The biltong experiment


Tino

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The Mrs and I built a biltong dryer and have been making beef biltong. The first batch we made was too salty, so that was ground into powder and makes a great seasoning for scrambled eggs and it goes into meat rubs etc.

The second batch came out great, pics below. Now I need to get my hands on some Kudu!

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I think it's pretty similar to beef jerky, Biltong is the South African version of cured/dried meat. It's marinated in vinegar first and then rubbed with salt, coriander and black pepper. You can vary the spice mix too. It's traditionally air dried but we have a light bulb in the box because London is pretty damp. I think jerky is cut thinner too?

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  • 2 years later...

Lets compare recipes.

Here's my setup. Computer case, Stripped out everything inside, Cut off all power out of the power supply and left a few 12V cables (i should have kept some 5V instead in hind sight but anyway). Opened up powersupply and found and bridged the power supply switch since there was no motherboard to tell the power supply to turn on. Reversed the fan so that instead of blowing the hot air from the power supply out of the case, it blows it into the case to add a bit of warmth.

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Poked a coat hanger through the length of case and hung the meat off paper clips.

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Mine is vinegar dipped for a bit, then worchesire sauce, chilli, a bit of tabasco, crushed black pepper, some salt, and ground coriander.

Next time i want to try some dry rubs.

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Nice post Tino - My kids and I often buy Biltong, no sooner we buy we eat! LOL!!

I'd love to find a way to build one myself, I also hear you can make it in the oven at a very low temperature over the course of a day.

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Sheesh, way to resurrect an old thread Mus nyah.gif

I've got a load of dry rub at home that came from South Africa, I'll bring you some in October so you can export it to West Africa!

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Cheers tino :D

Progress pic. Still soft on the inside so needs a few more days. Resoldered the exhaust fan to 5V instead of 12V so now it's not screaming it's **** off and I can leave it on all night as it's not too loud while I sleep.

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Cheers tino biggrin.png

Progress pic. Still soft on the inside so needs a few more days. Resoldered the exhaust fan to 5V instead of 12V so now it's not screaming it's **** off and I can leave it on all night as it's not too loud while I sleep.

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Is that actual camp / mine site road kill Mus and how much are you selling it to the Aussies for ? lmao.gif

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Batch 2 is on. Got some heat on this one. 3 teaspoons of ground dry chilli, 3 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon garlic granules, two teaspoons pepper. Sprinkled some salt on the meat individually. And put a few drops of lemon juice on a few of the pieces too. Will see how it turns out!

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Got my dehydrater going as I type.

Roo backstrap marinated overnight with soy,garlic chilli flakes and a tonne of pepper

Will devour tomorrow as the Eagles smash the crows

sounds pretty good to me Rusty ..except I just arrived home and saw the score ..oh well we will still finish in second spot ,,enjoy party.gif

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Where Whiskey and Beef Are a Match Made in Heaven

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Most people think of jerky as gas station bounty: tasteless, chewy, and wrapped in cheap plastic. But Pamela Braun, a Dallas-based cook, makes far better road food. The author of Jerky Everything (The Countryman Press), out August 3, is all about healthy proteins with in-your-face flavor, such as duck à l'orange and balsamic pork jerky. And that's just the beginning of the stuff that she "jerkies"— game, fish, and veggies can be "jerkied," too. Here, Braun explains how to make whiskey jerky, a savory-sweet snack that puts Slim Jim to shame.
Whiskey Pete Jerky
A certain law enforcement group went bananas when I gave its members some of this jerky. I even had to make them more (I didn't want to risk ending up on a "most wanted" poster). This is a truly simple jerky, but the flavors of all the ingredients really come through. You'll also have a better understanding of why whiskey drinks sell so well at steak houses. Whiskey and beef are a match made in heaven.
Ingredients:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup whiskey
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 drops liquid hickory smoke
1 pound London broil strips
To make:
In a one-gallon resealable plastic freezer bag, thoroughly mix together all the ingredients, except the meat, and allow the mixture to rest for 10 minutes. Add the meat strips to the marinade and mix them around so they get completely coated with the marinade. Remove as much air as possible from the bag, seal, and place it in the refrigerator for eight to 24 hours. During the marinating time, remove the bag from the refrigerator and work the meat around so the marinade is fully incorporated into it. Remove the strips from the marinade and arrange in a single layer in your choice of dryer.
To dry jerky:
You can use gas, electric, or convection ovens to make jerky. Ideally, jerky should be cooked at 165° F, but many ovens don't go lower than 200° F, which will still work. If you use a gas or electric oven, there are a couple things you can do to help get more air flowing around the meat as it dries. First, stick a wooden spoon handle in the door opening to keep it slightly ajar—this will also help bring the oven temperature down a little, which will improve the texture of the finished product. Second, lay the meat strips on a cooling rack set on a baking sheet to allow air to flow underneath the strips as they dry.
If you are using a convection oven, begin checking on the jerky after about 90 minutes. With a gas or electric oven, start checking on it after two and a half hours. If you have a dehydrator, you will find that it is even easier to get great results—just set your dehydrator to 165° F and begin checking the results after four hours.
Jerky is ready when it looks dry, but you can bend it without it snapping. If it does snap, that means it's too dried out—just stick it back into a new marinade and dry it again. When your jerky is ready, store it in a resealable plastic bag without excess air. If you see any oil on the surface, carefully pat it dry with paper towel before storing it.
Properly dried jerky will last up to month at room temperature. For longer storage, vacuum seal or freeze it. Homemade jerky is perfectly safe, but if you spot any mold, the entire batch should be thrown out.
MIKA: I know this is a Biltong thread, but the marinade should be nice regardless
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I like both biltong and jerky but prefer biltong to jerky just that little bit more as it's more "tender". The biltongs that I have had, the slices are against the grain of the meat. Jerky tends to be with the grain, I find.

Also, biltong meat is sliced after curing as opposed to jerky where the meat is sliced prior to curing - read that somewhere. Probably explains why the texture is more "tender".

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I think i've got a good recipe going...

Dip meat (don't marinade) in a 50/50 bbq sauce and worstershire sauce mixture.

Then sprinkle crushed coriander, black pepper, salt, chilli flakes and garlic granules.

For me it's perfect. Has a nice sweetness from the bbq sauce mixed with some heat from the chilli.

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I think i've got a good recipe going...

Dip meat (don't marinade) in a 50/50 bbq sauce and worstershire sauce mixture.

Then sprinkle crushed coriander, black pepper, salt, chilli flakes and garlic granules.

For me it's perfect. Has a nice sweetness from the bbq sauce mixed with some heat from the chilli.

That sounds beautiful hungry.gif

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