Wild Boar Biltong

Hi.

I have been using my WSM to make my own biltong. A piri-piri, Worcestershire sauce, coriander, malt vinegar, apple cider recipe. I cut the electrical plug off the end of an inspection lamp, run the end through one of the bottom vents. Lay the caged 60W bulb on the the charcoal grate, re-terminated the plug. Cut 2" x 6" strips of wild boar & marinaded them, skewered with wooden skewers. Opened up all lower & upper vents, turned on the lamp and left to dry cure over three days. Leave for another day in an air tight box to allow the remaining moisture to re-permeate. Tastes absolutely gorgeous, especially accompanied by a few cold ones & watching the Football, (soccer), World Cup.



Go on, grab a bit!

That's very interesting. I still boar hunt, not as much as I used to, but this has just been added to my "to do list." Do you get drips on the bulb? I'd be curious to see inside your set up, the next time you do this?

Do you hunt boar? My favorite all time hunt was when I got married on Maui. Wouldn't you know it, I got the call the same day I was getting married (we eloped) Soon as we got married, I was off into the hills, spear in hand with my native guides. For guys that are pushing 225LBS, those guys could run through the jungle. I was a lean mean 130LBS, and it was all I could do to keep up with them. My bride (of 35 years) has been most forgiving of my hobbies

ChuckO. Leave the water pan in the smoker. It will capture any drips. The rising heat from the bulb will draw air in from the lower vents. I do not hunt boar. I used to shoot wild geese many years ago. 12 & 10 gauge shot-guns. But not any more.

To be a bit more precise. Get a shallow pan that will take the amount of meat you wish to cure. Mix up all the ingredients and line the pan. Lay the strips of meat in the marinade. Leave for about 2 hours, turn them over and leave again for another 2 hours. Hang the strips, button up the smoker, turn on the lamp and forget for three days. All good.

ChuckO. I have taken a couple of pics to show my set up. Thanks.

Thanks Tony - I hope to give this a try soon

No probs ChuckO. Remember to post yer pics mate.

Nice Tony. It looks similar to our jerky. Do you use any cure in your recipe? Better yet, can we get your recipe?

Hi Dwain. Practically the same to your jerky, which I love. Of course you can, here's my recipe.
Get yourself some silverside, (I think you guys call it London Broil), cut with the grain into 2" x 6" strips. At this point some people like to rock salt the beef for about an hour. I don't like to to do this personally, as I find it draws out too much moisture and natural flavouring, but that's my preference. Mix up equal parts of apple cider vinegar, malt vinegar & Worcestershire sauce. In a morta & pestle grind up coriander seeds, black pepper corns, piri-piri rub, (you can also add a dry-rub of your choice also, just as good). Next, mix the wet & dry ingredients together and pour it into a shallow roasting pan. Lay the strips of meat into the marinade & leave for two hours. Then turn the meat over & leave again for another two hours. Let the meat drip-dry before hanging, (this is not important when using a WSM as any extra marinade will drip off into the smoker pan). Skewer the meat as shown above in my previous post, turn on the lamp, button up the smoker and kick back for three days. The biltong might seem a bit dry, but that's ok, put it into an airtight container for another day and it will retain any moisture left. Believe me it does. Next, grab a cold beer, turn on your favourite game, open the container & enjoy.
Thanks.
Tony.

Edit: If you like your biltong/jerky a bit "wet", check it after two days. I use a 60W bulb in the lamp. Remember, I'm in the NE of Scotland where it's not very warm. So you guys in hot climates might want to leave it for two days. There is no hard, fast rules just as in bbq-ing. So you need to experiment.

Sounds awesome. Thanks!

What a great idea Tony. One more use for the WSM.

Folks. I forgot to mention, make sure all your utensils, work surface are clean before you start. Those who have flies around, get some light mesh netting to put over the vents. (If you can bring the WSM indoors, even better). Instead of using skewers, as I have shown, I have also used large paper-clips. Undo them into an "S" shape, perfect hooks, & you don't have to mess about sliding meat through the bars to skewer it. Just hang it up through the door.