Biltong making - any other enthusiasts out there?

[daytripper]

Trying another round of biltong in the biltong box - about 2lbs of quality beef topside drizzled over w. store bought spice, cider vinegar & Worcestershire Sauce then steeped for 8 hrs in the fridge.

Then patted dry & hung in the biltong box, probably 2-3 days. Looking forward to it.

I found the spice too salty in a previous iteration so cut down the amount from the recommended by 25% this time.

This may be sacrilege on this forum, but I think biltong > jerky: the flavour, texture and moist nature all won me over. I can't stop eating it once I've cut into a strip. I'd love to hear if you guys make biltong, and any tips! Snapsticks are another RSA delicacy I'd love to make...

ta
marc

 

[daytripper]

coming along nicely

 

[TNJAKE]

Rafter H BBQ makes it. So does BGKYSmoker

 

[Brokenhandle]

Yep, Justin, Rafter H BBQ definitely makes some tasty billing. He's sent some beef and some elk.

Ryan

 

[Lonzinomaker]

I want to make some biltong too.
Costco here has some Stryve hickory flavored biltong that I have to ration out to myself.
Trying to convince myself I don't need another gadget-- i.e. biltong slicer.

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Thanks TNJAKE and Brokenhandle for the shout out! I enjoy making Biltong very much, it’s a tasty variation from jerky! I learned the hobby from BGKYSmoker !

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

I want to make some biltong too.
Costco here has some Stryve hickory flavored biltong that I have to ration out to myself.
Trying to convince myself I don't need another gadget-- i.e. biltong slicer.

To be honest, I thought the same til I dang near cut my finger off trying to slice with a knife! It slipped and I got lucky that I completely missed… but was close and that convinced me to not chance it anymore! The Biltong slicer is definitely worth getting IMO! You can slice to the desired thickness easily without the chance of cutting your fingers!

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Trying another round of biltong in the biltong box - about 2lbs of quality beef topside drizzled over w. store bought spice, cider vinegar & Worcestershire Sauce then steeped for 8 hrs in the fridge.

Then patted dry & hung in the biltong box, probably 2-3 days. Looking forward to it.

I found the spice too salty in a previous iteration so cut down the amount from the recommended by 25% this time.

This may be sacrilege on this forum, but I think biltong > jerky: the flavour, texture and moist nature all won me over. I can't stop eating it once I've cut into a strip. I'd love to hear if you guys make biltong, and any tips! Snapsticks are another RSA delicacy I'd love to make...

ta
marc

For what it’s worth, I really like the Crown National Biltong spice! Ya may check into that. Also, try making some chili bites… they are very tasty as well!

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Stryve offers a nice cutter for $50....google it.

 

[Lonzinomaker]

I bought the Stryve cutter, $45 on their website beating Amazzzz by $15 or more. Bonus is any order over $30 gets free shipping. So I didn't have to pay shipping. Should arrive today, and hope to get first batch of biltong started this weekend.
Goal is to get enough air exchange without adding heat. Also our usual humidity is about 20-25% or less so I really don't want a high airflow that will cause case hardening. I use a 23CFM fan for my jerky making and will use this fan for 2.5 CF biltong box. Will try using standoffs to allow bypass around fan shroud and decrease suction through the box and keep airflow lower.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

I made my BT/Drywors dryer out of a food grade barrel. bottom screen covered vent, top 2.5cfm fan that is screened and can reverse if needed. I use a ceramic reptile heater if needed at the bottom.

 

[Nefarious]

I made my BT/Drywors dryer out of a food grade barrel. bottom screen covered vent, top 2.5cfm fan that is screened and can reverse if needed. I use a ceramic reptile heater if needed at the bottom.

Do you use a small PID controller to manage the temp in the barrel?

i used to make beer with a similar setup. I have 6 small PID controllers, the cheap $20 version, and 6 lengths of ac reptile heaters that I have been wondering what to do with. do you have a build thread for your dryer?

wife wants me to make her some jerky, and this might be an interesting alternative.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

No i dont have a build thread, i just built as i went with it. Dont need a pid (when built it we lived in FL)
The barrel is a food grade i got at tractor supply (for dog food) white with black lid. was like $29, just make sure you wash it good before making BT. I also use it for making droewors.

 

[mr_whipple]

I've read enough about it over the years, but have never had any, so I have nothing other than jerky to compare it to. I'm going to costco in a little while... I'll see if they have the stuff mentioned above.

 

[Nefarious]

No i dont have a build thread, i just built as i went with it. Dont need a pid (when built it we lived in FL)
The barrel is a food grade i got at tractor supply (for dog food) white with black lid. was like $29, just make sure you wash it good before making BT. I also use it for making droewors.

Then the temperature doesn't need to be precise? I need to read more. I've watched some videos, but can't sort out what the best environment is to make this.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Your drying the meat. Sorta like a dehydrator.

 

[daytripper]

Biltong crushes jerky every time for me. Decent quality meat is a must as you're just concentrating the flavour. I get from a local butcher although I hear the meat from CostCo is excellent.
Couple/3-days drying is plenty for my taste, but YMMV. I like the meat wet in the middle.

 

[Lonzinomaker]

Got my first batch of biltong started using 6 # eye of round sliced about 1 in thick. Using a 70 liter container for my box. Found a 5v raspberry PI fan that is rated for 2.5 CF/min to use for air circulation. I calculate that I get one complete air exchange every minute with that fan. So far I have had the system going for 2 days. Meat is starting to firm up, still very soft. Cut a sample bite off of one piece, curing is well on the way with minimal case hardening ( which is why I went with such low airflow).