never consider eating biltong without this fat; others prefer to cut off before the biltong is made. Wet stones and ceramic steels. 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). It kills bacteria on the outside of the meat, and helps to draw moisture out. My answer? Do not be light here; make sure that all the meat is covered in vinegar. Brown vinegar is more traditional. It's the most accurate way of measuring. 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!). Texture-wise biltong is more similar to bresaola when made correctly and beef jerky is more of a leathery sometimes wet and chewy consistency. 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. I added a UV light to prevent mould forming (because I live in a very humid part of the world! I must apologise for calling biltong South African beef jerky, because this is a far superior product. Mold is the biggest killer of biltong, especially in humid climates. I ended up doing this without the pink salt and it is a great recipe. This fat can add a considerable amount of flavor to your biltong. Hi John, Thanks for your kind words, really encouraging for me. Always use a sharp knife. Step #2: cut the holes for the fan and the dehumidifier. 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. You can use red wine instead of vinegar if youd prefer. I believe eating and cooking well attributes majorly to a happy life. The best way is to vacuum seal it tight and let it sit in the fridge for 2 to 3 days to make sure the moisture evens out. Hang your meat in a biltong box or other dry-air well-ventilated area away from pests, insects or animals. Ill be getting something like this soon, temp & humidity sensor/logger prob get most consistent in basement? As with jerky, biltong making arose out of necessity. I followed all your instructions, to the tea! And that is saltpeter. Your email address will not be published. It was invented or happily came about because Dutch settlers needed a way to preserve fresh meat for their long travels exploring the rugged South African terrain. 2 Tablespoons of roasted coriander seeds - you can crush these or chop a bit to release the favors. Some dry biltong in a dehydratorand some people use a DIY biltong dehydrator or "biltong box" as it's often called. When it's ready, slice with a sharp knife or biltong slicer. Yeah me neither. Awesome. The Nepalese then pound it into powder and fry it with vegetables. Nice basic recipe as used by my family for many years. So without further ado, heres my tried and tested biltong recipe. I have just set up a small curing chamber, 8 ft cu, from a refrigerator but am seeing some instability in my humidity control..confirmed by a recording temp/hum monitor. While the meat is salting mix together all the wet cure ingredients. Although with airflow, the biltong dries in higher humidity than this. Its such a delicious dried meat snack and you can make quite a lot of biltong in one go. I do have a query regarding lower temperatures. What youre looking for is a slow drying process with gentle airflow. Holidays and weekends have been spent in the great outdoors, hiking, fishing and diving all around the world. I then sealed it and placed a HEPA filter over it. 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. Once cooled, blitz the spices in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar until nicely broken up but not too fine. 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. Trouble is, it's getting more difficult to find incandescent bulbs. Its easy to over-salt biltong, making it almost unbearable to eat in bigger quantities (lets face it, whos going to only eat a little biltong? 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. Use a high wattage bulb so it's nice a hot, it helps dry the air out. Mix it with your salt and add as instructed. Step #6: attach the dehumidifier. He did use 3/4 tablespoon of pink salt in his wet marinate.I'm going to try and add fennel. Its really hard to guess whats going on without seeing it. Try to create these conditions in whatever way you see fit. Salt is a brilliant flavour enhancer and preservative. One can get extremely creative with this so here are a few ideas. Your tutorial is very good and your recipe looks amazing. This is why it is important to check on the progress of the biltong every single day. The best methods to extend that time are to vacuum seal it or keep in a fridge. In fact, if you have other members in your household, its not unusual to have half your biltong missing by the time its ready . This yellow fat is apparent in cattle that have been grass-fed rather than grain-fed. Making biltong Next Biltong (spiced dried meat) is a South African delicacy. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Find it, it will be worth the effort. Make sure your meat is fresh and blood-free. There are two essential things to note here. So glad I found your post!! Sadly the extremely high temps and humidity in my country for all but a few weeks of the year make it hard to make biltong. It's 3 hours salting and 2 hours marinating. Every biltong maker has their own preference on spice mix. Cut with the grain of the meat and aim for thick slaps. I live in Denmark and have decided to build my own box. 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. If I cut it thin (1/4) it can be ready within 36 hours. Also, check out my page with an equilibrium curing calculator to make the calc easy! This is something that just needs testing to get some balance generally. Don't use more than 1% Prague/pink salt to the weight of the meat. Only issue is it got so dry it wasn't that appealing to eat as is and I ended up making biltong stew with it. Biltong traditionally did not include sugar at all and the preservation is mainly achieved by the addition of vinegar. Biltong is a type of dried meat typically made from beef, but also from game meat such as venison, ostrich, kudu, and eland (to name a few). To this day it's enjoyed in excessive quantities as it's such an addictive snack. This is more often found in cows that are a little more aged than the prime cuts of beef. I have an Anova Precision Oven which can dehydrate meat at that exact temperature and humidity. 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). There are affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. Once the meat is ready remove the hooks. Now, these are my dry curing conditions, although I have spoken to award-winning biltong makers internationally. You can blitz your peppercorns with the spices or grind them in with a pepper mill. Oui, vive la France ! 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. Raw beef inoculated with 4-strain cocktails of either E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, or Staphylococcus aureus, and processed with a standard biltong process, were shown to incur a >5-log reduction . If youve not checked for a while and found your biltong totally covered, sadly the best place for it is the bin. With generation after generation using roughly the same method and ingredients to make it. Once you have tasted biltong, youll be a fan of this spiced dried meat that South Africans have made famous around the world. If you prefer softer biltong, with a good dryer and thin cuts, your biltong can be ready to your liking in 2 to 3 days. Authentic Biltong Recipe Ingredients 4 lbs. Its best to toast the seeds to release the oils for flavour, but also because the oil suppresses bacterial growth. Trim off silver skin, connective tissue or any unwanted fat but I suggest you leave the fat on for moisture and flavour. Thanks Chris! Im lucky enough to harvest quality meat from the wild. Fennel is the way forward. However living in South Africa most of my life, I have seen people dry it in garages with the meat hung on lines, and a fan going to keep any insects off and make sure the drying progresses evenly. Do this in a clean plastic or non-reactive metal container where the meat fits snugly. If I want to do a meat curing project later on. Hi Tom, I recently discovered your website and its a real treasure trove of information. It it too high ? My Aussie and ZA mates all love it. Some like theirs tough like old leather. For this, you will need a spray bottle for food. Bicarbonate of soda is only used when the meat you choose will be tough to chew on. I had a friend diffuse the airflow with a metal plate and another commercial fridge, which actually also had an impact on stabilising humidity. your thoughts? Use a sharp knife or biltong slicer to slice it. I programmed it at 11C/52F. From costly handmade stuff that is not practical to my favourite 20 dollar knives with no branding. Biltong is air cured, not cooked, not dehydrated. It will froth as the acid reacts with the soda. These coated slabs are then marinated in vinegar for a few hours, then air-dried for several days until dry. I use the same recipe also and my wife loves it and unfortunately, the dog is now addicted. 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. Tanja, I live in Colorado (low humidity) and just hang my biltong in the garage with a fan blowing it. Rub a little salt on the cut ends to protect them. Prepare your own Biltong spices for use with this dehydrator biltong. I have made some cured hams in the past and used Prague curing salt in the wet cure. There are a couple of ways to apply this vinegar, such as dribbling it through the hand. 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. Temperature and Humidity for Meat Curing Chamber, Want to Make Charcuterie at Home? Once all your meat slab pieces are hooked up, hang them in the drying area. Skies will clear making way for a sunny and dry day. Another way is to rub the biltong with very hot cut chilli then add the rub. Trial and error is the way! I have used it with great success with beef, kangaroo, fallow and red deer meat. 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. This is so we can hang it up and track the moisture loss by weighing it.
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making biltong in humid climate