Moose biltong

[ratherbefishin]

My hunting partner is from South Africa and so when we got a nice bull this year-he was eager to try making biltong-the traditional SouthAfrican dried meat used by the Boers[he is a descendant] Its not dificult-he took off slabs of meat,about 4''wide and 18'' long-laid them in a tote with vinegar and spices for 6 hours-then hung them on wires on a rack and put a fan on them[no heat]Within a week, he had his ''biltong''-hard and dry.They shave it into thin slices with a ''biltong cutter''or just cut thin pieces with a hunting knife.What surprised me was how much the meat shrunk from the original piece-you can see why it was favoured by travelers.Not sure how long it keeps-probably indefinately as long as it is kept dry-or not eaten.

[Goliath]

Good for you. I was introduced to it from a SA pal as well and am thankful for it.

Biltong is awesome stuff and keeps for a very very long time, although I find it best to consume it within a 3-4 months...then make another batch. Yes you're correct, the shrinkage is huge...a typical 66 pound batch of meat is reduced to maybe 16-18 lbs (give or take depending on how dry or moist you like it).

Biltong and droewors (dry sausage) is awesome backpacking protein. Around home it gets demolished (eaten) awful fast...in fact our family has polished off entire elk in a matter of months without it being the main course on the dinner table! Mmmmmm...coriander...mmmmmmm.

[Spy]

Easy to make,easy to store & delicious healthy meat! take it along on a day hunt has all the salt & minerals in to keep you going , all you need is a knife & you are golden !:-D
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy226/Hunterspy/DSC00069.jpg

[ratherbefishin]

its excellent,best shaved in to thin pieces and savoured-no deer stand should be without it.For home, they have a ''biltong cutter'',something like a cigar guilletine.I can see why it was a favoured methond of preserving meat before the days of freezers,a large animal could be reduced down to a manageable weight and preserved.I suppose the First Nations plains people did something similar with buffalo by making pemican.

My friend also introduced me to ''rusks''-a sort of granola his wife makes by drying in the oven then cutting into bars and storing in a tin.

I find other cultures foods and methods of handling and preserving game fascinating-you learn something,its all part of the hunting experiance that the anti's will never understand

[Vossie]

The four items I introduced to my Canadian hunting buddies:

Biltong
Droewors
Rusks
Klipdrift Brandy

A hunting trip is not a trip if any of those are not there.

I find making it in the lower mainland a challenge due to the wet, but I found the best drying spot for it, the utility room, will dry 60lbs of meat down to 25lb in 4-5 days depending on the thickness of slices.

Just did my first deer as well and to be honest, its the only way I can consume deer meat.

[Fella]

So! Any of you fellows want to post your spice recipe? I'd definitely be interested in trying it out!

[Spy]

The four items I introduced to my Canadian hunting buddies:

Biltong
Droewors
Rusks
Klipdrift Brandy

A hunting trip is not a trip if any of those are not there.

I find making it in the lower mainland a challenge due to the wet, but I found the best drying spot for it, the utility room, will dry 60lbs of meat down to 25lb in 4-5 days depending on the thickness of slices.

Just did my first deer as well and to be honest, its the only way I can consume deer meat.
Ahh Klippies but you forgot one thing, Boerewors !(Farmers Sausage):-D
http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy226/Hunterspy/IMG_2378.jpg

[Spy]

So! Any of you fellows want to post your spice recipe? I'd definitely be interested in trying it out!
Heres a good place to start @ ! I will dig up a couple recipes !
http://www.markblumberg.com/biltong.html

[Jagermeister]

So! Any of you fellows want to post your spice recipe? I'd definitely be interested in trying it out!
Yeah! Or perhaps make a vid showing the process steps.

[Spy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuLkrCd9J7o
After sifting through a couple how to I think this is important ! The Box as we have a wet climate !

[nuadixion]

I simply use my furnace room to hang the meat in ....it is dry in there, air moves around often and it is fairly warm.
The base recipe is from this guy http://www.markblumberg.com/biltong.html from then you can customize it by adding hot peppers, chilis, cumin, garlic etc.
It is great - kids love it! But be careful - you can easly eat whole leg of deer while watching good game and drinking cold beverages. :)

[Kudu]

Hunting snacks.....


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