Traditional Biltong

[nex]

Just managed to dry some biltong which is very difficult during summer.
Spiced and packed a few pieces of Black Wildebeest meat in a container in the fridge
late Friday afternoon. Left it for 24 hours then hung them up in my smoker with a fan running
it was very hot and a possibility of rain so I didn't want to take chances with the meat getting
damp from the humidity. Meant to hang it up on Sunday midday, by that time it
should be dry to the touch, unfortunately on Sunday we had to visit a family member in Hospital
about 40 min drive from us so I only managed to hang the meat in the biltong cabinet
late Sunday evening, I put a fan on it to help for the humidity, checking up on the
progress this morning I was surprised to find the biltong had dried to perfection.
Turning off the fan I left the biltong hanging for another day or two before packing
it away in the freezer

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Allready had a piece   

[Art Blade]

  drool

as if it wasn't already enough to have PZ water our mouths, now you're adding to it

Looking good, nex

[nex]

 
Thanks Art, and it tastes nice too   

[Art Blade]

rub it in why don't you

[nex]

  

[Dweller_Benthos]

Looks nice, is it kind of like beef jerky?

[PZ]

Dang that looks great, nex! +1 

I plan to try biltong this winter, and have been in correspondence with nex regarding how to go about it. A week ago I fixed the chimney in my garage, and am looking for a way to vent my cookers up that chimney, and when I get everything all worked out, I'm going to try biltong. 

[Art Blade]

that's nice of nex and man, I can't wait for your reports and pictures to rain down on us.

[nex]

Although I have read on how beef jerky is made D_B,
I'm not sure how our "biltong" would compare.
I assume one would use the same cut of meat. The meat is then spiced, laid flat in a container in
layers, depending on how many. It is then stored in a cool dry place (can be refrigerated) for up to 24 hours for the spices to draw into the meat. afterwards the meat is hung up to dry, usually up to two weeks depending on personal taste. the idea is for the meat to be dry right through.
Often I just use course salt, fine black pepper and a type of all spice.

This article explains it very well
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biltong

[nex]

Thanks PZ 
The initial "wind dry" is very important PZ, my drying cabinet is just an aluminium frame covered with a fine aluminium mesh, as you can see from the picture I positioned a small fan on the one side and let it run for a day or two. This can be done from day one, as shown in the video clip I sent you. Not too long though otherwise the outside gets too dry while the inside is still soft and reddish, I had to use the fan because of the high humidity we had for a few days. Some guys install an ordinary 60 watt globe in their drying cabinet to help with the drying process. I don't need it because my cabinet has mesh on three sides, besides, I believe in plenty ventilation, the way my dad taught me.   

[PZ]

Thanks nex; I'll be sure to keep that in mind. 

[Dweller_Benthos]

Yeah, it looks a little thicker than normal beef jerky (or any kind of jerky, doesn't have to be beef, I've had venison and that was fine too) but typically spiced, cut into thin strips, then dried in one way or another. My aunt used to just put the strips on a device that looks like a drum head, a hoop of wood with fine cloth like cheese cloth stretched over it. She would place the strips on the cloth and hang the thing over the wood stove for a few days. Turned out pretty tasty. You can also just buy a device that has trays and a fan enclosed in a round box that does the drying in a little less time.

[PZ]

Biltong production is evidently quite a bit different from how I make beef jerky. The same basic meat preparation, but no vinegar as in biltong. I dry the meat differently using smoke and heat - the jerky is done in a day.

[nex]

You got in just ahead of me PZ   
You can also use Worcestershire sauce instead of vinegar, tastes better.
Correct me if I'm wrong D_B, I believe jerky is meat dried over heat.
Biltong on the other hand is spiced like in jerky but dried by just hanging
it in a cool drafty area.

[fragger]

Looks great, nex I love having some jerky to gnaw on from time to time, but it's difficult to come across here unless it's of the pre-packaged, mass-produced variety, which doesn't much appeal to me. I don't have the space, facilities or inclination to try making my own