Biltong - Cured Beef

Canugghead

Thanks @johnmitchell, the precaution says something about USDA (see red circle) but no mention of it in the instructions.
I'm guessing that's just the manufacturer's CYA clause, no one preheats meat to 160F before dehydrating, right?

lkapigian

USDA, Meh…. While safe for the public at large , it has destroyed by instilling fear, the craft of artisan foods like curing meats … fresh protein, know your safety hurdles and you are good . While we love the flavors , ingredients such as  Vinegar provide the needed acidity to lower the PH of the meat and key ingredient of Salt making the water unavailable along with drying make cured/dried foods safe . 

Canugghead

Thanks @lkapigian for your help as usual. 

JohnInCarolina

I can't be alone here as one of the people anxiously awaiting more pics of final products...

Mark_B_Good

Canugghead said:

Thanks @johnmitchell, the precaution says something about USDA (see red circle) but no mention of it in the instructions.
I'm guessing that's just the manufacturer's CYA clause, no one preheats meat to 160F before dehydrating, right?

Preheating is not done for biltong ... at all. The entire process is done at room temperature ... 65F to 80F ... maybe 85F.

Canugghead

JohnInCarolina said:

I can't be alone here as one of the people anxiously awaiting more pics of final products...

Considering the process takes just a few days and they don't last, not sure if I want to see what they look like now 

JohnInCarolina

Canugghead said:

JohnInCarolina said:

I can't be alone here as one of the people anxiously awaiting more pics of final products...

Considering the process takes just a few days and they don't last, not sure if I want to see what they look like now 

Oh I just meant from some of the other folks here making them, not necessarily the OP.

Mark_B_Good

JohnInCarolina said:

Canugghead said:

JohnInCarolina said:

I can't be alone here as one of the people anxiously awaiting more pics of final products...

Considering the process takes just a few days and they don't last, not sure if I want to see what they look like now 

Oh I just meant from some of the other folks here making them, not necessarily the OP.

johnmitchell

@Mark_B_Good. That all looks spectacular and would definitely get the South African seal of approval. I hung a new batch this morning, should be ready for the World Cup rugby and the Ryder cup this weekend 😋

lkapigian

Killer @Mark_B_Good

Canugghead

Mark is killing it for sure. I have a couple of projects/chores that need to be done before I can build the box 

Mark_B_Good

Thanks guys!

johnmitchell

Came out the box yesterday 

Canugghead

johnmitchell said:

Came out the box yesterday 

Beauty, that looks thick, like dry aged steaks.

Mark_B_Good

johnmitchell said:

Came out the box yesterday 

That looks great. How thick (from top to bottom) are those pieces?  Generally, I start with a raw steak cut about 3/4" to 1" thick ... and that will shrink to around 1/2" to 3/4".  It helps them to cure faster too.  

Looks like you did well with the finish ... I like them like that ... a bit more on the rare side inside ... in South Africa ... we call that "wet" ... when it's a bit more red in the middle. Some people like it that dark brown on the outside, almost right through ... that's called "dry".

Note one mistake people often make eating this food. They'll take a few chews and swallow right away ... to fill their stomachs. There's two issues with that ... the most important is, you're actually not getting to experience the real flavor. It takes a good 10 chews for the real flavor to start coming out ... and it tastes WAY better than the initial couple of chews ... you need to avoid the temptation to swallow it too soon, and keep chewing away at it. Second is, you'll go through that biltong real quick if you just chew it two or three times and swallow!

lkapigian

Took some brisket trimmings out, this thread has got me wanting to do Droewors , Biltongs ground cousin

Mark_B_Good

lkapigian said:

Took some brisket trimmings out, this thread has got me wanting to do Droewors , Biltongs ground cousin

One of my favorites. Let me know how it goes. By the way, my friend in South Africa made droewors with blesbok ... an antelope there ... oh my goodness was it incredible!!

lkapigian

Mark_B_Good said:

lkapigian said:

Took some brisket trimmings out, this thread has got me wanting to do Droewors , Biltongs ground cousin

One of my favorites. Let me know how it goes. By the way, my friend in South Africa made droewors with blesbok ... an antelope there ... oh my goodness was it incredible!!

Going to do it 3 ways for the sake of comparison, Hung at room temperature, in the dehydrator lowest setting and in curing chamber 

Botch

Anxious to see how one hangs ground beef/antelope.  

caliking

Botch said:

Anxious to see how one hangs ground beef/antelope.  

What do you call a cow without any legs?

Ground beef!

... I'll see myself out now.

Botch

caliking said:
What do you call a cow without any legs?

Ground beef!

... I'll see myself out now.

What do you call a fly without any wings?
 
A walk!  

Mark_B_Good

Botch said:

Anxious to see how one hangs ground beef/antelope.  

They use the small diameter casings ... not sure what diameter to start, but they finish about 1/4" to 1/2" diameter.

lkapigian

Mark_B_Good said:

Botch said:

Anxious to see how one hangs ground beef/antelope.  

They use the small diameter casings ... not sure what diameter to start, but they finish about 1/4" to 1/2" diameter.

I use 26-28 Sheep MM Casings for my snack sticks and will be using it for this as well

lkapigian

I’m going to let this ferment @ room temp overnight near 100% RH , I made a Pitina with the extra , that will go in the curing chamber for probably 2 weeks 

hvhunter

I came across this alternative method for make Biltong the other day. I will try this once I get some venison in the freezer.   https://foragerchef.com/venison-biltong/

lkapigian

FWIW , dehydrator lowest setting vs room temp , same dry time, delicious!! Still have some in the curing chamber 

Mark_B_Good

Looks great!

lkapigian

Mark_B_Good said:

Looks great!

Thanks @Mark_B_Good , I really like it, nothing like an american snack stick much more of a jerky chew and I am sure the ones in the curing chamber will have an added fermented flavor 

Canugghead

@lkapigian killing it as usual. Been thinking of toying with curing chamber down the road as well, what I don’t fully comprehend is humidity control, do you need both humidifier and dehumidifier?

lkapigian

Canugghead said:

@lkapigian killing it as usual. Been thinking of toying with curing chamber down the road as well, what I don’t fully comprehend is humidity control, do you need both humidifier and dehumidifier?

@Canugghead In my dorm fridge curing chamber I have never had the need for a humidifier as it is basically a “ closed system” . My curing chamber from “ The Sausage Maker” is an “ open system” meaning there are fans that are open to the outside , it will run som in add humidity mode