DIY Biltong

My most profuse apologies ... yes, I forgot about the fan :D

Being a bit of a "primal", I've seen various setups on forums, largely from Americans who seem to have so much expendable income and so much space to undertake "projects".

I'll look into it more properly. I also like that dried stuff.
 
I love Bombay Duck. I used to eat it by the tonne from our regular curry place in Swansea when I was a young man :D I gather it got banned by EU law and so that was the end of it ...

I found some Bonga Fillets in Tesco, part of their World Foods/Mother Africa range, which I reckon are dried sardines. Very close, but a lot smaller than Bombay Duck.

You've got me on a mission now ...
 
Your's looks pretty fat and juicy, which Google says is the taste in SA. I think I would err on the side of thinner, not sure I could cope with fat and juicy and NOT COOKED! How's it doing now?
Do you know what the temperature is in there, and humidity? Does that need to be precise? Do you turn the bulb off at night? Just thinking, in the traditional way presumably there would be a temp drop at night?
Probably over thinking it......:s
 
No idea on temp & humidity... You have to remember it originated with Dutch farmers so its all a bit of an art rather than science... Its no hotter than about 40C in the box and I'm guessing 30-40% humidity (the room the dryer is in is hovering around 50%)

Traditional way is to hang it in the barn or under the eaves outside. But you need a warm climate and a flyswatter for that ;)

Juicy? It snaps like a length of mahogany... Bit dry for my taste but I do prefer stokkies to the razor thin slices.
 
Know how much fun all this creative building can be. Used a drier for years for herbs and mushrooms.
But for meat, why not just use your stove. Just place the lean meat on the oven racks set at 150-200 F and let it dry 5hr to 10 hr. Till dry and hard.
Keeps the flys off of it!!(;-(
 
That's called cooking John. Something that you do to jerky. Biltong isn't jerky. Thicker lumps of meat dried more slowly (optionally sliced to Sharon's taste ;))

Anyway back to the plot. This (rump steak based) research batch is complete... [attachment=10196] and I shall be stocking up on a topside or silverside joint (John: thats London Broil to you) and continuing the journey.
 

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Oh my G_d! A flash back to my youth.
Every day I' d come home from a hard say with the nuns. To ask my grandmother: "What's for Supper?" To have her say:
"Mäso."
Meat! Didn't matter what kind, it was cooked until it was black, hard, and in chewable!!!
Biltong! Go think!
 
So batch 2 is done... 738g of (probably) overdried biltong (from 1801g input topside beef) - theoretically should keep for about a decade.

Tastes good - quite a hard product but in true Heathkit style (younger viewers please ask your grandad about Heathkit) I'm proud to say "I built it myself" :D
 
I think me not being overcautious in the drying process would be a start. I already dial back the heat & airflow using a dimmer switch arrangement after day 1 - I could probably extract at least some of it on day 3 rather than leaving it all to day 4... Also I may be being a bit over keen in removing the fat (some fat is good, too much and the rancid risk rises I guess)
 
When you say 'over cautious'; is that red colour in the middle that shows in the photos how it's meant to be? If so, then personally I wouldn't go more fatty, but slow down and cut down the drying time. Rancid fat will for sure ruin it and make it totally inedible. Whereas if you just over dry, you can presumably use in in cooking in some way?
 
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