# A South African friend got me interested in making biltong



## idahopz (Sep 11, 2018)

A friend in South Africa likes making biltong, a form of dried beef, using an old family technique. He simply uses an old cardboard box with a fan to dry the meat, and if needed a 60 watt light bulb for a bit of warmth. It takes anywhere from a week to 10 days to complete the process.

I recently purchased a 10-rack dehydrator and will use that without heat to see if I can make it work.  Just finished the preparation and the meat is now in the fridge until tomorrow when it will go into the dehydrator.

Well, the price of beef fell to a reasonable level so biltong is now under way







Ingredients ready: beef, salt and pepper, coriander, and Worcestershire






Layering the meat cut about 1/2 inch thick with spices between each layer






Once all the meat is in the dish, it is pressed down to keep all pieces in close contact with the spices






Tomorrow into the dehydrator it goes.


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## GATOR240 (Sep 11, 2018)

Watching!


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## hillbilly jim (Sep 11, 2018)

GATOR240 said:


> Watching!



SECOND!


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## mike243 (Sep 11, 2018)

We call it beef jerky down here :)  ,maybe the spices are some what different ,let us know how it turns out ,amazing a spice or 2 changed can make a big difference


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## pc farmer (Sep 11, 2018)

Biltong is different then jerky.  

I am watching also.  I made it once, well tried


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## idahopz (Sep 11, 2018)

I hope it turns out - this is my first time. I've made jerky for decades, but the spices I'm using are completely different in this preparation, and there will be no smoke nor heat like I usually do with jerky.

I'll post the results, good or bad :D


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## MeatSkull (Sep 11, 2018)

Waiting for dave omak to respond with safety reasons. Personally I wouldn'd try it, safety reasons.


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## chopsaw (Sep 11, 2018)

Pz , you got this . Watching also .


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## daveomak (Sep 11, 2018)

PZ, evening....  I don't see any vinegar in your stuff to make biltong ...   The acid in the vinegar is what kills the bacteria and pathogens, acidifies the meat, so it is safe to eat after the drying process...

*Biltong.....  from Marianski's Forum*
Biltong is South African dried meat. In 1652 the Dutch settlers came to the Cape of Good Hope and established a new country. The name biltong originates from the Dutch word Bil meaning buttock and Tong meaning strip. Biltong is not "beef jerky" and it is made by salting, spicing and curing selected cuts of beef, venison, kudu, springbok or ostrich.

* 
 Procedure* ......*Jerky....Biltong*
Heat applied ......Yes ....... No
Vinegar .............No ........Yes
Smoked.........Optional.....No
Air dried............Yes .........Yes
Note: biltong cuts are usually bigger and thicker than jerky. If you live in a warm, moist climate cut your strips of meat thin. The thicker the meat, the longer it will take to dry out, and the higher the risk to spoilage.
A home made biltong will usually be made from the beef buttock. Great cuts are sirloin and steaks cut from the hip such as topside or silverside. The best biltong is made from the eye of the round muscles that run down both sides of the backbone. Ideally the meat is marinated in a vinegar solution (cider vinegar is traditional but balsamic also works very well) for a few hours, and finally poured off before the meat is flavored. Coriander is the dominant spice.


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## SmokinAl (Sep 12, 2018)

Well there you have it!
Al


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## idahopz (Sep 12, 2018)

Thanks dave - I used white balsamic vinegar for the last 6 hours of the marinade.  Did a test fry and it was quite tasty, not like anything I've had.


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## daveomak (Sep 13, 2018)

Good deal....  Now we need some pictures, in a day or 3...


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## crazymoon (Sep 13, 2018)

IP, I'm in ,just wondering why cure #1 isn't  added to the recipe though? Does that change the taste ?


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## idahopz (Sep 13, 2018)

Most definitely pics are on the horizon 

There isn't any reason curing salt can't be used that I know of, but I wanted to try how my S.A. buddy does for the first time.


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## crazymoon (Sep 13, 2018)

idahopz said:


> Most definitely pics are on the horizon
> 
> There isn't any reason curing salt can't be used that I know of, but I wanted to try how my S.A. buddy does for the first time.


IP, Sounds good, I'll be watching your results in anticipation! :)


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## Bearcarver (Sep 13, 2018)

Great Start, PZ !!!
Be Back for the Great Pics!!

Bear


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## chef jimmyj (Sep 13, 2018)

Lookin good. Just for clarification...Cure #1 is NOT needed in WHOLE muscle jerky. The pathogen of most concern is Clostridium Botulinum. While the spores can survive in open air, the bacteria cant. So CB on whole muscle is of no concern and no cure #1 needed. Cure is a must in ground meat jerky because bacteria can be in the oxygen free center.
That said, cure #1 does offer the benefit of slowing fat oxidation and rancidity. If the jerky meat is marbled, cure will protect the fat from getting funky tasting. Cure #1 has some limited effect on Listeria and Salmonella but both of these are inhibited by salt and acid. Like Insurance, cure #1 doesnt do much for you, in jerky, but if you feel better use it...JJ


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## Troy1436 (Sep 14, 2018)

I've made this twice this summer I like it everybody that's had it liked too it's got some bite to it though.I slice it  quarter inch Against the Grain after it's done. I eye round roast five eighths of an inch thick. this is what I did heavy coat pickling salt Ziploc bag in the fridge for 2 hours. Then put it in a bowl with small bottle cider vinegar and a 1/3 bottle Worcestershire sauce I let it sit for 30 minutes. Then I drained it off. I put on chopped up roasted coriander seeds black pepper and a little bit of salt. I'm sure you can put garlic and onion powder on it if you wanted to. Put in box 40 watt light bulb at the bottom it was done at five days both times. I was skeptical at first but I got the idea from smoking meat forums so I tried it it is good. I make a lot of jerky it's a little different than jerky. I'm sure you won't be disappointed but like somebody said before I don't see any vinegar in your recipe. Haven't made it in 2 months now I want to make it again!!!!


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## FrankRPollard2 (Nov 11, 2018)

My wife is from Zim(babwe), but her family lost their farm right after the war and moved to SA before heading to the States. I've always made our biltong (way over 500 pounds over the last 20 years) following my own variations of the recipe on http://www.biltongbox.com. All of the South African's who have tasted like mine as well or better than their own.

Because the weather in Flagstaff fluctuates wildly (0%-99% humidity and 30-50 degree temperature difference between day and night) I put a lot of thought into my biltong (drying) box. I can dry 10-15lbs of palm thick, full sized London Broil, in about 1 week's time. I built it out of wood, front opening, with a shelf for a metal drip catch tray underneath the meat rack, underneath that the is a 120V computer fan sucking air in on one side blowing the air onto a 40W light bulb (to strip out the humidity) mounted on the other side. Then just above the meat rack I have a UV florescent light mounted and all of the screened air vents are in the center of the top of the box so all the airflow has to pass through the meat to exit the box.


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## idahopz (Jul 14, 2021)

Dang it, I just realized I never posted the final product... man, I'm getting old

This is the dehydrator I'm using:
Controls






Racks






The finished product






A couple of pieces sliced through. Although the original batch is long gone, it sure was good. Pieces were about 1/2 inch thick dried

All that sampled it said they enjoyed the unique flavor and texture which they said were different from regular jerky

My wife told me to stop making jerky and make biltong instead.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 14, 2021)

Yup---Way better than Jerky!! IMHO
Nice Job PZ!
Like.

Bear


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## crazymoon (Jul 14, 2021)

IH, Looks great, I am thinking of dabbling with the biltong process and not sure what kind of drying apparatus to make for drying.


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## TNJAKE (Jul 14, 2021)

Looks great. 

 WaterinHoleBrew
 sent me some elk biltong he made a couple months ago. Stuff was delicious!


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## idahopz (Jul 19, 2021)

Bearcarver said:


> Yup---Way better than Jerky!! IMHO
> Nice Job PZ!
> Like.
> 
> Bear


Thank you Bear - I so agree about biltong being better - it is somehow "meatier" to my palate than regular jerky, which I still dearly love, but it takes a back seat to biltong.

Thanks for the like!


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## idahopz (Jul 19, 2021)

crazymoon said:


> IH, Looks great, I am thinking of dabbling with the biltong process and not sure what kind of drying apparatus to make for drying.


Thanks crazymoon - my buddy from South Africa says slower (longer) drying times are better. He just uses a cardboard box, hangs the meat within and uses a fan to continuously blow ambient air over the meat. He says many people don't worry about bugs and leave the box open, but he likes to use a screen. If it is too cold, he'll add a light bulb for a bit of warmth positioning the fan so the air does not move too fast.

I'm more into automation so I purchased the dehydrator, and I set it to the minimum temperature, then checked it periodically for done-ness - the process appears to work out.

Thanks for the like!


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## idahopz (Jul 19, 2021)

TNJAKE said:


> Looks great.
> 
> WaterinHoleBrew
> sent me some elk biltong he made a couple months ago. Stuff was delicious!


Thank you TNJAKE. Elk biltong sounds fantastic!


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## Bearcarver (Jul 19, 2021)

idahopz said:


> Thank you Bear - I so agree about biltong being better - it is somehow "meatier" to my palate than regular jerky, which I still dearly love, but it takes a back seat to biltong.
> 
> Thanks for the like!




Yup, When I was younger I had a special pocket in my Orange Hunting Coat for a Big Ziplock full of Butcher Shop-Made Pepperoni, for snacking, but no pocket for Jerky.
And it didn't seem to repel the Deer---Maybe it Lured Them????

Bear


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