Air drying / curing pork foods... in Wales.

[Van-Wild]

Can you air dry it like Biltong?

I have made a biltong box. Granted it uses USB computer fans to increase air flow that are powered by a rechargeable powerbank. Very Conservative on energy and gets my biltong done in 3 or 4 days. Very easy to make and I keep it in my garage.

 

[GNJC]

Can you air dry it like Biltong?

I have made a biltong box. Granted it uses USB computer fans to increase air flow that are powered by a rechargeable powerbank. Very Conservative on energy and gets my biltong done in 3 or 4 days. Very easy to make and I keep it in my garage.

Air-drying is the aim, no sun, no real heat, just a steady movement of air - but it needs to be dry air... I've facilities for biltong, and from my early years in Africa I wouldn't be without it; and I have nigh on unlimited beef, but since the climate here isn't conducive, I can only make small amounts of 'tong!

So, regarding the pork, here I am... got the meat, got the knowledge, got the enthusiasm - including my oldest boy now - and got the damp... hence the thread.

Having done a bit more homework, there seems to be a chance that my original though of solar powered dehumidifiers may be a non-bankrupting option. But I'm still keen on zero power input if possible, and the chance of a condensing DIY dehumidifier is worth pursuing.

 

[TeeDee]

Air-drying is the aim, no sun, no real heat, just a steady movement of air - but it needs to be dry air... I've facilities for biltong, and from my early years in Africa I wouldn't be without it; and I have nigh on unlimited beef, but since the climate here isn't conducive, I can only make small amounts of 'tong!

So, regarding the pork, here I am... got the meat, got the knowledge, got the enthusiasm - including my oldest boy now - and got the damp... hence the thread.

Having done a bit more homework, there seems to be a chance that my original though of solar powered dehumidifiers may be a non-bankrupting option. But I'm still keen on zero power input if possible, and the chance of a condensing DIY dehumidifier is worth pursuing.

I appreciate you are aiming for a zero sum investment return and want to do this without electricity but if you really do have access to unlimited beef ( what a fantastic concept! ) wouldn't the investment of time and money in running some small electrical set up then ben worth it? You could at least make it economical by scale of the beef you have.

 

[TeeDee]

You need to clear the air of dampness and encourage air circulation without electricity - so it needs to dry and chimney to create air flow. So how about making one of these - seems to work well in bright cold weather , so even if you got just dry air movement its a plus.
Its a bit of investment in time an resources but one of those projects that can be utilised for other things if it doesn't work in this application.

 

[GNJC]

I appreciate you are aiming for a zero sum investment return and want to do this without electricity but if you really do have access to unlimited beef ( what a fantastic concept! ) wouldn't the investment of time and money in running some small electrical set up then ben worth it? You could at least make it economical by scale of the beef you have.

Unlimited beef on the scale I make tong at; we have cattle and although most are sold on for beef or as breeders, we always have one or two in line for ourselves. So at the scale I make the tong for family consumption, a few kgs at most each year, I have access to more beef than I'll ever need for it.

As for scaling up and making it economical... we've looked at that, and with the prices charged for decent stuff - and not all sold is decent - it would be a goer, but then it's finding the market and doing the marketing, and at this end of the country that really kills the idea off. I know, because I've sold steers to a place in north Sussex, that if you have a dense enough and affluent enough population, and can sell direct, it is a real money maker; private sales there will effectively achieve double what I can get here.

You need to clear the air of dampness and encourage air circulation without electricity - so it needs to dry and chimney to create air flow. So how about making one of these - seems to work well in bright cold weather , so even if you got just dry air movement its a plus.
Its a bit of investment in time an resources but one of those projects that can be utilised for other things if it doesn't work in this application.

Never seen that before, looks like a project for my oldest boy!