The Official Biltong Enthusiasts Thread

Arthur said:
N00b question: Is a light inside the dryer necessary? What does it actually do? Can't one just dry in a dark box with fan? Why not?
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No.

It provides some heat and can help with keeping the humidity lower, but if it is too hot the biltong would be harder on the outside.

Yes you can. Airflow is the most important thing to prevent the biltong from getting moldy.
 
rietrot said:
No.

It provides some heat and can help with keeping the humidity lower, but if it is too hot the biltong would be harder on the outside.

Yes you can. Airflow is the most important thing to prevent the biltong from getting moldy.
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Never used a light in mine. Just hang and fan it dry.
 
Arthur said:
Thanks, @saor, @Snyper564, @rietrot, @HunterNW.

I'm about to build my own BiltongBox V1.0 in preparation for doing the same in Texas in a few months. I didn't think photons were necessary, but my experience in biltong-making is 0.00%.

Next step is to make my own spice mix.
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Ooo Texas. It's hot there isn't it ? So no need for a light.
Spice mix... Salt, pepper, then: Roast coriander seeds in a pan, throw in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to get them fine. Add to your spice mix.
 
HunterNW said:
Ooo Texas. It's hot there isn't it ? So no need for a light.
Spice mix... Salt, pepper, then: Roast coriander seeds in a pan, throw in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to get them fine. Add to your spice mix.
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No vinegar?
 
Here's my tentative plan for Maiden Hang:

Soak meat in brown vinegar (with possibly 20-30% worcestershire sauce) for 12-24 hours.

Homemade spice: 1/3 coarse salt, 1/3 cracked black pepper, 1/3 cracked and roasted coriander.

I need to use ingredients I can easily find abroad.
 
Today I'll buy a 110-litre Addis box+lid at PlasPac. The plan is to fit some dowling rods, two or three gauzed air vents at one end, and a 12cm sucking fan in the lid at the other end. Properly sealed to keep out the insects.
 
I built my 1st biltong dryer 20 years ago. I made a wooden frame with a door and enclosed the entire thing in shade cloth. All you really doing is trying to prevent flies, ants, and other bugs from entering the box. Put a big desk fan near it and it worked like a dream, quick and easy and cheap.
 
Pineapple Smurf said:
I built my 1st biltong dryer 20 years ago. I made a wooden frame with a door and enclosed the entire thing in shade cloth. All you really doing is trying to prevent flies, ants, and other bugs from entering the box. Put a big desk fan near it and it worked like a dream, quick and easy and cheap.
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Lekker. That's all fine when we use our man cave or other male-controlled space.

I'm married to an imperialistic domestic tyrant and regrettably don't have an independent and sovereign man-space in the Dallas place where I can rig up a heath robinson billies dryer. I have to make concessions to aesthetics and other touchy-feely womanish things if cohabitation is to be tolerable.
 
Arthur said:
Lekker. That's all fine when we use our man cave or other male-controlled space.

I'm married to an imperialistic domestic tyrant and regrettably don't have an independent and sovereign man-space in the Dallas place where I can rig up a heath robinson billies dryer. I have to make concessions to aesthetics and other touchy-feely womanish things if cohabitation is to be tolerable.
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:laugh:


the-dumb-****-you-do-just-to-get-laid-16407890.png
 
Arthur said:
Sorry, another question:

Quite a few billies recipies mention adding some bicarb. What the hell is that for? What diffs does it make?
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Can help mold developing on the meat as it dries out
Check your meat daily
 
from the internet

A couple other ingredients that I have never used but you may wish to use are bicarbonate of soda (apparently to prevent mold setting in) and saltpetre which acts as a preservative and gives the biltong a bright red colour. Wash the meat. ... Dip the biltong quickly into a water/vinegar mixture to remove surface salt.
 
Arthur said:
Thanks mate. Might just get one of those internet thingies. Or maybe build my own. ;)
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You will have plenty of choices there in America, just search for food dehydrators there at your Walmart or wherever :thumbsup:
 
Pineapple Smurf said:
You will have plenty of choices there in America, just search for food dehydrators there at your Walmart or wherever :thumbsup:
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I fired up the Walmart app and looked through all 138 Food Dehydrators they have. Every single one has horizontal trays on which to lay the food to be dried.

Even though I have zero biltong-making experience, I suspect that's a no-no and that the billies strips must not touch anything else if the meat isn't to go moldy?
 
Arthur said:
Here's my tentative plan for Maiden Hang:

Soak meat in brown vinegar (with possibly 20-30% worcestershire sauce) for 12-24 hours.

Homemade spice: 1/3 coarse salt, 1/3 cracked black pepper, 1/3 cracked and roasted coriander.

I need to use ingredients I can easily find abroad.
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12-24 hours may be a bit much and make it taste wierd. It's personal taste, I know, but I have far better results doing the soak for 20 minutes, never more than 1 hour.
 
Arthur said:
I fired up the Walmart app and looked through all 138 Food Dehydrators they have. Every single one has horizontal trays on which to lay the food to be dried.

Even though I have zero biltong-making experience, I suspect that's a no-no and that the billies strips must not touch anything else if the meat isn't to go moldy?
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Aah yes true, I forgot they're all horizontal.
Yeah you dont want the meat touching each other nor anything else as this will restrict the airflow and you might have mold growing there then
 
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