Biltong Batch 6 — Prep & Shopping List

A comprehensive preparation guide for a 10kg batch, built from five batches of accumulated learnings.

1. Recipe Evolution Summary

Per-Kilogram Ratios Across Batches

* Batch 5 masala: 50g tandoori + 54g garam + 50g Indian masala = 154g total (18.78 g/kg combined), but this was compensating for shortages, not an intentional recipe change.

** Batch 5 wash was short — only 70g worcestershire used vs the 99.4g calculated. The 20.49 g/kg understates the intended ratio.

Evolution Highlights

• Batch 1: The starting point. No wash, just salt and basic spices on 1.7kg.
• Batch 2: First wash introduced (141g total for 5.98kg). Salt reduced 20% from batch 1's heavy 15.88 g/kg. Note: "need 20% more wash next time." Forgot garam masala — added it before hanging as a save.
• Batch 3: Wash unchanged from batch 2 despite the "increase 20%" note (same 149g for 6.02kg). Added tandoori masala at 1/3 of spice weight and garam masala. Salt set at 10% below base.
• Batch 4: Wash properly scaled up (~197g for 7.98kg). Added cayenne pepper and ancho/chipotle/guajillo chilies for heat. Discovery: 1.6kg of meat wasn't covered by the dredge seasoning — need more volume.
• Batch 5: Ran short on several ingredients (worcestershire, tandoori masala, cayenne). Made creative substitutions. Key learnings locked in: increase wash by 30%, increase seasoning volume by 40%, finer grind needs more volume.

2. Batch 6 Calculated Recipe (10kg)

Scaling Approach

Base recipe: Batch 4's calculated amounts (most complete batch without substitution issues). Scaled to: 10kg. Then applied: Batch 5's learnings (+30% wash, +40% seasoning volume).

Wash — 10kg with +30% Increase

Starting from batch 4's per-kg ratios, scaled to 10kg, then bumped 30%:

The +30% ensures adequate coverage even as the meat warms and the wash thins out (batch 5 learning about temperature affecting usability).

Seasoning — 10kg with Two Options

The batch 5 note says to increase seasoning volume by 40% to ensure full coverage, especially with finer grinds. But salt is different from coverage spices — over-salting is hard to fix. Here are two columns so you can decide:

Ryan's call on salt: Batch 4 and 5 both used ~13.5–13.85 g/kg and that tasted right. The "increase by 40%" note was about seasoning volume for coverage (the dredge running out on 1.6kg in batch 4, finer grinds needing more). Salt doesn't need a volume bump for coverage — it dissolves. Recommendation: go Conservative on salt (138.5g) and +40% on everything else.

Chilies

Based on batch 4's ratios scaled to 10kg with the +40% volume increase:

Deseed all chilies. If you want to simplify, skip the ancho and bump chipotle/guajillo to 6–7 each.

3. Shopping List

Meat

Wash Ingredients

Dry Spices

Chilies (Dried)

Equipment & Supplies

4. Process Notes from Batch History

These are the accumulated hard-won lessons from five batches:

1. Grind coriander coarsely and separately — You want big coriander pieces in the final product. Grind it on its own so you can control the texture. (Batches 3, 4, 5)

2. Work quickly — temperature matters — As the meat warms up, the wash becomes less usable because fat and myoglobin mix in. Keep the meat cold and work in batches if needed. (Batch 5)

3. Weigh each piece before placing in the fridge for dry brine — The meat sits spiced in the fridge for 1–2 days, which is functionally a dry brine. Weighing beforehand gives you a proper starting weight for tracking drying progress. (Batch 5)

4. Make enough dredge to cover ALL the meat — In batch 4, 1.6kg ran out of seasoning. The +40% increase should prevent this, but keep an eye on it. Better to have leftover spice mix than uncovered meat.

5. Finer grind = need more volume — If you grind spices finer than usual, the same weight covers less surface area. The +40% accounts for this. (Batch 5)

6. Average daily weight loss is ~4.21% of initial weight — From the batch 2 analysis. Use this to estimate when pieces are ready. A 500g piece loses ~21g/day, so expect ~13–15 days for medium pieces.

7. Expected yield is ~45% of net weight — Based on batch 5 projections. A 10kg batch should yield roughly 4.5kg of finished biltong.

8. Estimated pieces: 25–30 — Batch 5 had 21 pieces from 8.2kg. Scaling to 10kg and assuming similar cut sizes.

9. Don't forget the garam masala this time — It was forgotten in batch 2 and had to be added last minute. Small amount (8g) but worth having in the spice mix from the start. (Batch 2)

Quick Reference Card

WASH (321.7g total):
  Worcestershire  162.0g
  Red wine vin.    45.2g
  Apple cider vin. 36.7g
  Cond. blanco     43.2g
  Black malt vin.  34.6g

SEASONING (conservative salt):
  Salt            138.5g
  Black pepper     24.4g
  Coriander        83.0g
  Star anise       ~17 pods
  Tandoori masala 188.4g
  Garam masala      8.0g
  Cayenne          17.5g
  Chilies: 4-5 chipotle, 4-5 guajillo, ~20 ancho (all deseeded)

Good luck with batch 6.