Display Your Culinary Creations / Biltong
« on: March 11, 2009, 03:00:17 pm »While looking for a method of preserving meat in the absence of electricity, I found...
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/398671
I'm thinking this might make an alternative to pemmican, since I haven't been able to get any suet locally (yet). The author doesn't cut off the fat, and never mentions any problems with the fat turning rancid. At first I thought this was due to some sort of pickling action by the marinade, but his description seems to suggest killing surface bacteria/mold only.
"Initially, I didn't marinade the meat for long enough - and ended up with a very bland-tasting biltong, so the marinade is important to give it the taste and bring out the proper flavor."
It sounds to me like it would not only store at room temp, which also seems to be confirmed by my old african hunting books, but it also might be the easiest way to have a decent diet while traveling.
I am starting with beef, and if all goes well will try deer next. I'll try a food dehydrator on lowest heat first, since it seems like the easiest option. If the wind isn't blowing dirt onto it, I might also try hanging some outside.
If anything is drastically different from that website, I'll post pictures.