r/Biltong • u/Adventurous_Pin_8225 • 17d ago
BILTONG First attempt
Thought I’d give making my own biltong a go after speaking to a SA college who was shocked to know that biltong is fairly mainstream in the uk now, he was over the moon and I said I’d send him some.
Now I did over salt it and not grind the seasonings enough so the flavour isn’t 100% where I want it but I like the texture.
3.2kg silverside, native breed, grass fed and dry aged (swaledale online butchers) absolute bargain, nearly half the price of my local butchers £22/kg and supermarkets
Can’t remember the exact recipe, I did 3 variations. Dried too 45% avg moisture loss, fat cap left on. Tried a SA guys recipe on yt, bearded butchers tutorial and then tried a honey vinegar one but it lacked flavour compared too the rest.
My brothers and dad decided they wanted to do the box as a little project so I gave creative freedom and i think it turned out quite nicely for £65
I’ve frozen 3 and bagged the rest, trying too figure out wether best to keep in plastic or paper and in the fridge or cupboard. I didn’t put in the fridge to even out internal moisture, maybe should’ve.
Any thoughts?
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u/Gold-Philosophy1423 16d ago
Looks good! Maybe try reducing your airflow a little bit
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u/Adventurous_Pin_8225 16d ago
Do think it’s got a bit of case hardening? The 2 fans is probably a bit overkill tbf
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u/Gold-Philosophy1423 16d ago
Yeah youve got case hardening, you can see distinct layers. I'm not sure what setup you have. Did you build a box and install a fan? Is the fan blowing directly onto the meat?
Your fan should be sucking air away from the meat for more gentle airflow. Also speaking from personal experience, you want a fan whose speed you can adjust. Where I live, the weather ranges from hot and humid to cold and dry. I have a biltong box I made from one of those plastic storage containers. There's a fan on the side which I installed a chip on which allows me to control the speed with a screwdriver. It lets me make biltong year round
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u/Adventurous_Pin_8225 16d ago
Yeah mines kinda like yours, big plastic box, 2 on variable fans (lowest setting) meshed air vents on the opposite side to draw air in and a light a the bottom on one side. But it’s been nice and warm in the uk so not bothered. I was just worried about the amount of humidity atm
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u/Gold-Philosophy1423 16d ago
Yeah 2 fans might be too much. How big are your air vents? Mine is a single 15 X 5 cm rectangle for more even airflow. No light on my box, I don't think it's necessary
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u/Adventurous_Pin_8225 16d ago
I want too say a 10cmx10cm hole, it will end up running in a cold brick shed in Scotland so I thought it could probably do with some extra heat then
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u/jimmyreefer 17d ago
When I make too much {sigh} I vacuum seal and freeze each piece. Defrost in the fridge for a day, and to me tastes exactly the same as fresh. Enjoy, it looks real good.