Reduced airflow for the first 24 hours to prevent case hardening — best batch yet?
I’ve been refining my biltong process and tried a new drying approach on my current batch.
13 kg silverside (trimmed to ~12.3 kg)
Cut into strips about 1.5 cm thick × 5–7 cm long
Drying target: 45–50% weight loss
Recipe (per kg raw meat)
18 g salt
18 g cracked coriander
9 g black pepper
5 g organic cane sugar
0.4 g chilli flakes
25 ml apple cider vinegar
10–12 ml Worcestershire sauce
Drying setup
Four 102 L drying boxes, each with a 47 CFM fan on the lowest setting.
What I changed
For the first 24 hours, I partially covered the exhaust (~50–60%) to slow airflow.
This kept the chambers around:
15–17°C
63–69% RH
After 24 hours, I removed the tape and returned to full extraction:
15.5–16.5°C
52–56% RH
Observations
At ~27 hours:
Surface is dry to the touch
Interior is still soft
No obvious signs of case hardening
The plan is to dry to 45–50% weight loss, chill overnight, and slice the next morning.
Has anyone else tried this kind of two-stage drying approach? It seems much more controlled than running full extraction from the start.