When deciding that biltong was the order of the day, the need for a drying chamber came to the fore.
Fortunately Some of my other hobbies complement my creative desires in the kitchen; hence the biltong drying cabinet.
Although one can simply hang biltong from the rafters in a well ventilated garage away from pets and other undesirables or modify a cardboard box, I decided a wooden cabinet would be something I would get enough use from to justify a little more effort:
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| Biltong dryer |
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| Side view with switch panel |
The unit is built from a pine frame with plywood side panels and a glass door.
On top of the box are three forced ventilation holes each with a 100mm computer case fan fitted. These along with the three incandescent 100 Watt light bulbs at the bottom can all be individually switched to both direct air flow through the unit and also to control the temperature.
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| Heat source and AC to DC rectifier and transformer |
Vent holes at the base of the unit allow air to flow in while keeping bugs out. Using 12VDC computer fans with a 220VAC power supply meant adding a transformer and rectifier into the cabinet (I had some help with this). A diffuser board is also added above the globes to assist the warm air in being dispersed through all the meat and not short circuiting up the back.
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| Diffuser board and vent fans |
The switch bank below allows for the following control:
- Main power isolator
- Run individual fans
- select 1, 2 or 3 globes (one switch is for the center light and the other for the outer two lights)
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| Switch bank |
I can hold approximately 10kg of biltong in this unit and dry this in under a week. Should a smaller unit be preferred then the option below which I made for a friend at the same time is the answer. This works just as well and only required one fan and one incandescent globe:
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| Small dryer cabinet |
Below is a charge of 8kg (wet weight) of Cabanossi sausage in for drying. note the available height; don't cut back on this. you need to be able to hold the full width of a beef silverside slice in here + the hook. The temperature and humidity gauge below is reading 10% humidity and 30°C ( 86°F )
Love your biltong maker...wish I had one like it. Mine is fab but easily breaks as it's mage of perspex.
ReplyDeleteWell done my dear friend,I will follow your blog with great interest. Try add a little port to your liver pate next time you make it, also another option is to add a little of your smoked bacon. So 4 parts chicken livers to 1 part bacon.
ReplyDeleteThanks Grant - you just made me realise I forgot to mention the brandy that goes into the pate (a most important ingredient). I have updated accordingly. This goes exceptionally well served alongside a port. Bacon would go well however as this is blended so smooth it may be an option to fry chopped bacon crispy and add it after blending.
DeleteHey Mate, the bacon will break up completely in the blender so the texture will be smooth, Shauneen also puts fresh cream in hers if it is going to be eaten within 1 week. The cream really adds a richness to the pate.
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