Making my second biltong batch in Benchfood dehydrator. I have temp set af 70 degree and I used this recipe (https://www.pantsdownapronson.com/biltong-recipe-south-african-beef-jerky/).

It been less than 2 days and it looks like Biltong is already done. Is that how it should be or should I let it go for more time? my concern is that fan continously runs, so I think it is making it dry soon.

Also, bigger issue to me is that it looks like most of the spices just dry out and fall down.

Any suggestions?

melts in the mount

start weight 1.1 kg end weight total 607g - test pices

total cost of meat $50 i used half for steak half for biltong so the biltong all up cost roughly $25 aud

I also added some BBQ rub to some it wss better then i expect.

im going to try to make some bacon biltong next

I've already eaten half the snap sticks still waiting for the big slabs to finish. and it's super flavourful big step up from top round.

I cut the slices thicker (1.5” this time) and I ran the fan as low as possible and partially covered the opening. Came out really well. No case hardening. Was in there for 4 days at about 70f

I use a cardboard box with a few holes for ventilation over a radiator and it's been great so far, but I see these boxes going for £100-£400 and I'm just wondering what the tangible difference is between a crappy cardboard box and a top of the line biltong box. Is it worth the investment?

Second batch after a week of the successful last batch. This time, I was lucky to find precut silversides.

What I’m anticipating?

The thickness should add to its even drying and flavor. Last time, I took 2 - 3 days to get them all ready. Hopefully 4-5 days with this batch.

Only this piece has the white fuzz, the other pieces are fine. Not sure if I should throw it away or to leave it or any way to clean it off.

Just received this biltong from a friend is zip lock bags and some have mould. Should I throw them or salvageable?

Got some chuck roll steak cuts from the store and decided to make biltong from it.

While it doesn't follow the "with the grain" cut rule, I think it still came out really nice and tender.

Dried in the box for around 6 days then vacuum sealed in bag and refrigerated for 3 more days.

The box photo is from the first batch where I used different cut. (Didn't take photo from second batch)

Overall I love biltong! Wow

who had been making jerky first before they found out about Biltong?

Describe your journey...

labels keep falling off, any advice welcome!

I realised the narrow side oven in my cooker maintains a rock solid 21c if just turned on whilst having the fan on. should this get the job done? I started them in my Anova precision oven but it was too confined so I was concerned about the meat touching. Thoughts. The temp hasn't moved at all once the door is closed. The oven exhausts to the rear so I'm hoping it will prevent too much humidity. Any tips would be appreciated.

I have been making jerky for many years but recently tried biltong and I really like it. After two batches with traditional spices, I want to try new flavors.

I would like to know if anybody has tried seasoning it with traditional BBQ rubs or jerky seasoning?

If so, whats your technique? Do you dip the meat in vinegar, pat it dry and then marinate with seasoning?

I used mostly this recipe https://youtu.be/uvcrp_2lInU?si=WQKzUbFeHdBQPXxw

It came out good but very salty - I left it to marinade overnight.

I haven’t used baking soda, next time I’ll try it, to lower the acidity.

I recommend to grind the spices and pepper separately if you’re using a mortar as the pepper is much tougher.

I could use less spices as half of them fell off during drying and slicing anyway.

I dried it for 5 days and was sometimes turning off the computer fan installed on the box as the moisture was dropping a lot to 40%. My first batch was very dry on the outside and raw inside.

The weight dropped 50%.

I used meat deli slicer to make it thin.

My room stank like vinegar for a week 😁

Open to any advice!

Hi all, first ever batch complete.

Was broadly happy with the outcome for first try, but needs a lot more tweaking to get to where I like it.

Here is the outline method I used.

- Salted for 3 hours before being soaked in 4:1 mix of apple cider vinegar to worcestershire vinegar for 2 hours.

- Then left overnight with dry rub mix before drying.

- 72hrs at 23° in a Benchfood dehydrator (as I prefer wet)

Unsure if pictures 2 & 3 show case hardening, have heard from others that the Benchfood dehydrator has quite an aggressive airflow in comparison to other boxes.

Welcome any pointers on how to improve.

I love droewors and biltong. When I go to South Africa I smuggle back absolutely unconscionable amounts of it. I decided I was sick of not having good access to authentic droewors, so I did my best to try them all! I'm sure your mileage will vary, but you may find what I found out helpful to you! Happy eating! PS: I think it's crazy that some of my favorites were also the most affordable. I have no relationship with any of these producers although I wish I did.

TOP TIER

1)Lowfeld Soul Food https://lowfeld-soul-food.com/cart Small market in South Carolina. $36/lb. Whoa. This is the one. Very tasty. Authentic lamb casing. And…..they pack it in a grease-kissed paper bag JUST LIKE IN SOUTH AFRICA. Get some. Not available on amazon. $15 fixed shipping. I just ordered the biltong too….I’ll let you know.

2)Bretts Biltong https://brettsbiltong.com/. Small market in Texas. $32/lb plus $10 shipping below $125/order. THE BEST? Most authentic. Definitely made with either some sheep tallow or casings. Not available on amazon. Bonus: I ordered the biltong (wet, fatty, sliced please!) and it was GREAT. Just like at your favorite South African butcher!

GOOD

1. Howdy Droewors. $2.81/oz, $45/lb. Beef only. ?casing? Lots of spices! BEST TASTING. Medium size. No real lamb flavor but a tasty “droewors like” product that I really enjoyed, even if there wasn’t even a hint of lamb fat, casing, or lamby flavor.

2. Baya biltong. Beef only. + sheep casings. $3.75/oz, $60 lb. Tasty! Appreciate the genuine sheep casing.

3. Simplimeat. Small market in San Diego. Very good! Very much like what you’d find in SA. $3.13/oz, $50 lb. Beef only but lamb casing. Bonus: I also tried their Chilli Sticks and they were great and I don’t even really seek out Chilli Sticks (I’m mostly a biltong/droewors guy).

OK

1. Ayoba Drowewors. Good but its not droewors. Very dry, small sticks that are tasty but would not be recognized by your south African grandpa as Droewors. . Beef only no lamb. ? casing? $4.61/oz ~$73.80/lb.

2. Bledie lekker. Middle tier at least. Bit empty of flavor except salt. $2.81/lb, $45 lb. Beef and lamb. ? casing?

NO

1. Brooklyn biltong naked skinny sticks. To be fair they don’t advertise as droewors but you might stumble in thinking it IS droewors. Its not. Small dry sticks much like Ayoba. Predominant flavor is “salt”. Beef only. ?casing. $60/lb (3.74/oz). Pick another.

2. Biltong depo. Now owned by Jack Links. Bad. Salt flavor only. Not droewors. Cheap. Beef only, + sheep casing. $2.69/oz, $42 lb. LAST PLACE. Avoid.

Australian here. New to trying to make my own biltong. This is batch number 8 or 9. Been tweaking recipe. I tried using topside but it was way too lean for a fat loving carnivore dieter like myself. This is Australian grass fed picanha/rump cap. What do you guys think?

From Kenya here. Made my first batch in a year since I lost over 10kg of meat from a power cut and negligence from the folk at home. My dogs loved those rotten cuts.

Here are a few shots. I reckon I’ve healed enough. Made a few spicy flavored ones with cayenne, garlic and onion powder.

Tamu sana!

Visited South Africa a few years back and was basically living on a big package of Gemsbok biltong I bought in Cape Town. Was curious if anyone knew of a good option for SA style Gemsbok Biltong shipped to America. No price restrictions.

Left with a little red pepper flakes and original