Thread: Biltong Setup

- You only need the lightbulb in cool or wet weather. A little computer fan is enough in warm dry weather.
- Put mesh or mozzie or something over the air inlet and outlets to keep bugs out. Staple gun and some glue around the edges works great.
- The grain of the meat is important: A lot of people cock it up by doing steak cuts, when you actually want the grain running with the piece, you cut perpendicular to that once it's dry/done, making little mini steaks. Google the primals you want to source it from, long is good. Lean to not very fatty meat works best. Lamb isn't the go, but goat probably would be (yet to try that actually. Beef and venison is ideal
- Any enclosure works, but having a window helps keep an eye on it without having to touch it.
- Hang the meat on sterile hooks, I use stainless welding wire provided by @Gibo, but anything you can clean in boiling water works.
- You want the meat hanging free, not touching other bits or the wall of the drying enclosure.
- Marinate it in the vinegar/worcestershire/etc mix, then roll in dry chilli flavour once it's been patted dry.
- It doesn't drip as much as you might think, so long as you have the excess patted off adequately. A sheet of wax paper/baking paper is enough. A sheet of handitowel on top of that if you're not convinced.
- A bought one works fine https://www.somethingfromhome.co.nz/...e-biltong-king , but a made one is satisfying too.
- You end up with 30-50% of the wet weight depending on how dry you like it. I trim the majority of the excess fat off, it dries more evenly. Some people like it however.
- The first batch won't last the day, but for subsequent batches, you can store it in a brown paper bag in a ziplock in the freezer more or less indefinitely.
- It makes a surprisingly well received gift. Make fucken heaps once you've got the hang of it.
- It eats chilli, so if you like it hot, go nuts, it's very hard to overdo.
- Find a plane blade or similar to make your cutter, a single bevelled edge works best.