This case hardening can happen if the humidity is way too low or if theres a gale force blowing onto the biltong. 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. Contact13 Chester Terrace Westville, South Africa, Choosing the best beef to use for biltong, Optional: Additions of Bicarbonate of Soda, Grilled Biltong Steak You Can Make Tonight [Full Recipe], Biltong Slicers How To Cut Your Biltong, Tips for Drying Biltong in a Biltong Box: Ideal Conditions and Testing for Dryness, How Long Does Charcoal Last Estimating What You Need, Best Charcoal Chimney Starter: The Only 3 You Should Consider, 4 Insanely Easy Ways To Use Wood Pellets On a Charcoal Grill, Venison Biltong Recipe: Make Delicious Wild Game Biltong, The Right Biltong Box Temperature For Drying, 77 of the Best Recipes to Try with Biltong, Biltong Vinegar: 7 Delicious Vinegar Options for Biltong. Let it sit for 2 hours in the salt flipping a few times to ensure even salting. I thought it might be useful to stick in a quick overview of the different projects I am familiar with and the environments. I thought there was enough air being pulled through the compressor but it seems it wasnt the case. Well just an update since this is my third attempt which I followed to a Tee. Play with the biltong spice recipe until you find what you like. Try to avoid fatty cuts of beef as it is trickier to dry fatty meat without it spoiling. Biltong is best done at around 21C .Air dried Mongolian beef use a higher temp to dry with heat . I dont think a modern dehydrator cuts it. idk about this lightbulb plan. It it too high ? The right amount of fat to keep on your meat for biltong is contentious, and quite honestly, it comes down to personal taste. The ideal climate is warm (not hot), dry, with steady reliable balanced airflow. 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. 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. It really does depend on the environment you live in, you could be anywhere in the world wide web so you may have a more suitable environment when it comes to the humidity or you may not. Everything is easy to understand and clear. Apr 1, 2023 by ASK SOUTH AFRICA. Keeping relative humidity in the box below 50% ensures consistent, quality results. For most people, a balcony with a fan blowing over the meat would be the easiest. If you use old spices mixed weeks ago, youre compromising the taste of your biltong. Charl, the resident South African who was wwoofing at Milkwood at the time, was in charge of the recipe: - Cut meat along the natural grain, into strips about 1 cm wide. Everyone's happy. 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. Some recipes call for balsamic or cider vinegar. Pieces shouldn't be too thick 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. His wife refused to have any. Ive been using malt vinegar. For biltong strips, cut tenderized steak into 2cm strips and follow the recipe. If it smells or looks rotten then throw it out as some other bad bacteria took hold and you can't save spoiled meat. Don't store in craft bags as the meat will keep drying out. Brown sugar has a caramel and molasses flavour that adds complexity to the meat, without masking it. Have tried others but always come back to this recipe by Charle. Biltong made from beef or venison is the most popular. 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. 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! 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. Now I truly appreciate other people are learning from this blog which summarizes what I have learned. Ive added liquid smoke to my brine in the past. Required fields are marked *. Hi Tom, I recently discovered your website and its a real treasure trove of information. This is something that took me a while to figure out on my first curing chamber. It's best to look at weight or moisture loss rather than time to judge when it's done. 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. If your thinking longer term dry curing. She actually liked it and that was fantastic! 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! Mix it with your salt and add as instructed. The air fryer will give a harder dryer piece of meat in 4 to 6 hours. (home of real chhhaaarcuuuterrrie!) This biltong recipe is easy and all it takes is a little patience as the biltong dries. So glad I found your post!! My curing chamber does operate a little bit drier, its a big double door to bar fridge that I converted. It's 3 hours salting and 2 hours marinating. You dont want to use too much because it can leave an unpleasant aftertaste. Two or three slabs will not last that long and will be eaten within a week or two. This is something that just needs testing to get some balance generally. The Worcestershire sauce just adds depth of flavor to the biltong. AWESOME!!! BTW Charlie, have you ever used a pre-mix call Crown Mills now Crown National? 4 1/2kg now drying. Copyright 2023 NewLifeOnAHomestead.com - All rights reserved. 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. I thought it just generated heat. Make sure none of the pieces are touching. 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. So, my plan is to use the standard dehydrator. Leave for 12 hours. Humidity and Temperature Ranges for a Curing Chamber. (Photo by V. Edgar). Do a speed test on our app and win R5,000, https://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/613014-The-Official-Biltong-Enthusiasts-Thread. 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. Space them about 3 - 4 inches apart. This is why it is important to check on the progress of the biltong every single day. I followed all your instructions, to the tea! - Soak meat overnight in vinegar. Thoroughly wash and dry your hands, and squeeze the flattest sides of the meat in with your fingers. 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. I would at least vacuum seal it. My wife cant stand biltong, never has, UNTIL NOW! 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! Even putting it in a biltong box is not traditional, as the flavor wont have time to develop. Now, these are my dry curing conditions, although I have spoken to award-winning biltong makers internationally. So here is a table summarizing the temperature and humidity ranges and then Ill go over a few tips relevant to the curing chamber and its environment. If you want trim the fat a bit or leave it on. That said, its fairly forgiving and a day or two over wont do too much harm. What I see is my humidity collapses in conjunction with the temp dropping.appears the humidity collapse might precede temp drop but not certain, they follow very closely. You can read it here. Cut the meat into 3cm or 1,1-inch strips along the grain of the meat. 30 degrees Celcius or 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the perfect temperature to dry biltong at. Cover the container and let your biltong cure for 24 hours in the fridge, turning and rubbing through the meat occasionally. I double checked, but I am presuming you didnt use any nitrates/nitrites. Geez people , biltong is air cured meat. On average, biltong will take five days to dry. it needs much thinner cuts, no more than 1cm. 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 savoury snack, not a desert! If there is too much air flow around your biltong, the outside can firm up really quickly, leaving the middle soft. Bicarbonate of soda is only used when the meat you choose will be tough to chew on. Biltong is an air-dried meat snack that originates from South Africa. This is especially necessary in countries /areas with high humidity to prevent mould and spoilage. Biltong is air cured, not cooked, not dehydrated. Stand the box upright and open the flaps on top. Low humidity for biltong is anything below 50%. Im getting into charcuterie. Personally, I wouldnt.Portable cooler? One can get extremely creative with this so here are a few ideas. I use the same recipe also and my wife loves it and unfortunately, the dog is now addicted. Vacuum seal tight and store in the fridge or freezer. Can i exclude the sugar from the the recipe or replace with a sugar alternative? I then drilled through the side and opened up an exit hole of about 3 x 3. 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. Viva La France! Learn how your comment data is processed. Biltong was typically made out of whatever a hunter could catch as that was what was available. Everybodys preferences with biltong tend to be different. This batch of for Saturdays rugby. There is a dedicated a very important ingredient missing in the above recipe. I had some success with dry curing meat because I had the right humidity and the right temperature. Don't use more than 1% Prague/pink salt to the weight of the meat. You can buy ready made biltong boxes, or make your own. 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. But have never seen anyone in south africa use this. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Right now it averages 30 to 40 degrees Celsius with humidity around 80% plus. Add a pinch of pink salt if you want. Fennel is the way forward. Will that work ok? The longer you leave it in the wet cure the more the wet cure flavour will be there in the end product. I may earn a tiny commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Sure thing. In the era of Parma where Parma Ham comes from, its next two areas of water which allows the generally higher level of moisture and humidity in the air to stop the outside drying (I just googled Parma, Italy whether. 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. If youve read any forums on biltong recipes, you will find people talking about yellow fat biltong being the best. Some visitors even buy the biltong box kits when they visit, which they can assemble at home. Do you ever use pink curing salt when making Biltong? Nice basic recipe as used by my family for many years. 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. Hi Andew looks lekker my last batch using another recipe (my first) was too salty 1.4 tbsp per kilo for 24 hrs. I only have whole muscle meats hanging in there at the moment : lamb pancetta arrotolata, bresaola and beef bacon. Never come across biltong done with balsamic vinegar before. Thank you! Not dehydrated. Might need that temp controller too Cheers T. Thank you for putting in so much effort in your site and sharing your experience. As with jerky, biltong making arose out of necessity. Just dont overdo itbiting into a lump of peppercorn is not a pleasant experience! 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!). 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. When cutting the meat to prepare, cut along the grain of the meat. Just add a teaspoon of bicarb to the biltong spice for every 1 kg of meat. 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. This site contains affiliate links. Click here for the recipe. Room temperature in most houses is fine, but air flow can be a problem. go old school.look up south African biltong. 2 Tablespoons of coarse salt. If you are happy waiting a few weeks then the low temp is good and you'll get a very good product. Try to keep as much of the spice on the meat as possible. Just wanted to say, THANK YOU so kindly for sharing this amazing recipe! Cover the meat completely in spices making sure to get it into every nook and cranny. I had a friend diffuse the airflow with a metal plate and another commercial fridge, which actually also had an impact on stabilising humidity. This is definitely one style and very popular. Find it, it will be worth the effort. Add a hook to the thickest end of each length. Some dry biltong in a dehydratorand some people use a DIY biltong dehydrator or "biltong box" as it's often called. With an acidity of at least 10%. These commercial quick dry solutions wont taste the same. I'm really big on prep, usually going from the end forward then back from beginning to end. Learning tricks from other cultures on planting and gardening brought new ideas to food gardens and creating beautiful outdoor spaces. 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. 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. It all depends on the type of dryer and thickness of the meat as to how soon your meat is ready. Temp stays right in range. You should assume any link is an affiliate link. And is the long time in the freezer okay? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Excellent website. And everyone I know who knows how to make biltong live, and has always lived, in bone dry climates. I like a little fat because it helps carry flavour, but I tend to remove most of it before hanging. 1 Tablespoon of finely ground black pepper. Let's discuss beef as it's the most widely used meat for making biltong. Mix the coriander, black pepper, ground cumin, and salt. A combination of good airflow and relatively cool temperatures are the key to successful biltong making. Look for meat that is ultra-fresh and has a bit of fat running through the meat. What youre looking for is cool conditions with good airflow. 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. You want roughly 1/4 pepper to 3/4 coriander seed for a good balance. And everywhere I go my camera goes too so many of the articles are illustrated with my own photos. Don't cut the slices too thick or they will take too long to dry. You are using an out of date browser. Once ready, cut into thin slices with a sharp knife and enjoy some of the best meat youll ever eat. By bookmarking these links you help support the upkeep of this site. Rub a little salt on the cut ends to protect them. 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. Many home biltong makers add a lot of ingredients to their biltong, thinking that adding more will lead to a better result, but in reality theyre muddying the clarity of the flavour and masking the star of the showgood quality meat! Your email address will not be published. The process of making this traditional, deliciously meaty South African snack is simple, though getting it just right can be tricky. You are right. This is the most common type of dry curing people do at home apart from jerky. If youve not checked for a while and found your biltong totally covered, sadly the best place for it is the bin. Now and then I had some Louisiana Cajun Spice for a kick. As I did 6.4 kg of topside and at the last minute decided to not introduce any smoke on the grounds it should be kept original. (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! 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!). Thus giving us a delicious product that is safeguarded against spoilage. 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 . After 3 hours simply wipe off the salt but. If you found this post helpful or have learned something, comment, subscribe, and follow me on social platforms for more tasty recipes. I don't know anyone that likes dry or hard cured biltong but some do prefer it. This is so we can hang it up and track the moisture loss by weighing it. The bicarb acts as a meat tenderizer. But once you have this culture growing inside the curing chamber, the salt cured meat you put in there will be well protected (as long as you follow a good methodology of course). Nice Sophia, thanks for the kind words. If the case hardening is severe, the tough outer layer can prevent moisture from leaving the middle. 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. Cheers Tom. For me, 2 hours is good for maximum beefiness while the cure does its job. Thank you very much. Large chunks of fat can be a little unpleasant to deal with when eating biltong. - pat meat dry and season with biltong spices - coriander (mandatory), chilli (optional) and salt and pepper. Let it marinate for 2 hours turning the meat a few times to ensure even marination. My dads buddy from South Africa used to make it using this pre-mix spice and it was unbelievable. Here is a quick synopsis on how to make biltong. Start weighing after about 4 days to monitor the weight loss. So, many omit the salt soak and add the salt to the spice mix instead. This should go some way towards fixing the problem. You can pick them up pretty cheap online. Anyone from Natal (or any other humid part of the world) who makes biltong: do you need to do anything special? Thank you so very much. Authentic Biltong Recipe Ingredients 4 lbs. Are there any issues you have to pay special attention to when making biltong in a humid climate? 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. I still need to find some stuff to fashion a biltong box out of, so I have some time. Put a small meat hook or paperclip through the meat with a label attached to it. With generation after generation using roughly the same method and ingredients to make it. Do you need to increase the ventilation in your biltong box? 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. 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. When you trim the biltong, you need to choose for yourself. Now I am going to expand to Biltonghad my first taste and loved it. Works as well as any classic flavour combination. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Biltong can also be made from: Chicken, simply referred to as chicken biltong. Is it too humid? The easiest ways to achieve the high humidity and high level of temperature is to have a humidifier and a heater of some sort in the curing chamber. When I took the shoulder out of the bag to hang, it had a slightly greyish tinge to it. Like a lot of biltong lovers, I was introduced to this culinary treasure as a child, and the addiction has stuck. Many DIY biltong makers will construct a 'biltong box' with a fan and a lightbulb to create good air circulation and warm temperatures. Ive since upgraded to an old fridge with the mechanics removed, holes in the bottom, and a fan drawing air past the meat. 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). In fact, if you have other members in your household, its not unusual to have half your biltong missing by the time its ready . I live in Denmark and have decided to build my own box. You're trying to dry the meat, not cook it. Wet stones and ceramic steels. 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. Not sure it would move the needle much over here though. I'd love it if you could post a photo. plugged into a temperature controller? This step is often skipped, but it can make a big difference to the flavor that is absorbed by the biltong slab. The packing date was mid February, so I also wasnt sure if the long time in the freezer would negatively affect the curing process? Oh, I also added an extra function to the recipe that allows you to change quantities based on meat weight dont say I dont spoil you! It will continue to dry slowly, but it will also keep for a long time this way. 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. Adding heat nullifies the process, because then you are making jerky, not biltong. Its not unusual to have an entire slab missing by the time your biltong is ready. Every biltong maker has their own preference on spice mix. Now that you know how to make biltong, let me know how yours turns out. 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? I was able to share it with my friends and everyone really loved it. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan, then grind down in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Some like theirs tough like old leather. Any advice on how to infuse a bit more chili flavour into the meat for a bit of extra kick. Whole muscle meat maybe, salami no thank you! . Dry in a well ventilated low humidity environment to ensure proper curing. The method and spice mix hasnt changed much in hundreds of years, but a few variations have appeared recently, like piri piri biltong and the use of additional ingredients like worcestershire sauce and dried chillies. With a Home Biltong Maker is as easy as 1-2-3! Contrary to popular belief, heat is not required to make biltongneither does it make for a better product. Brown vinegar is more traditional. Salt and vinegar both act as detergents against bad bacteria by displacing water and lowering the Ph level. While the meat is salting mix together all the wet cure ingredients. Yeah me neither. This fat can add a considerable amount of flavor to your biltong. Its 90% humidity there now thats 11 AM in the morning with a sunny day with some cloud intervals). You got me addicted to making my own biltong. So without further ado, heres my tried and tested biltong recipe. Oh the joy of the craft and balancing the gear! No need to slice it after wards it breaks like a biscuit! As you can see from the previous paragraph, the best biltong is made in mild conditions. (You can see this on the dehydrator biltong recipe). It slows the contraction of the proteins, leaving the final product still dry, but less tough. Throw the marinade out or use it to marinade other meats. Ive used cider vinegar a lot, purely because I have a large batch I made at home. The meat is then air-dried in a dry environment with very good airflow. Try to create these conditions in whatever way you see fit. Once you have tasted biltong, youll be a fan of this spiced dried meat that South Africans have made famous around the world. Prepare your own Biltong spices for use with this dehydrator biltong. Step #5: glue the fan. Ill wait for the cooler months to try salami. Make sure to work clean to minimise the risk of contamination or bad bacteria. Salami is definitely the advanced category of using a curing chamber. But I havent tried it and I cant say Ive heard any great outcomes if youre looking at longer-term dry curing for months. You can also do this in a fridge, but make sure the fridge is spotlessly clean and the meat does not touch anything. I wanted to thank you for all the knowledge Im getting from your blog. This will be grain-fed beef. Step #4: cut out the insect netting. These only have a short lifespan and disappear quite quickly. penicillin a.k.a. Use a high wattage bulb so it's nice a hot, it helps dry the air out. It is vital to make safe to eat biltong. I love this recipe. 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. Both are cured meats but with a difference in the method, texture and flavour. Cant wait ! As long as I handle the meat in a hygienic way, avoiding any cross-contamination and refrigerated it then I use it either fresh or frozen. The third day of Jazz Fest looks to be a gorgeous one. Additional comment actions. Warning this recipe may lead to the purchase of a biltong slicer. I do have a query regarding lower temperatures. If it swings like 10%, no problem. 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. Very useful information. 3) When I make the bigger cabinet should I have: a: Just a fan, b: Just a lightbulb, c: both fan & lightbulb? 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As soon as the froth has settled, remove the meat from the marinade and pat it dry with a paper towel. Also, remove any gristle or sinew which once it is dried is pretty much inedible and you dont want that ruining your biltong snack. Biltong traditionally did not include sugar at all and the preservation is mainly achieved by the addition of vinegar. A Wind Advisory has been issued through Sunday morning. by Runder Biltong February 26, 2022. The whole concept of using a lightbulb seems fundamentally fuc.ked, Health, Wealth, Leisure and Relationships. 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. cheers, Sounds like a good time is coming. Here are the ingredients and equipment you will need to make biltong. Unfortunately its pretty hot in France and the actual temperature of the cellar is 17-18C/62,6-64,4F.