FalconFN Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 As I've got a mountain of pigeon on the freezer I thought is give pigeon biltong a try. I usually do rump steak with plenty of marbling so I'm not sure how well such a lean meat will work, but it looks pretty good so far and the small bit I've tried tasted great. Still got a day or two above the woodburner but if it works I will be in snacks for months. The cure is a simple salt, pepper, chilli and corriander seed rub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraivi Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 As a fellow biltong maker, let me know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 This sounds interesting. Will you send out a few samples? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teal Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 I'll be interested in following the progress of this, it does look good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 You can make biltong out of pretty much anything - I've been making it for 25 years. In South Africa you can get chicken biltong, but I'm not comfortable with eating uncooked chicken. As long as you would be happy eating the meat medium rare - I would think it is ok to make biltong from it. A Nigerian colleague once gave me some air dried guinea fowl - it was very tasty. You could probably do pheasant too - a bit less work in the butchery due to its size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MirokuMK70 Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 I've been thinking about doing the same - Can you give us a rundown of exactly how you make it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted October 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 You can make biltong out of pretty much anything - I've been making it for 25 years. In South Africa you can get chicken biltong, but I'm not comfortable with eating uncooked chicken. As long as you would be happy eating the meat medium rare - I would think it is ok to make biltong from it. A Nigerian colleague once gave me some air dried guinea fowl - it was very tasty. You could probably do pheasant too - a bit less work in the butchery due to its size. Not sure I'd each chicken biltong either - or rabbit for that matter. As it's so lean I won't over dry it, I want it hard on the outside but with a little give in the middle, so I'm working on the assumption that it will be totally fine, but proprobably won't keep quite as well as beef. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted October 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 (edited) I've been thinking about doing the same - Can you give us a rundown of exactly how you make it?I don't know if this is the correct or the best way but what I do is very quick and simple: I just give a quick rinse in a 50/50 water/vinegar solution (not really necessary but gets rid of excess blood and kills any surface bacteria), then pat dry, cut the breast top to bottom then back up to make one long strip, cover with your rub and then shake off excess, hang in a warm dry place for a few days until there is no springiness in the flesh. I hang mine on ceiling hooks above a woodburner but its best to put some paper down to catch the drips for the first few hours. Edited October 15, 2014 by FalconFN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 Very dry and lean biltong can be quite pleasant as long as there are no sinues/silverskin and you slice it very thin after drying, or cut it very thin, then dry it to a point where it snaps. These benefit from strong spicing, and very cold beer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraivi Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 Looking forward to the outcome, but I'm with Aris on the un cooked chicken scene, etc... but I think pigeon will do well, because it shares similarity in sight and texture with ostrich flesh, and I can recall eating ostrich biltong, and that was good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 From what I understand (i've only eaten it well done), eating under-done pigeon is OK, but when curing any meat you need to be sure of the quality and freshness of your raw product. Supermarket chickens have a bit of a dodgy reputation with contamination. Again, with pork - you may well expose yourself to Trichinosis - so be careful. Wild pigeon I would hope would be of a known freshness and hopefully disease free as they are not intensively reared like a commercial supermarket chicken. Brushing with vinegar is something I always do. It adds a good flavour, and helps keep mould at bay. In my experience the best to use is apple cider vinegar. I found that malt vinegar gave a bit of an odd taste, but by all means experiment. I used some red wine vinegar in a dried sausage once and it was delicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 Biltong is the snack of gods. Mostly only done beef, have tried mutton which was nice, might give the pigeon a try another great way to use them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted October 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 Good tip for the cider and wine vinegars, I used white malt vinegar as it was all I had in, but as you say it can be a bit pungent, hence the 50/50 mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew f Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 sounds good could you do venison biltong ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalconFN Posted October 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 Yes,that would be good. As a kid I had a Zambian friend that would bring in all sorts of biltong; buffalo, gazelle etc (well that's what he claimed anyway), it all tasted great to me and I'd spend what seemed like hours chewing the stuff unit there was no flavour left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentalmac Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 You mention curing it in a warm dry place such as wood burner, is there anywhere else you could hang it to dry? and how long does it need? I'd love to make some pigeon biltong. Love the stuff, find that when I sit down of an evening my teeth get bored and I happily sit there chewing on beef jerky but it's very expensive to buy in. I love Biltong, but don't get so much now I don't work in London (used to get loads from the SA Shop by London Bridge). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 (edited) sounds good could you do venison biltong ? Oh absolutely. Some of the best biltong in South Africa is made with game meats. Just keep in mind that lean meat should either be semi-dried (moist inside), or if you dry it right through, you should cut the pieces quite small - 1.0 - 1.5cm in diameter, then dry until they snap. This is due to the low fat nature of game meats. Edited October 16, 2014 by aris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 You mention curing it in a warm dry place such as wood burner, is there anywhere else you could hang it to dry? and how long does it need? I'd love to make some pigeon biltong. Love the stuff, find that when I sit down of an evening my teeth get bored and I happily sit there chewing on beef jerky but it's very expensive to buy in. I love Biltong, but don't get so much now I don't work in London (used to get loads from the SA Shop by London Bridge). You can dry biltong by hanging the meat in a well-ventilated spot, and pointing a fan towards it. Just need to make sure you keep any vermin from it - i.e. flies who would loooove to lay their eggs on your raw meat, or pets, etc.. Best to use a biltong drier. Either make or or buy one Instructions on making one here. http://www.biltongbox.com/biltong.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 You mention curing it in a warm dry place such as wood burner, is there anywhere else you could hang it to dry? and how long does it need? Stealth Stalker made a wooden box and just used light bulbs to provide the warmth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 Stealth Stalker made a wooden box and just used light bulbs to provide the warmth Yes - a biltong box - check the link above. The light bulbs aren't for warmth - they provide air circulation through convection. You don't necessarily need heat to make biltong, just steady airflow to dry the meat at a slow but steady pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentalmac Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 Stealth Stalker made a wooden box and just used light bulbs to provide the warmth Ah I see, just googled it and perhaps a wooden box with some dowels within and a lightbulb (Perhaps a poultry brooder style lightbulb?) would I need to attach a fan like seen in some pics? Could probably get hold of a computer fan and affix to the box. You can dry biltong by hanging the meat in a well-ventilated spot, and pointing a fan towards it. Just need to make sure you keep any vermin from it - i.e. flies who would loooove to lay their eggs on your raw meat, or pets, etc.. Best to use a biltong drier. Either make or or buy one Instructions on making one here. http://www.biltongbox.com/biltong.html Thanks for that, I'll give that a go. I absolutely love biltong and am getting all excited thinking about making some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentalmac Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 Yes - a biltong box - check the link above. The light bulbs aren't for warmth - they provide air circulation through convection. You don't necessarily need heat to make biltong, just steady airflow to dry the meat at a slow but steady pace. Sorry chaps, dodgy internet connection - missed this, So normal lightbulb in a woodne box with some holes in it following the instructions on that very helpful link - simple - that's this weekends project :-). You guys are great, cheers again for the advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraivi Posted October 16, 2014 Report Share Posted October 16, 2014 I didnt faff with wood, just get a 60l self storage plastic container, about a tenner, a cpu fan from maplins and piece of ply, bulb holder and plug. Air circulation and pest exclusion are the key. pm me your email address and I will send you a couple of pics if you want mentalmac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentalmac Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Thanks Wraivi, sounds great - PM'd you :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Funker Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Ah this has rekindled my interest in making a biltong box, I'd seen that link before.I'm guessing you could get some fine fly screen and staple inside box to cover the holes from any nasties getting in.Has anyone built one yet, any pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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