C
yep - i used these instructions/recipe initially and then adapted to my taste. It has come out well.
http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/s/articles/jerky1.htm
http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/s/articles/jerky1.htm
yep, just sliced a load of steak up into thin slices and dried it in the oven on the lowest possible setting with the door propped open, shortly after we got a dehydrator makes life a lot easier and doesnt tie the oven up, and it's cheaper to run.
We got one of these Westfalia ones, does the job a treat, http://www2.westfalia.net/shops/hou...food/dehydrating_/193811-food_dehydrator.htm? it's not the best one on the market, but it serves our needs perfectly and we got the money back that we spent on it in no time by saving a lot of fruit and veg home grown and foraged that normally we wouldnt have saved (only have a small freezer).
We got one of these Westfalia ones, does the job a treat, http://www2.westfalia.net/shops/hou...food/dehydrating_/193811-food_dehydrator.htm? it's not the best one on the market, but it serves our needs perfectly and we got the money back that we spent on it in no time by saving a lot of fruit and veg home grown and foraged that normally we wouldnt have saved (only have a small freezer).
here's a recent thread that my help.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73705&highlight=biltong
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73705&highlight=biltong
Realistically you don't even need heat. You need airflow. Layer your jerky meat (after preparing and seasoning the same as you would with a dehydrator) between 2 airflow filters (new ones such as the paper fiber filters used for air conditioning and heating air intake systems) Bungie that to a high flow ventilation fan to provide a drying airflow and dry 24-48 hours.
A dehydrator or oven will work but they slow roast jerky when the true goal is to simply dry it. And yes it is safe to eat and actually much better tasting when dried rather than roasted.
A dehydrator or oven will work but they slow roast jerky when the true goal is to simply dry it. And yes it is safe to eat and actually much better tasting when dried rather than roasted.
Since you mention pork, the meat you use must be lean. While you can mix rendered fat in after the facti.e., pemmicanyou can't dehydrate meat properly unless it's lean. (Well ... that's often said, some biltong I've bought has been fairly fatty.)
American Indians would sometimes carry jerked meat and some form of fatprobably bear oiland dip the former in the latter as they ate it.
Mark Sisson at the Daily Apple has a walkthrough for jerky here:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-make-your-own-jerky/
There's also a recipe for biltong here:
http://www.biltongbox.com/biltong.html
Same thing, really, but anything called "jerky" tends these days to be overspiced. Mark's version hasn't of course got MSG and so forth in it, but there are plenty of competing flavours in there.
use an aga, if you have one 
they work great if you turn them down and leave the cool coven door ajar, and leave overnight
they work great if you turn them down and leave the cool coven door ajar, and leave overnightHi Captain,
I do batches regularly, but as Santaman2000 suggested, I don't use any heat source whatsoever, just natural airflow. These days I have a plastic framework set up with a bug-proof net stretched over it, but the first time I tried it I just improvised the set-up and the results were just as good, (except for 1 aspect, which I'll come to later.)
My very first set up was 4 wine bottles - same height would be good, but if you haven't got 4 the same, just stack up the shorter ones to match the height of the tallest. (This is actually a V. good excuse to go and buy 4 bottles of your favourite plonk.) Next you need a grill of some sort to place on top: I used a cake rack thingy that I found in the kitchen. Once you know the size of the rack, you can see where to position the bottles - one at each corner. This is your basic 'structure,' but reinforce it by sticking it all in place with sellotape - you don't want the wind blowing the whole lot over.
Next, you need something to hang the strips of meat from. I used paperclips, each bent into S shaped hooks. These are the traditional type of hooks used to make biltong - at least that's what my Saffa mate told me! The more 'modern' method is to use the coloured plastic coated paperclips - less chance of the meat getting tainted by contact with metal. The final piece of 'specialist' equipment is a bug-net of some sort. I used an old mossie net cut to shape, but you could use a portion of plain net curtains - you might want to wash them first. With this set up I was able to process about 40 to 50 strips at a time, but of course it depends on the size of rack. Oh, and you'll also want a tray underneath to catch the drips.
That's the equipment. Next, a very brief description of the method: First, remember that there are 100's of variations of how to do this and each 'expert' will have their own preferences. Don't be intimidated - at the end of the day, all you're trying to do is hang some marinated meat up in an airflow. So here goes:
Cut the meat in strips about 3mm thick: Good quality meat, as lean as possible, cut across the grain (to reduce the toughness of the finished product), use a plastic chopping board - wooden ones are more prone to storing germs.
Stick it all in a bowl overnight in the fridge with your marinade of choice - I'll come back to this.
Next day, quickly dab each strip on a piece of kitchen towel, just to remove the bulk of the marinade. Pierce it with a paperclip and hang it underneath the rack. Repeat until rack is full or meat is used up.
Cover whole structure with net and make sure no bugs can get to it. Weigh the edges down if necessary - remember, a fly would like nothing more than to lay eggs on all that juicy meat. Don't hang any pieces too near the edges, you don't want the breeze blowing the net onto the meat.
Position the structure on a table next to the best airflow that your house will allow: Near a back door, or in a corner with 2 windows creating a cross-flow. It will be OK to close the door/windows at night, but leave them open for as long as possible during the day. This is why I usually process mine during the weekends when I know I'm not going anywhere.
Now leave it for about 2 and half to 3 and a half days. After about 2 days, test it to see if it's ready: Bend a piece and it should fracture but not snap, you'll see fibres breaking away from the main part. You can't really over-dry it, it just won't be as nice to eat, but if it doesn't fracture it isn't dry enough and will go off quickly. Once done, store it in the fridge in a paper bag, not plastic. This will still breath and will help avoid any build up of moisture. It should store like this for at least 6 weeks, but generally I eat it before this time.
Marinade: Salt is traditionally the main preservative for jerky, but acids e.g. vinegar or citrus juice in marinades can also help to kill bacteria. Soy sauce & apple cider vineger both work. Experiment. But one thing I would say to do - that I initially didn't do and I could have saved myself a lot of trial and error - keep a record of your contents and quantities that you use. That way it's much easier to modify and rectify a marinade that ends up too sickly or too salty, etc, etc. This was the one aspect that I refered to at the top of this post. I got the process sussed very quickly, but it took me several attempts to produce a truely good tasting batch, because I couldn't remember what ingredients I'd used & so I couldn't modify the taste with any accuracy.
The set up above is good for buying about 1kg of meat at a time. This won't all end up as nice strips of jerky, there will be a lot of inferior offcuts, but you can just stick them in a stew!
Have fun.
I do batches regularly, but as Santaman2000 suggested, I don't use any heat source whatsoever, just natural airflow. These days I have a plastic framework set up with a bug-proof net stretched over it, but the first time I tried it I just improvised the set-up and the results were just as good, (except for 1 aspect, which I'll come to later.)
My very first set up was 4 wine bottles - same height would be good, but if you haven't got 4 the same, just stack up the shorter ones to match the height of the tallest. (This is actually a V. good excuse to go and buy 4 bottles of your favourite plonk.) Next you need a grill of some sort to place on top: I used a cake rack thingy that I found in the kitchen. Once you know the size of the rack, you can see where to position the bottles - one at each corner. This is your basic 'structure,' but reinforce it by sticking it all in place with sellotape - you don't want the wind blowing the whole lot over.
Next, you need something to hang the strips of meat from. I used paperclips, each bent into S shaped hooks. These are the traditional type of hooks used to make biltong - at least that's what my Saffa mate told me! The more 'modern' method is to use the coloured plastic coated paperclips - less chance of the meat getting tainted by contact with metal. The final piece of 'specialist' equipment is a bug-net of some sort. I used an old mossie net cut to shape, but you could use a portion of plain net curtains - you might want to wash them first. With this set up I was able to process about 40 to 50 strips at a time, but of course it depends on the size of rack. Oh, and you'll also want a tray underneath to catch the drips.
That's the equipment. Next, a very brief description of the method: First, remember that there are 100's of variations of how to do this and each 'expert' will have their own preferences. Don't be intimidated - at the end of the day, all you're trying to do is hang some marinated meat up in an airflow. So here goes:
Cut the meat in strips about 3mm thick: Good quality meat, as lean as possible, cut across the grain (to reduce the toughness of the finished product), use a plastic chopping board - wooden ones are more prone to storing germs.
Stick it all in a bowl overnight in the fridge with your marinade of choice - I'll come back to this.
Next day, quickly dab each strip on a piece of kitchen towel, just to remove the bulk of the marinade. Pierce it with a paperclip and hang it underneath the rack. Repeat until rack is full or meat is used up.
Cover whole structure with net and make sure no bugs can get to it. Weigh the edges down if necessary - remember, a fly would like nothing more than to lay eggs on all that juicy meat. Don't hang any pieces too near the edges, you don't want the breeze blowing the net onto the meat.
Position the structure on a table next to the best airflow that your house will allow: Near a back door, or in a corner with 2 windows creating a cross-flow. It will be OK to close the door/windows at night, but leave them open for as long as possible during the day. This is why I usually process mine during the weekends when I know I'm not going anywhere.
Now leave it for about 2 and half to 3 and a half days. After about 2 days, test it to see if it's ready: Bend a piece and it should fracture but not snap, you'll see fibres breaking away from the main part. You can't really over-dry it, it just won't be as nice to eat, but if it doesn't fracture it isn't dry enough and will go off quickly. Once done, store it in the fridge in a paper bag, not plastic. This will still breath and will help avoid any build up of moisture. It should store like this for at least 6 weeks, but generally I eat it before this time.
Marinade: Salt is traditionally the main preservative for jerky, but acids e.g. vinegar or citrus juice in marinades can also help to kill bacteria. Soy sauce & apple cider vineger both work. Experiment. But one thing I would say to do - that I initially didn't do and I could have saved myself a lot of trial and error - keep a record of your contents and quantities that you use. That way it's much easier to modify and rectify a marinade that ends up too sickly or too salty, etc, etc. This was the one aspect that I refered to at the top of this post. I got the process sussed very quickly, but it took me several attempts to produce a truely good tasting batch, because I couldn't remember what ingredients I'd used & so I couldn't modify the taste with any accuracy.
The set up above is good for buying about 1kg of meat at a time. This won't all end up as nice strips of jerky, there will be a lot of inferior offcuts, but you can just stick them in a stew!
Have fun.
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I have a friend of mine who is a South African bloke and he taught me the way that they made biltong in South Africa. You need to use strips of meat that are very lean and virtually fat-free. Rump is ideal for this and they need to be cut very thin and long so to maximise the amount at the end.
He actually gave me a spice mix to use but I still don't have much idea what is in it. I know that there is saltpetre, cumin seeds, ground cumin, salt, pepper, chilli, but that is about as far as I know. I then add some worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and water and leave the meat in it, in the fridge over night.
When it is out of the fridge, you can get some butchers string and tie it around the ends of the meat strips so that the meat is firmly secured and there is a knot in the end so that it can be hung on something. Then, get a round piece of wood and thread them all onto that so that they are evenly spaced and not too close.
It has been mentioned that there is no need to have a heat supply, but it is not advisable to hand it outside unless it is very hot. I hand mine in the boiler room so that it is not actualy cooking, but gently drying in the slightly warmed air in there.
It varies on how long to leave it in there but I leave mine in there for between a day and a week depending on how hard I want the biltong to be.
Hope this helps and good luck with yours.
He actually gave me a spice mix to use but I still don't have much idea what is in it. I know that there is saltpetre, cumin seeds, ground cumin, salt, pepper, chilli, but that is about as far as I know. I then add some worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and water and leave the meat in it, in the fridge over night.
When it is out of the fridge, you can get some butchers string and tie it around the ends of the meat strips so that the meat is firmly secured and there is a knot in the end so that it can be hung on something. Then, get a round piece of wood and thread them all onto that so that they are evenly spaced and not too close.
It has been mentioned that there is no need to have a heat supply, but it is not advisable to hand it outside unless it is very hot. I hand mine in the boiler room so that it is not actualy cooking, but gently drying in the slightly warmed air in there.
It varies on how long to leave it in there but I leave mine in there for between a day and a week depending on how hard I want the biltong to be.
Hope this helps and good luck with yours.
It was recommend to me, whilst in South Africa, to make biltong by hanging meat in a cardboard box with a light bulb in it.
I make jerky in my oven, just set to the very lowest heat setting, and leave the oven door open ajar. I set the rack at the top then I skewer the meat strip at one end with a tooth pick and the let the meat hang straight down from rack on the tooth pick. This way you can really load up the oven. Usually dry well overnight. I use a mixture of shoyu (soy sauce), brown sugar, and lots of fresh ground black pepper to marinate the meat but just for 10 minutes as meat is thin and so penetration of marinade quick. Too long = too salty. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on oven floor to catch any meat drippings.
yeah my SA workmate used to do it that way too - but with a desk fan included in the mix.
Actually it's recommended that it only be done with dry COLD air. Warm or hot promotes bacteria. A good airflow helps and is usually enough but if you can dry it below 40 F it's safest.
I think most already know but just in case a word about slicing is in order. Always slice with the grain so that later you will bite across it. Otherwise your jerky will tend to crumble in storage and transport.
Sorry Santaman, but I'd have to disagree with you on that point. Conventionally, jerky & biltong are prepared differently:
Jerky should be sliced across the grain or else it will be very tough to chew once dried. There is absolutely no danger of it becoming crumbly.
Biltong should be sliced with the grain. This is because biltong is prepared in larger, thicker 'steaks' and the drying stage is not the final process. Once dried the biltong 'steaks' are stored whole. The final process of slicing the biltong into bite size pieces comes when the biltong is ready to be served, which or course could be straight away, or it could be days or weeks down the track. The result of this final slicing is again that the finished product - just prior to eating - ends up cut across the grain.
Or course, there are no laws governing the process of making jerky/biltong. If you want to go against convention then you can just do the opposite of what I've described above. It's just that I've never seen or heard of anybody ever doing that, whether it be commercial product or home made.
Jerky should be sliced across the grain or else it will be very tough to chew once dried. There is absolutely no danger of it becoming crumbly.
Biltong should be sliced with the grain. This is because biltong is prepared in larger, thicker 'steaks' and the drying stage is not the final process. Once dried the biltong 'steaks' are stored whole. The final process of slicing the biltong into bite size pieces comes when the biltong is ready to be served, which or course could be straight away, or it could be days or weeks down the track. The result of this final slicing is again that the finished product - just prior to eating - ends up cut across the grain.
Or course, there are no laws governing the process of making jerky/biltong. If you want to go against convention then you can just do the opposite of what I've described above. It's just that I've never seen or heard of anybody ever doing that, whether it be commercial product or home made.
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All commercial jerky over here is prepared that way. Usually in strips about 6-8 inches long, 1/2-1 inch wide by about 1/4-3/8 inch thick. Jerky is supposed to be tough and chewy; that's part of its character (it is here at least; it could be a different there) I've been eating various brands of commercial jerky and home-ade from several different people's kitchens for about 40 years and never had it cut across the grain yet.
BTW, I really don't know what biltong is. I've only ever even heard of it on this forum.
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The key with Biltong, I was told, is that in its simplest form, it's cut into strips (see above), salted and air dried, as opposed to sun dried. Biltong made this way is edible after three days and storable after seven. Here's some I prepared earlier (this year, in South Africa, from an Impala):
Day One
Day Two
I ran out of battery in my camera at this point
Day One
Day Two
I ran out of battery in my camera at this point
The key with Biltong, I was told, is that in its simplest form, it's cut into strips (see above), salted and air dried, as opposed to sun dried. Biltong made this way is edible after three days and storable after seven. Here's some I prepared earlier (this year, in South Africa, from an Impala):
Day One
Day Two
I ran out of battery in my camera at this point
Looks great! That actually looks like what we call jerky here.
