Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Biltong anyone ?

I'm not talking about jerky friends .Biltong is way different & IMO much better. I would like to compare notes with some of you who make the stuff.I've been in the meat bidness for 35 yrs. Kill floor thru sales floor.I love to make traditional biltong out of Deer or Bison meat. Drying meat may come in handy in the near future...you never know.

OK we need pics and instructions or this thread is absolutely worthless....please enlighten me. I have heard of it, desired to try it but have no idea how to make it.

I wonder if it requires a grinder? yuck, yuck, haha

Yes please, inquiring minds want to know...

sure poke the grouchy old bastid....

I've probably eaten my weight in biltong on my African trips. I love the stuff with Giraffe being the best I've had. Any tips you have would be appreciated.

Mike

I actually fell in love with it so bad in 2009 that I ordered a dehydrator and spices from RSA to make my own. It is dried in the round and then shaved to eat. I used the machine just once but the texture was more like jerky than the ultra dry biltong.

It is not salty like jerky, but the flavour of the meat comes through. I use tenderloin as it is smaller and dries faster. I use poultry netting to suspend the rubbed meat in air flow that goes over the entire piece. I have used backstrap but am feerful that it will spoil because drying time in cool fall weather can be two weeks. I split the backstrap into pieces the same size as tenderloin. I use a cleaver to shave the meat but am going to try and build a shaver.

This fall I will photo the process and post it for reference.

I enjoy jerky but biltong is a better meat taste to me.

Randy

Ok. I'm sorry it took me so long to get back here. Biltong ( dried rump)is easy to make. I don't have photos of the process but I'll give my recipe. Really the first step is to have a place to hang & dry your billies. I have used a large box with a fan & 40 watt bulb, out side on a line in cool weather,or in an unused room on lines with a fan on them.# 1. Seam out the H/Q into the basic Bottom round,Inside round,& eye of round-taking off any fat & membrane{ silver).#2. Cut longways -with the grain- into strips about 1/2' x 1/2". They can be a ft. long but 1/2" will dry fast. #3. In a non-metallic bowl pour a little white vinegar # salt. Layer the strips in. Each layer gets Vinegar & a generous salting. Cover & leave overnight. #4.Next day,pour off the vinegar, throw in a handful of brown sugar & coarse black pepper for every 3 lbs meat,maybe a dash of garlic powder or- corriander is the African favorite. I work this in,Then hang it up. It dries in about 2-3 days. Humidity is the enemy here. Hang inside with a fan on it if it's humid. There is a wealth of info online.It's popular in S.Africa & Canada & you will have a lot of friends when a batch is ready !

BTW-On step # 3 above, when I said " leave overnight", I of course meant in the fridge !

You said, hang & dry your billies? Goat? When I tried it in South Africa I didn't think it was very tasty, maybe it was just that batch. He had it hanging in the rafters in the garage.

Dick

"Billies"is slang for the sticks of biltong.I make the H/Q's of most of my deer into biltong. I've also used Bison,Nilgai, Barbado sheep..any lean meat.The recipe varies by individual taste. The basic idea is, it's cured with vinegar & salt,seasoned the way you like it,then dried in a cool breezy place with low humidity. So. Africans like a lot of corriander & brown sugar. I put alot of cayenne or black pepper in mine...less brown sugar. Jerky is cut thinner, usually smoked & salt cured. Biltong is better to me. I store it in a zip lock in the fridge with the bag opened a little...It doesn't last long at my house unless I hide some !

I like white pepper and coriander on mine. I also like about .5"x2"x12" or so strips. Bend them to get a feel for how dry they are and when their ready slice cross grain in about 1/8th" strips for nice bite sized little pieces.

Bb

Yes Sir Burleyboy..That's what I'm talkin about. I raised 5 kids on mostly deer meat. Biltong is worth the effort. I just thought some might be interested.

Awesome thread. Good info for sure.

What is the ideal temperature for drying?