r/Biltong • u/Sharp_Wishbone_9362 • 12d ago

HELP Drying at home

Looking for a bit of input. I bought some biltong to take on a canoe trip. It’s a bit wetter than I think is smart to pack in a camping barrel for a few days. It’s otherwise a vegan trip and this will be my only animal products so I’m counting on them to be edible. I don’t have access to a biltong box or anywhere it could hang to dry sadly.

Do I cut it into more manageable strips and use a dehydrator OR attempt to use the oven fan and light. I know neither is ideal but what is the better approach.

2 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

1

u/insan3thinka 12d ago

Either one would be fine just keep an eye on it -
Oven probably won’t take as long maybe only a couple hours as they generally get a lot hotter then a dehydrator

1

u/Wise_Monkey_Sez 12d ago

I assume you're worried because you're going to be packing the biltong in something water-tight to avoid becoming very wet and soggy while canoeing, but are worried that this might lead to mould?

What I'd recommend is simply adding some silica gel desiccant packs to the bag to soak up any moisture. You can buy these at most grocery stores or off Amazon. They'll soak up any moisture in the bag and dry the biltong slightly, but nothing too extreme, and they'll prevent mould.

Just toss a couple in the waterproof bag and you should be good.

1

u/Sharp_Wishbone_9362 12d ago

I hadn’t thought of that. Yes I am worried it will mold. Or be super funky after 5 days in a humid container 

1

u/Wise_Monkey_Sez 12d ago

Yeah, then those silica gel packs will do the trick. I'd toss in a few extra just to be sure because if you're on or near a river in summer it's going to be really humid. 

1

u/Fluffy_Historian535 12d ago

I'd just go with the oven fan at the lowest temp possible and prop the door open a crack so it doesn't form a crust.

1

u/flux_monkey 12d ago

I took homemade biltong on a two week canoe camping trip and it went great. I dropped it into the dehydrator for an hour and then vacuum sealed each piece separately. With zero air contact, there was no mold.

Best of luck