Place some newspaper below the meat to catch any liquid. I never like the pre-mix because they add some flavouring too, but that's just me. For the most basic type of jerky, you can use your kitchen oven with the door ajar open, and it will take a lot faster since jerky is only a thin cut of meat. Its not a traditional ingredient if were going full purist, but it balances the saltiness well. Cheers T. Ive been wanting to find out if my crawlspace (no actual crawling required) is suitable for hanging and curing meats. Salt the meat all over and let it sit for 3 hours flipping a few times to make sure it salts evenly. 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! 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. The ideal climate is warm (not hot), dry, with steady reliable balanced airflow. Anything too extreme will create an extreme result. Oui, vive la France ! In fact, rub it into every nook and cranny you can find. It may not display this or other websites correctly. The fan was drawing in the oxygen and therefore pumping some more additional fresh air. So dont leave a whack on expecting it to disappear as the meat does. And that is saltpeter. Aim for 50% weight loss. Cover the meat completely in spices making sure to get it into every nook and cranny. If you want trim the fat a bit or leave it on. It's the most accurate way of measuring. Thank you very much for sharing it. I thought it just generated heat. Yes you could do that or you could grind the chilli flakes a bit and add more. Check your biltong every day for mould. Warning this recipe may lead to the purchase of a biltong slicer. 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! Be sure to get it all or its likely to spread again. If the airflow is too strong, it will dry the outside of the meat, and the inside wont cure properly. Traditionally, brown vinegar has been used to make biltong. But I havent tried it and I cant say Ive heard any great outcomes if youre looking at longer-term dry curing for months. After your biltong has dried to your preferred consistency, you can continue to store it hanging in a well aerated space indefinitely. It should be mostly powder, with a few pieces of seed shells left in. Making Biltong in high humidity? : r/Biltong - Reddit Avoid spoilage and make the food more delicious. Rain will end tonight making way for a dry and sunny Sunday Im getting into charcuterie. The meat is then air-dried in a dry environment with very good airflow. 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). biltong in humid weather - Smoking Meat Forums If youve ever tried cutting over-dried biltong, youll know how tough it can betough as old boots! The longer you leave it in the wet cure the more the wet cure flavour will be there in the end product. Below is an in-depth explanation of everything surrounding the making of biltong. I like my biltong a little tough, but still wet in the middle. This is definitely one style and very popular. Biltong traditionally did not include sugar at all and the preservation is mainly achieved by the addition of vinegar. Thanks Sebastian. What humidity should biltong be? Any mould left on will grow back. 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. Biltong quite often is 1 thick. This recipe looks fantastic, very new at all of this. Your tutorial is very good and your recipe looks amazing. If there is any give in the meat, theres still moisture in the middle. Limited Time 50% OFF. Traditional biltong is made by slicing large strips of beef and coating them with a mixture of crushed coriander seeds, cracked pepper, salt, and brown sugar. The length of the strips will depend on the height of your dryer as the meat must not touch the tray at the bottom. Biltong is such a delicious snack you may not be able to keep it away from the family and visitors long enough to have to worry about preserving it alter all you can always make more! Now some recipes also dont have fermentation, so just make sure you are following a decent one. Anyone from Natal (or any other humid part of the world) who makes biltong: do you need to do anything special? There are two essential things to note here. Leave it too long and youll have some tooth-bustingly tough biltong on your hands. Use a non-reactive storage container when soaking the meat in vinegar. I really enjoy the percentages used to calculate almost everything. This should take around a week but start monitoring it after 4 days. The whole concept of using a lightbulb seems fundamentally fuc.ked, Health, Wealth, Leisure and Relationships. 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. 3) When I make the bigger cabinet should I have: a: Just a fan, b: Just a lightbulb, c: both fan & lightbulb? You can use red wine instead of vinegar if youd prefer. If you suspect that case hardening is your problem, I recommend cutting through the end of the meat and checking it. The Worcestershire sauce just adds depth of flavor to the 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. This should go some way towards fixing the problem. Just wanted to say, THANK YOU so kindly for sharing this amazing recipe! Some recipes call for several stages of curing and washing off spices, reapplying them, etcthis is not necessary. 2) Is it ok to do this without the lightbulb? Iodized salt has a chemical aftertaste. First, know your weather. How biltong is made - Runder Biltong When you trim the biltong, you need to choose for yourself. If youve not checked for a while and found your biltong totally covered, sadly the best place for it is the bin. Dankie! Best recipe, and love the weight tool you added. (Photo by V. Edgar). 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. As soon as the froth has settled, remove the meat from the marinade and pat it dry with a paper towel. Top rump and Silverside are the two preferred cuts of beef, although I've had great results with other cuts including the following. I have a home made biltong cabinet with he fan and 40watt light bulb. For me, 2 hours is good for maximum beefiness while the cure does its job. Either way, both are tasty meat snacks with a very loyal global following even though they differ a lot. This is the ultimate way of making the famous South African cured meat, often confused with beef jerky. Let it marinate for 2 hours turning the meat a few times to ensure even marination. Once youve made the biltong spice mix, rub it onto both sides of the meat. I know this is probably because of oxidation but I wasnt sure if this would negatively affect the curing process? A Link to this webpage was sent to me by a friend in South Africa and it looks delicious. While that is happening mix together the wet cure. I live in Denmark and have decided to build my own box. 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. Leave for 12 hours. Authentic Biltong Recipe Ingredients 4 lbs. If you are hanging the meat in a room with a fan it may take up to 10 days to dry. It's now ready to slice thinly with a sharp knife. It's 3 hours salting and 2 hours marinating. Can u give me tips on using an airfryer, I have one that goes down to 90F on dehydrate mode and got some in there now as a tester but open to any tips. Room temperature in most houses is fine, but air flow can be a problem. Don't worry too much if you leave it longer in the wet cure. Alternatively OP you could look at getting a smoker thingthose don't mind humidity afaik, I didn't realise the lightbulb was meant to dehumidify. I offsetting a lid to the compressor, which was just next to the fan in the compressor. 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. Place several (about 7) wooden rods (C) inside the box about 2 inches from the top. Are there any issues you have to pay special attention to when making biltong in a humid climate? About to start my first batch, will let you know how it turns out. Ive been using malt vinegar. 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. Temp stays right in range. I need to buy a portable cooler. Once youve got the coriander seeds ground, coarsely grind your black peppercorns and add them to the mix. Concrete can be used in humid climates, but excellent humidity control needs to be established as well. Once the meat is ready remove the hooks. Great instructions and simple well balanced ingredients. Cheers Tom. Once all your meat slab pieces are hooked up, hang them in the drying area. Have just bought 6.4 kg of topside and am ready to go again this time I will not hand it out maybe a little bit because it had a 100% approval which I thank charlie but it cost me 100 dollars to buy. Many folks do love it and that's cool too. It will continue to dry slowly, but it will also keep for a long time this way. The meat hooks you want to use here should be food grade and have a plastic covering. Biltong made from beef or venison is the most popular. The most important thing to remember when choosing meat is the quality and fat marbling. Freezing is a good option as it can last for up to 12 months in a freezer, but will last a few days in the fridge in a paper bag or in a glass jar. 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!). Vinegar does a perfectly good job of sterilising the meat without mountains of salt. Will that work ok? Thanks for your time. I love this recipe. Make sure your wet meat is sprinkled everywhere with vinegar and salt and then marinate for at least 12 hours in the refrigerator so it can penetrate. 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. I know we have amazing charcuterie, Im Muslim so no pork for me. Especially biltong that can in most cases do without it. This is the most common type of dry curing people do at home apart from jerky. When I started off and built my first meat a curing chamber over 15 years ago, I did a lot of research and read quite a lot of books to make sure I was on the right track. Keeping below 24C in the initial phases stops the fats from going rancid. While the meat is salting mix together all the wet cure ingredients. Its best to toast the seeds to release the oils for flavour, but also because the oil suppresses bacterial growth. No need to slice it after wards it breaks like a biscuit! Weigh the meat and write it on the label. and if you get a little mould wash with vinegar and it is fine. The recipe for the biltong spice can be found below and this can be made at the same time. But before I started doing jerky I was making South African biltong, this is a slower drying process and uses much chunkier bits of meat. Thats really all you need to make it. The main seasonings are coriander, sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar. Absolutely brilliant!!! 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. Its worth noting that the thicker you cut your initial beef cuts, the slower the drying process must be to avoid case hardening, so try cutting thinner next time. Use a high wattage bulb so it's nice a hot, it helps dry the air out. My dads buddy from South Africa used to make it using this pre-mix spice and it was unbelievable. But the results and the process improved once I improved the airflow and oxygen going in the chamber. If you dont have a curing chamber and youre just looking at hanging out some meat to cure such as simple dry-cured bacon with some cold smoke after or simple red meat braesola recipe. Your strips need to hang freely, without contact. I dont think a modern dehydrator cuts it. 30 degrees Celcius or 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the perfect temperature to dry biltong at. 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. To this day it's enjoyed in excessive quantities as it's such an addictive snack. I cant give accurate advice on how long to store it this way, but I think its safe to say that no sane person is going to leave biltong uneaten for more than a few days. This doesn't need to be very strong, as that also runs the risk of drying the outer layers before the inside of the meat. Use less salt! Hi Andew looks lekker my last batch using another recipe (my first) was too salty 1.4 tbsp per kilo for 24 hrs. The humidity will also be very . Apr 1, 2023 by ASK SOUTH AFRICA. The reason for this plastic covering is that vinegar reacts with metal, so you dont want this affecting the taste of your meat. By far the best biltong I have ever tried! Since there was always a little bit of pressure going through the chamber, it was always coming out the hole. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. I prefer brown, but white, balsamic, or even cider will also work. I assume the compressor is on during the drop. If youve made a lot more than that, then consider vacuum-sealing the slabs to keep them for longer. The airflow is just enough to draw away moisture, but not too fast so as to avoid over drying the outside of the meat. Do you ever use pink curing salt when making Biltong? 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. Make sure the meat is covered in the biltong spice. Optionally add baking soda to the meat along with the marinade and give it a good mix. Vacuum seal tight and store in the fridge or freezer. He said it never got below 77F/25C at any time of the year, day or night! This case hardening can happen if the humidity is way too low or if theres a gale force blowing onto the biltong. Biltong is best done at around 21C .Air dried Mongolian beef use a higher temp to dry with heat . They did this either by curing or dehydrating their meat. 9. Hello I would like to try this recipe how does it work on elk or deer meat they might be to lean. Think it should be fine with a fan to keep the air moving? Thank you! My local butcher goes way overboard with salt on their biltong. Im lucky enough to harvest quality meat from the wild. Hang in your biltong box, or in a well aired, ventilated space with a fan blowing gently to increase air flow. 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. Yeah me neither. Stand the box upright and open the flaps on top. White spirit vinegar is traditional (made from grape must). 01 May 2023 01:09:48 It all depends on the type of dryer and thickness of the meat as to how soon your meat is ready. Biltong curing consists of salting the meat and then giving it a dredge in a marinade or vinegar solution. You dont want to use too much because it can leave an unpleasant aftertaste. Well explained. You should assume any link is an affiliate link. Sprinkle the salt all over the meat including the sides. Space them about 3 - 4 inches apart. Some visitors even buy the biltong box kits when they visit, which they can assemble at home. A cool air-conditioned room, or dry cool basement, will also help provide the right environment for making and storing biltong. The salt is an excellent flavour enhancer and should definitely be includedjust a little less to avoid the need for washing. You are right. 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. We will add the peppercorns unroasted. Hey mate, thanks! Once you have your chosen cut probably silverside or topside, remove some of the excess fat. Quite - but dehumidifier heating. So without further ado, heres my tried and tested biltong recipe. Just remember the acid has been slightly neutralised in the mix so you need to add more vinegar if you want to make another batch of biltong. 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. For this biltong recipe, we will spray the vinegar onto the meat. Biltong was originally created by Dutch pioneers in South Africa, Voortrekkers, who needed reliable food sources on their long treks across the continent. This site may earn commissions when you visit certain links. For most people, a balcony with a fan blowing over the meat would be the easiest. Homemade Biltong Recipe - How To Make Biltong - Karnivore 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. Used it before when I had to go on a long hike. Sprinkle the vinegar on and rub everything in thoroughly whilst turning the meat with your hands. I use an ex- wine barrel which doubles as a cold smoker and biltong maker. Four hours should be enough; however, I often leave the tray in the refrigerator overnight. To easily make a biltong box at home, use a cardboard box, such as a computer monitor box. Thank you Charlie I have sourced 5kg of topside for the next batch and I agree fennel is awesome just got to be careful about my salt intake as I now make a lot of billtong cold smoked salmon and kimchi.

Ben Herman Silverleaf Net Worth, Articles M