r/Biltong

Got some case hardening on my last batch. Had a warm and dry couple of days during hanging and it’s the first time I’ve had it.
I can’t seem to reduce my fan speeds. Will reducing the number of intake holes slow down the airflow? Or do I just need smaller/slower fans?

I built my own biltong box and I bought a fan with a speed control but I picked a double fan version and now I'm worried I will have too much case hardening, even on low speed. Is there someone who use two fans? I know there will be a lot of try and error things during my biltong path but I thought asking would not hurt. :) Thank you.

And don't worry, even though it's not visible, all the holes and covered with insect net.

First piece from the batch after adjusting the airflow in my setup. Pretty happy with the outcome.

I'm building a homemade biltong box foe the first time and realized the fan I have will jut down to where I set up the hanging rods. Is it alright if I just set it in the bottom somewhere to help push air up? Or should I just go get a case fan to put on top? I know the point is to draw the air up through the racks but idk what works and what doesnt.

I guess worst case I try it and put something over the fan to keep the drippings from messing with it

Great combo!
Finally settled in a recipe I like. Batch #10 tweaking the same recipe. Used different spices, ratios and vinegar types. Like it wet 💦

Just made my first batch with the top voted recipe on this sub. My plan is to make batches of biltong for a job I have this summer in the Alaskan bush. I will have access to a house with fridge/freezer for 4 days at a time, then will be in the wilderness for 8 days.

I am looking for any ways to extend the shelf life of biltong to be able to preserve meat for the summer, at least for a couple weeks, as food shipments are rare and in the wilderness I would like to have a protein source.

I will not have freeze dryer access, but so far I have heard of:

Longer vinegar/salt soaks

Adding baking soda and vinegar

Drying until very hard and rehydrating into a broth

Any ideas for making biltong last as long as possible in harsh conditions? This is my test batch, still has a couple days to go.

Hey all, this is my first attempt, first post in this group and first post on Reddit so please go easy on me! Decided I was spending too much on biltong so I made a box and have just finished slicing my first batch. I need to use more spice mix after brining next time but wanted to get any feedback and suggestions to improve on the next run. Attached are some pics of the box and after slicing. Thanks for your feedback! Glad to find this group and see everyone’s tips and pics.

This was the smallest piece in my batch. I took this one after two days from the box with fan and no light bulb. I wanted to achieve more reddish and juicier insides. I tried to taste one and to my surprise it has little bit of juicy taste in it, even if its looking like well done. But I mean, if the meat is good quality, is this level of drying good enough to eat? Like no bacteria etc? Or maybe I can even decrease the drying time for more reddish results? Thank you. :)

Hi, first post here - I've recently made a standard drying box for the biltong. First batch wasn't the best, I believe there was some case hardening - outside was dry, yet inside still quite red. Drying time approx. 6 days, hot & humid climate (south east queensland, australia)

After research I've narrowed down the potential causes:

1. Too much airflow - currently using a 50L plastic box with a single 120mm 12V fan extracting out the centre. No control over the fan; it's either on or off

2. Heat &/or humidity - when I made said batch there were a couple days where the heat shot up past 28 degrees C. Most days averaging 70-80% humidity

3. Curing time - said batch was cured for approx. 24 hours in rice wine vinegar, I noticed the meat was slightly brown in colour (vinegar beginning to cook the meat?)

4. Thickness - cuts were about 3+cm thick, in hindsight probably too thick.

I've included some pictures of the biltong, alongside some images of my current box.

Let me know what refinements I can make to avoid any mistakes?

All criticism & advice is highly appreciated, got the next batch marinading as we speak!

What is considered a properly prepared biltong?

I see many people call out biltong as case hardening while others call it wet. The undertones that I assume from ‘case hardening’ comments is that they were not done properly.

I’ve done wet, and dry…. Here’s a batch of lamb biltong that I just made, it’s dry all the way through (can see dry meat fibers when pulled apart).

With no experience with Biltong other than YouTube and forums, I’ve been experimenting and will continue to prepare them the way I like them.

But curious, what does the group consider a good prepared biltong look like? Please post pics.

Hey folks, just made a batch of biltong and a couple of the strip's have white on them. This is mould, right?

Where did I go wrong?

Is this salvageable with spraying some vinegar on it to kill the mould? Or would you toss it?

During the initial vinegar/WS soak, i left it in for an extra day by mistake. Could this have done it?

Also, secondary issue, the inside doesn't have that rare beef reddishness to it, but rather looks more grey. Is this a symptom of the same issue?

Regular BBQ and maple BBQ it

How does it look