Biltong - Cured Beef

caliking

Thats a showstopper of a biltong box @johnmitchell. Already looks delicious!

Canugghead

Apology to Mark for thread jacking.

@caliking @Botch I stocked up on the 100 watts thinking I could use it to keep the egg warm overnight for early winter morning startups, never tried it though. If I was to use it in a Biltong box I think a 25w or 40w appliance incandescent bulbs still available at HD or Lowes would be more appropriate.

@johnmitchell nice box you got there, if I'm going to make one I'd probably use wood since it's easier to source and work with. Won't be a conversation piece like yours though. Dumb question, is the lamp turned on constantly for warmth? 

This brings back memories of our folks making Chinese sausages back home, they could only hang them out to dry during the winter months when there was "northern wind".

@lkapigian you are darn right about the rabbit hole, someone stop me!

johnmitchell

@Canugghead. The light in the picture is purely ornamental and not a heat source 

Mark_B_Good

lkapigian said:

Canugghead said:

@caliking, you should know that organized people prepared for the demise of incandescent bulbs 

Here's @johnmitchell's box which also looks real nice. Similarly to @Mark_B_Good's box I like the simplicity of fan only.

@caliking do you recall deets of your BIL's box, just lamp or did he have fan as well? @lkapigian got me thinking if I have both lamp and fan won't it be like a dehydrator? Will I have to worry about +/- humidity as well? I don't want to get sucked into dry aging! I know I'm overthunking this, help.

You don’t need a lamp unless it’s super cold, but In essence you are dehydrating, just much slower @Mark_B_Good and @johnmitchell Biltong boxes are wonderful and all you need , ideally you are just trying to emulate the conditions in South Africa

dry aging is done at a much lower temp 30-35f as there is no salt, now dry curing , yes you are in the rabbit hole lol

Agreed, my box doesn't have a lamp, and I don't think it is necessary. My basement is about 70F, and probably 70% humidity.  South Africa is a big country, lol ... the conditions range from 30F to 100F, and 30% humidity to 100% ... my point is, this isn't complicated ... it's a matter of days to cure the meat ... and depending on your specific conditions, it could take a day less or a day more. It's a fairly simply, fool proof method ... the vinegar used to initially season the meat, essentially sanitizes the meat ... but generally guidance is probably keep it above 65F, best is 70F to 80F ... humidity at 60% to 80% probably okay. The fan helps A LOT ... I think that is the trick to getting it done in 4 days.

Mark_B_Good

Canugghead said:

Thanks. Thinking of finding a simple recipe from the web to get my feet wet before I commit to a large pack of commercial premixed spice. How much meat will a 2Kg bag process?

Also, thinking of making a drying box myself since I have lumber, tools and time    Looked at some project ideas, interesting to note some use fan to move air while others use lamp's heat to create air movement. What about the temperature difference though? Perhaps @lkapigian can chime in please?

This is my recipe ... so around 50 grams per kg of meat (pre-cure), but then I sprinkle a bit more on the meat before I hang it, as I find most of the seasoning washes off during the vinegar cure process ... I've tried it both ways (no additional seasoning, and then a recoat before hanging) ... recoat before hanging DEFINITELY tastes better.  I lightly recoat, so probably another 20 grams per kg meat ... so 70 grams per kg total. That means a 2 kg bag of seasoning will do say 27 to 30 kg of meat.  I generally find a 3 kg piece of meat for each batch ... so that's 9 to 10 batches for that 2 kg bag of spices.

BILTONG or CHILI BITES

 

·       Biltong, use large (approx. 3 kg) eye of round with nice fat layer on one side

·       Chili Bites, use medium (approx. 2 kg) rump roast, or eye of round (with less fat)

·       Cut meat into steaks approximately 2 cm (3/4”) thick along the meat grain:

           o    Chili Bites, trim fat. Cut steaks into strips, approx. 1 cm thick.

·       Mix equal parts brown vinegar and water. You will need 25 mL each, per kg of meat.

           o   Chili Bites, option to add a few drops of hot sauce to the vinegar mix.

·       Wipe meat hooks with some vinegar mixture to sterilize.

·       Place steaks in tray, pour half the water/vinegar mixture over the meat. Rub in well.

·       Use Hunters Spice seasoning, or similar. You will need about 50 to 60 grams per kg of meat (approx. 3 to 4 tablespoons).

·       Sprinkle/rub in half of the seasoning to the meat. Flip over, apply remaining vinegar mix and sprinkle/rub remainder of seasoning, ensuring you also cover edges.

·       Leave meat in pan for 1h, and turn three times every 1h, then leave overnight.

·       In morning, flip meat over to wet the side facing up. Ensure both sides are wet and seasoned well, add more seasoning, if required. Do not pat dry meat.

           o   Chili Bites, take 15 g chili powder, 15 g chili flakes, 15 g peri peri powder per kg of meat (approx. 2 tablespoon of each) and sprinkle on all parts of the meat strips, being careful not to come in contact with the juices in the pan (which will wash off chili). Rather do this on the side in a fresh pan or plate.

·       Place drip pan inside Biltong Box, to catch any drippings that come off meat.

·       Hang meat in Biltong Box, running fan to dry. Be sure meat doesn’t touch wood, other pieces or drip pan at bottom. Use paper clips to connect strips of chili bites.

·       Check each day for mold. If found, wipe off with a paper towel dipped in vinegar.

·       After 3 to 4 days, Biltong should be ready for consumption.

Canugghead

@Mark_B_Good really appreciate the intel. I agree weighing the rub makes more sense; saw a video where the guy dips the meat in a box of rub and ended up discarding the 'contaminated' rub, what a waste but I guess that's how he can sell more rub, lol. If I was to do that I'd vac seal and freeze the spill over rub for reuse.

Mark_B_Good

Well, it's hard to salvage the seasoning you lose to the vinegar mix while it cures overnight. But one thing I do salvage ... especially when I make chili bites ... is I collect all the seasoning that comes off as I handle the cured meat when I remove it from the biltong box. I have a foil pan at the bottom of the box to collect anything that comes off (mainly to keep my biltong box clean).  The chili bites lose a lot of seasoning when they are handled ... and it ends up being easily 1/2 cup of seasoning. Most of this is fresh seasoning I added after the cure (the 2nd coat which I add just before I hang).  I then mix this recovered seasoning in with my next batch (I use this part for the curing process ... and still need to add some fresh seasoning).

Canugghead

^^^ that's what I meant, dry seasoning that falls off. sorry I didn't make myself clear. Thanks for the details.

OhioEgger

Is there any reason I couldn't do this in my Excalibur dehydrator at the lowest heat setting?

lkapigian

OhioEgger said:

Is there any reason I couldn't do this in my Excalibur dehydrator at the lowest heat setting?

You certainly can

Canugghead

lkapigian said:

OhioEgger said:

Is there any reason I couldn't do this in my Excalibur dehydrator at the lowest heat setting?

You certainly can

Dumb question, not sure how well or evenly chunky logs of meat will cure in a confined space unless you rotate them? If one has to pre slice then wouldn't that be like jerky? The beauty of a Biltong box is its simplicity and hands off operation.

Mark_B_Good

Canugghead said:

^^^ that's what I meant, dry seasoning that falls off. sorry I didn't make myself clear. Thanks for the details.

I don't find a lot falls off the biltong ... maybe because the pieces are larger?  But a lot does fall off the chili bites ... A LOT!

Mark_B_Good

OhioEgger said:

Is there any reason I couldn't do this in my Excalibur dehydrator at the lowest heat setting?

How low is the lowest heat setting? I don't see an issue, unless you're cooking the meat.  I'd say up to 80F is probably okay.

Give it a try, it literally is so easy to make ... once you do the first batch, you'll be like this is the easiest thing on the planet.  Cut into 3/4" to 1" steaks, soak in vinegar spice mix overnight, take them out in the morning ... maybe add a bit more spice, hang for 4 days in a ventilated compartment (in south africa ... they actually don't even do that, they hang the meat in their garage lol) ... and then start slicing and eating!

OhioEgger

Mark_B_Good said:

OhioEgger said:

Is there any reason I couldn't do this in my Excalibur dehydrator at the lowest heat setting?

How low is the lowest heat setting? I don't see an issue, unless you're cooking the meat.  I'd say up to 80F is probably okay.

Hmm. My lowest setting is 85°F so maybe not the best idea.

Mark_B_Good

OhioEgger said:

Mark_B_Good said:

OhioEgger said:

Is there any reason I couldn't do this in my Excalibur dehydrator at the lowest heat setting?

How low is the lowest heat setting? I don't see an issue, unless you're cooking the meat.  I'd say up to 80F is probably okay.

Hmm. My lowest setting is 85°F so maybe not the best idea.

It's not an exact science ... I'd be willing to try that.
Mix brown vinegar with 50% water ... mix up a spice (search up hunter's biltong spice) ... and give it a go ... honestly. Don't be afraid.

I posted the detailed recipe above ... that is all you need.

Dawgtired

Do y’all have issues with white mold? Anyone particularly happy with their unit? I’d like to purchase one, as I’m not the greatest at building things. So any source(s) y’all could recommend would be greatly appreciated!

Mark_B_Good

I've never seen white mold on mine, but it's mentioned in several recipes, that if you do see it, just dip a paper towel in brown vinegar and wipe the mold off. It seems very easy to deal with.

Botch

I can see in the photos in the OP that "brown vinegar" is not AC vinegar but something else; is it Asian, or South African?  Amazoid shows brown rice vinegars, and malt vinegars.  

lkapigian

Botch said:

I can see in the photos in the OP that "brown vinegar" is not AC vinegar but something else; is it Asian, or South African?  Amazoid shows brown rice vinegars, and malt vinegars.  

Typically it’s malt vinegar 

Ybabpmuts

I love malt vinegar on hot French fries. I never thought of putting it on my BillyBong though.

JohnInCarolina

Ybabpmuts said:

I love malt vinegar on hot French fries. I never thought of putting it on my BillyBong though.

Please don’t try it and then try to taste your own BillyBong.  I’ve heard of people breaking their necks that way.  

Ybabpmuts

If I could taste my own BillyBong I'd have never left the house to get the vinegar in the first place.

Canugghead

Some recipes call for measuring %weight loss, do you guys check the weights before/after?

Mark_B_Good

Canugghead said:

Some recipes call for measuring %weight loss, do you guys check the weights before/after?

No. But it's probably like 30%.

You also lose a bit trimming up the steaks. 

Mark_B_Good

Botch said:

I can see in the photos in the OP that "brown vinegar" is not AC vinegar but something else; is it Asian, or South African?  Amazoid shows brown rice vinegars, and malt vinegars.  

This is the stuff I use... 

Canugghead

Got a 'Is it Safe?' question. 
Can I use this polypropylene box, keeping in mind the meat doesn't touch it and there's no heat? A lot easier than making a wooden box 


A lot has changed since I bought a cpu case fan decades ago. It appears most if not all of them are now LED lit. My wild guess is bit coin miners need the visual to know if the fan is running? There's also a sticker on the wire that says warranty is void if the connectors are removed; I MacGyver'd a pair of wires between one of the connectors and output plug of an old 12v power supply. 

Mark_B_Good

Canugghead said:

Got a 'Is it Safe?' question. 
Can I use this polypropylene box, keeping in mind the meat doesn't touch it and there's no heat? A lot easier than making a wooden box 


A lot has changed since I bought a cpu case fan decades ago. It appears most if not all of them are now LED lit. My wild guess is bit coin miners need the visual to know if the fan is running? There's also a sticker on the wire that says warranty is void if the connectors are removed; I MacGyver'd a pair of wires between one of the connectors and output plug of an old 12v power supply. 

I couldn't comment chemically, but I found this:

Biltong Machine Executive Bar-Top Model – Biltongboks UK

"The base and lid are made from polypropylene, the same material as Tupperware."

Canugghead

fwiw, just checked a large commercial sized margarine tub, it has the same #5 PP classification.

Just noticed Mark's reply, going to visit that url. Thanks.

Canugghead

Thanks Mark. I'm good, #5 PP = Polypropylene and my setup has zero heat vs. theirs with heat plate.

johnmitchell

This is the biltong box that I have.