The Official Biltong Enthusiasts Thread

So out of pure desperation I went and bought some normal a grade silverside. The lack of fat makes me :(.
 
Zenbaas said:
So out of pure desperation I went and bought some normal a grade silverside. The lack of fat makes me :(.
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Sorry Zen, not to make you jealous at all, but just had an exceptionally fatty offcut from the last batch, and it virtually melts in the mouth.

some of these pieces were a bit low in the fat dept though :(, very tasty though.
 
tedl said:
Sorry Zen, not to make you jealous at all, but just had an exceptionally fatty offcut from the last batch, and it virtually melts in the mouth.

some of these pieces were a bit low in the fat dept though :(, very tasty though.
Click to expand...

Ag it's ok. There are a few fatty pieces but nothing to write home about. I will persevere ..!
 
Previously on this thread, or perhaps another thread on the forum I read about the correct temperature and humidity for curing.

In this regard I ordered one of these to pop in the box, which should arrive later today or tomorrow:
http://www.timsreptiles.co.za/product/analogue-thermo-hygrometer

I also did some further Googling and found this:

http://www.spesialiseddryers.com/dryingtips.htm

This was interesting on two points as follows:

  • First, dry at a lower temperature of 22 to 24 degrees for 24 hours, and then raise the temperature to between 30 to 33 degrees for the remainder of the drying time.
  • Second, use Potassium Sorbate to clean the equipment, and add a bit to the spice mix to prevent spoilage.

On the first issue, I have been doing the opposite, starting with a 100w bulb for the first day, and then dropping to 60 or 40 watts to prevent spoilage (I don't have a fan, just a bulb).
This is the first I have heard of using Potassium Sorbate, and have done quite a bit of reading, and thought that what the vinegar was supposed to do due to its acidity.

Anyone got some thoughts on the above two points?

<edit>
Just checked the ingredients in the Crown Safari mix:

http://www.biltongspice.com.au/products/CROWN-NATIONAL-SAFARI-BILTONG-SPICE,-2-Kg.html

It contains Potassium Sorbate as well as MSG hmmmm....

</edit>
 
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IdlePhaedrus said:
Previously on this thread, or perhaps another thread on the forum I read about the correct temperature and humidity for curing.

In this regard I ordered one of these to pop in the box, which should arrive later today or tomorrow:
http://www.timsreptiles.co.za/product/analogue-thermo-hygrometer

I also did some further Googling and found this:

http://www.spesialiseddryers.com/dryingtips.htm

This was interesting on two points as follows:

  • First, dry at a lower temperature of 22 to 24 degrees for 24 hours, and then raise the temperature to between 30 to 33 degrees for the remainder of the drying time.
  • Second, use Potassium Sorbate to clean the equipment, and add a bit to the spice mix to prevent spoilage.

On the first issue, I have been doing the opposite, starting with a 100w bulb for the first day, and then dropping to 60 or 40 watts to prevent spoilage (I don't have a fan, just a bulb).
This is the first I have heard of using Potassium Sorbate, and have done quite a bit of reading, and thought that what the vinegar was supposed to do due to its acidity.

Anyone got some thoughts on the above two points?

<edit>
Just checked the ingredients in the Crown Safari mix:

http://www.biltongspice.com.au/products/CROWN-NATIONAL-SAFARI-BILTONG-SPICE,-2-Kg.html

It contains Potassium Sorbate as well as MSG hmmmm....

</edit>
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Sounds like too much effort :p I would stick with the 40w bulb. You don't want too much heat on your box. Otherwise I have never added "preservatives" to my home mixes and never had issues. I think if you live in a more humid climate then maybe it's worth consifering.
 
Zenbaas said:
Sounds like too much effort :p I would stick with the 40w bulb. You don't want too much heat on your box. Otherwise I have never added "preservatives" to my home mixes and never had issues. I think if you live in a more humid climate then maybe it's worth consifering.
Click to expand...

I have plenty bought spice blends and have tried them all. I have found that my own homemade blend is best suited to my taste buds. I don't add any preservatives or MSG for that matter. Let me also throw a spanner in the works, I don't use vinegar either.

I live in JHB and I find the best time to make biltong is in the winter when the air is crisp and dry, having said that I make biltong weekly and I do struggle when we have lots of rain to keep the biltong from going off.

When I first started out, I used a stationery cabinet as my dryer. I put two extractor fans on the top, vents on the side and a light bulb inside the cabinet. With a 100W light bulb I am sure that the biltong will dry too quickly on the outside and become hard. I used to use a 40W light bulb. It is also recommended that for the first 24 hours you only run the fan. I have also been told before that 28 degrees is the ideal temp, but I have yet to see any biltong dryer that keep a constant ambient temperature inside the cabinet as it is draw external air into the cabinet continuously.

http://www.johnfmarshall.co.za/index.php?id=78

This is the biltong dryer that I own, it has a heating element as opposed to a light bulb. I try not to use the element.

When it comes to making biltong the most important factor is air flow , the second most important factor is air flow and the third factor is that the air must remain moisture free.
 
pulling wire said:
Thanks. The right size for my needs. And does not look too out of place in the kitchen.
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That is a very good looking dryer. :)

The reason I asked about temperature and humidity is that I have had a slight mould problem, and why I got the thermometer / hygrometer. The mould is easy to deal with, a quick wipe of vinegar when it starts will kill it. It is not a hygiene issue, I am fastidious about that.

I started a new batch of biltong this morning (with your recipe PW, see some notes below on this), and as a test, I put some meat into the old Mellerware box (with the fan running and a 40w candle) so I could do a comparison. I have never had any mould issues in the Mellerware box.

With an ambient temperature of around 23 degrees and an ambient RH of around 68%, measured after sufficient time, at the bottom of the MW box (remember the air flows from the top to the bottom and the lamp is at the top as well) is 27 degrees / 43% RH. This is more or less the sweet spot from what I have read and PW has stated, so given my conditions, at this time of year, all is good with the MW box, but the thing is fugly.

In my home built box (without a fan) a 40w bulb produces a temperature too low and a RH too high to prevent mould (both at the top and the bottom of the box).

A 100w bulb produces a temperature that is too high and an RH that is way too low (both at the top and bottom of the box).

I am getting mixed results with a 60w bulb, but since that is the closest I can get to the goldilocks effect for now, that is where I am going to stay with this batch. Will report back on this, but ultimately think I am probably going to have to introduce a fan, or find a bulb around 75w (halogen might do the trick here). Dunno, but ultimately the gadget has a helped a lot to disclose the conditions in the box. I think it was a good investment for 70 bucks. Rolling blackouts have now interrupted my experiments, friggen Eskom :sick:

PW, With regards vinegar and MSG. Sorry to burst your bubble, but Worcester sauce always contains vinegar, it is a major ingredient, and most brands contain MSG also. The only one I have found to date that does not appear to is Lea & Perrins, which is twice the price, but have used it in this batch....

Don't want to get into a discussion about whether MSG is good or bad for you, the interweb has already done that one to death, this post is just about preventing mould :p
 
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IdlePhaedrus said:
That is a very good looking dryer. :)

The reason I asked about temperature and humidity is that I have had a slight mould problem, and why I got the thermometer / hygrometer. The mould is easy to deal with, a quick wipe of vinegar when it starts will kill it. It is not a hygiene issue, I am fastidious about that.

I started a new batch of biltong this morning (with your recipe PW, see some notes below on this), and as a test, I put some meat into the old Mellerware box (with the fan running and a 40w candle) so I could do a comparison. I have never had any mould issues in the Mellerware box.

With an ambient temperature of around 23 degrees and an ambient RH of around 68%, measured after sufficient time, at the bottom of the MW box (remember the air flows from the top to the bottom and the lamp is at the top as well) is 27 degrees / 43% RH. This is more or less the sweet spot from what I have read and PW has stated, so given my conditions, at this time of year, all is good with the MW box, but the thing is fugly.

In my home built box (without a fan) a 40w bulb produces a temperature too low and a RH too high to prevent mould (both at the top and the bottom of the box).

A 100w bulb produces a temperature that is too high and an RH that is way too low (both at the top and bottom of the box).

I am getting mixed results with a 60w bulb, but since that is the closest I can get to the goldilocks effect for now, that is where I am going to stay with this batch. Will report back on this, but ultimately think I am probably going to have to introduce a fan, or find a bulb around 75w (halogen might do the trick here). Dunno, but ultimately the gadget has a helped a lot to disclose the conditions in the box. I think it was a good investment for 70 bucks. Rolling blackouts have now interrupted my experiments, friggen Eskom :sick:

PW, With regards vinegar and MSG. Sorry to burst your bubble, but Worcester sauce always contains vinegar, it is a major ingredient, and most brands contain MSG also. The only one I have found to date that does not appear to is Lea & Perrins, which is twice the price, but have used it in this batch....

Don't want to get into a discussion about whether MSG is good or bad for you, the interweb has already done that one to death, this post is just about preventing mould :p
Click to expand...

I realise that Worcestershire Sauce contains vinegar and other ingredients. The point I was trying to make was that I used to use a vinegar/Worcestershire sauce ratio of 60/40. These days though its only Worcestershire sauce. I am using this new recipe because I like the flavour it gives the biltong, I could not care two hoots about MSG & vinegar etc. Its purely a taste preference. don't knock it till you have tried it.
 
paddy_za said:
Is this mould? Biltong is quite salty so could it be salt?
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That's mold. Looks like you cut it when it was still nice and wet, and then probably put it in a closed container (or something that doesn't have air flow). (reason being i've done exactly that in the past) salt wouldn't be in the inside part of the meat, unless you spiced it after you cut it :p
 
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