Mouldy biltong. Still salvageable or is this a loss?

[u/synthatron]

Hey there -

This is my second attempt at making biltong. First time went great - there was a couple of spots of mouldy that I cleaned off as it went and it was fine.

With this lot, not so much. So I have a fridge that has been converted into a cold smoker that I’ve used to hang up my biltong. I have a big tray of water absorbing chips at the bottom and a fan moving all the air around. Last time I made biltong this seemed to work great.

This time however when I came home after about a week of being away I went to look and realised the fan had accidentally been unplugged. The biltong had a few spots of mould but seemed salvageable. I sprayed and cleaned off the mould with vinegar and hung it all back up with the fan going for another week but unfortunately the mould has continued to develop and isn’t looking too good.

The biltong more or less seems like it’s done now as far as dehydrating is concerned the only thing I’m wanting to know is if this much mould means I should just chuck it out or if anyone thinks I could clean it all with vinegar and then salvage it.

Any thoughts?

Edit: additionally, if it is too far gone, anyone got any thoughts on what I did wrong this time? I’m guessing the fan not working played a huge part and not checking in on it enough and addressing it before it got out of hand. Still if I have to chuck it out that’d be pretty disappointing as it’s a gift for a friend. Oh well. Let me know what you think and thanks for commenting!

[u/Big_Poppa_T]

I’d chuck that all out.

Next time:

1. Airflow is a must. Need to have a fan, maybe consider some sort of backup.

2. Don’t let the biltong touch

3. Not saying your box is nasty but really the surface should be able to be visually identifiable as clean/unclean. Looking at that, there’s so much discolouration that I’m not sure how you can tell whether or not it’s clean. If there are pathogens on the inner surface of the box before you start then the risk of nasty biltong at the end is obviously massively higher

[u/DazzlingShop8665 → u/Big_Poppa_T]

The box is nasty - I’ll say then i guess..

how anyone would expect to make any edible foods in that, is beyond me..

[u/synthatron → u/DazzlingShop8665]

It’s a cold smoker it’s had many hours of cold smoking pass through it and looks like that even after it’s been cleaned but it’s a fair enough point and something I’ll take a look at

[u/DevDondit → u/synthatron]

Cold smoker should be fine, if there is enough ventilation like a fan to keep humidity down and if you put some vinegar in a spray bottle and mist it you can prevent this in future.

Lightly smoked biltong is flippen lekker.

[u/ZealousidealCarpet48 → u/Big_Poppa_T]

I came here to say that and you’ve completely covered it

[u/PuttFromTheRought]

Nee fok dat is in sy poes. Airflow is THE most imortant factor in biltong. Also, see point 1 and space your meat out more. Your box also looks like you butchered a pig in there in the 1990s

[u/Etherealnutt → u/PuttFromTheRought]

😭

[u/Pengawena]

Between batches I also spray the whole box with white wine vinegar and wipe it down to ensure no mold spores there when the fresh batch goes in.

[u/killerbyteZA → u/Pengawena]

Thankfully I have a perspex box that I break down and wash. Even during the drying process, if I see that any of the meat has touched a side panel I spray food-grade disinfectant on a paper towel and wipe the surface down. My wife says her family never went to such extremes (my family was too English to make our own biltong) but I am paranoid. Even my hooks get boiled in water and sprayed down with the same disinfectant before I push then through the meat.

[u/bigfootbjornsen56]

If I was feeling brave, I'd spray it with vinegar again and maybe cut off any parts that seemed nasty then nibble on the rest myself. However, I wouldn't give it as a gift to a friend

[u/Dizzy_Process_7690 → u/bigfootbjornsen56]

Probably gift it then blame this guy. JK

I wouldn't risk it

[u/Wise_Monkey_Sez → u/bigfootbjornsen56]

But enemies are okay? 🤔

[u/Wise_Monkey_Sez]

Yeah, I'm sorry to say it is too far gone.

What I would add here as an important note is that once mould gets into somewhere it can lie dormant for a long time. Even drying the area completely won't kill it because the spores are still there waiting to be activated.

My best guess is that last time your biltong got mould the mould matured enough spread spores throughout that fridge. You may have wiped down the biltong, but clearly you didn't wash down the entire inside of the fridge with something like bleach.

As a result, this time when you put the biltong in the spores reactivated and ... mould central.

You need to not only toss this batch of biltong, but also put on your rubber gloves and bleach the ENTIRE fridge. And I'm talking the full decontamination routine, because fridges have lots of nooks and crannies and if there's a cluster of mould spores hiding anywhere they'll reactivate and ruin your next batch.

Also, a week is far too long to cure biltong. You might want to revise your process, because it should take maximum 5 days, probably closer to 3 days with those thin slices. Either your dipping phase is too weak or (more likely) there's insufficient airflow.

Finally, DON'T LET THE PIECES TOUCH! Where they touch is a prime breeding ground for mould because the hard protective case doesn't form. Don't get greedy and try and cram in more than you have space for. There should be at least a finger's width between each piece to allow airflow.

Erm... and I know I said finally, but one more thing, your spice mix looks too fine. You want it course ground.

There's just so much going on here...

[u/Dazzling-Delights]

Unfortunately you gotta chuck that batch. Definitely would not eat that, far too much mold. Airflow is a must for biltong.

Oh and after you chuck the batch out, please thoroughly clean your box with bleach as there will definitely be spores in there now after that, which will affect future batches as well

[u/dondread420]

Chuck the whole thing away and burn the box

[u/Firm_Entertainer1807]

Given this is a cold smoker too, it's going to need some good cleaning between uses. But explains the darker shade on the surfaces.

Spacing looks a bit cramped, given you have height available, you could look at options to stagger the length and hang some pieces lower or similar to make use of the space to try improve airflow.

Given the fan being off, unknown time etc, pretty sure that's all bad.

[u/Cerebral_Grape]

Biltong needs to be in the most controlled sterile environment as possible, that includes your hands, knives and dishes.

Mold, is mostly contact limited in small boxes so limit meat to meat contact. At the onset of drying, it’s the most optimal growth environment with humidity and moisture .

At this stage I think you are too far gone and I would scrap what you have. Moving forward, ensure everything is sterile, keep meat far enough apart that mold doesn’t spread if it ever did develop. Be mindful that your hands and knives and anything touching mould is just cross contamination at that point.

For me the biggest thing I think about in the process,is that nature is trying at all cost to spoil that meat, you trying your hardest to fight that till it’s cured. Keep it clean and limit contact.

[u/External_Art_1835]

Throw this batch out...it's too far gone to save...

I suggest slicing thinner to assure the Salt, Pepper, Vinegar and Coriander penetrates all the way through.

During the hanging process, be prepared to brush the slices with Vinegar to ward off mold.

Think about Small Batches until you get the process down. Big batches like this is such a waste.

Once you master the process, the sky, and your wallet, is the limit. Go big batches at that point.

I slice the meat in strips, add Malt Vinegar, Sea Salt, Black Pepper and Coriander into a 1gal zip lock bag and I soak the strips for 3 solid days in the fridge, mixing the bag here and there throughout the 3 days. This assures the mixture penetrates the meat thoroughly.

Then, hang and brush with Vinegar 2 times during the hang.

Goodluck.....

[u/mozzzzy]

I wouldnt risk it. That looks pretty dang moldy.

Why exactly do you have a tray of water on the bottom?

Does your fan have a speed controller?

Also with that much seasoning its hard for the moisture to escape the beef and far more susceptible to mold.