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Biltong Calculator
Proven & Tested Recipes · Research-Validated Drying Model
homecalchub.com
❓ How to use

Spice Calculator

Proven, tested recipes using individual ingredients — scaled live to your batch weight. No premix required. All quantities calibrated from traditional South African methods.

How to use — Spice Calculator
  1. Enter your raw meat weight in grams or kg. All spice quantities scale automatically — no manual conversion needed.
  2. Select your product type: traditional biltong, droëwors (dry wors), chilli bites, or mince wiele. Each has different base spice ratios.
  3. Use the sliders to adjust heat level, coriander intensity, and vinegar quantity within safe food-science ranges.
  4. The coarse salt and Worcestershire quantities are fixed by food safety requirements — do not reduce them.
  5. For droëwors and mince wiele, the fat percentage and casing type are shown — these affect both flavour and drying.
  6. Use the 🖨️ Print button to save your recipe card for the batch.
🎛️ Inputs
2 kg
Include Worcestershire Sauce
Adds umami depth — listed in ingredients if on
📋 Recipe for Biltong
🌀 Droëwors — Meat Prep
Mince through a 13mm plate first. Add spice + vinegar and mix well. Then mince through a 4.5mm or 3mm plate. Fill casings and hang to dry at ≈30°C. Expect up to 50% weight loss when dry.
🔄 Mince Wiele — Special Steps
1. Season mince as per recipe above.
2. Stuff tightly into polony casings (65–75mm diameter).
3. Freeze the loaf solid (overnight minimum).
4. Remove the plastic casing before slicing.
5. A small meat band saw is essential for slicing the frozen loaf cleanly into 20–25mm rings. A knife will not cut through the frozen loaf. If you don't have a band saw, ask your butcher — if you buy your mince from him, he will often slice the loaf for you on his band saw.
6. Critical: Immediately wipe all cut faces (both flat surfaces of each ring) with brown vinegar — this prevents surface mould on the exposed mince.
7. ⚠️ Wiele cannot be hung. Lay rings flat on a wire rack in your biltong box — do not attempt to hang them.

Drying Time Estimator

Based on a 4-phase drying model derived from real biltong box sensor data. Enter your conditions for an estimate with ±20% accuracy.

How to use — Drying Time Estimator
  1. Enter your current biltong box temperature and relative humidity inside the box.
  2. Enter the outdoor temperature and humidity — the absolute humidity difference (inside minus outside) is the key drying metric.
  3. The 4-phase drying model shows estimated hours for each phase: Wet → Active Drying → Near Done → Done Window.
  4. Phase timing is based on real sensor data from a monitored biltong box — results will vary with your box design and airflow.
  5. Thicker cuts (15mm+) take significantly longer than thin cuts — the estimator accounts for slice thickness.
  6. The food safety timer shows when the surface water activity is low enough to be safe for consumption.
🎛️ Drying Conditions
25 mm
22°C
55%
0 h
Estimated Drying Time
– days
–
📊 4-Phase Drying Model
Stabilising
Active Drying
Near Done
Done
💡 About this model: Phase durations are derived from humidity-delta sensor logging in a real biltong box. The key metric is the absolute humidity delta (inside − outside) — Active Drying is when this peaks; Near Done is when it falls below 60% of peak; Done is when rate of change approaches zero. Your actual result may vary ±20% based on meat fat content, curing, and airflow uniformity.

Batch Planner

Plan your batch economics, expected yield, and ready date. Weight-loss ratios are based on observed results across wet, medium, and dry doneness levels.

How to use — Batch Planner
  1. Enter the number of people you are making biltong for and the portions per person.
  2. Set your desired final weight of biltong — the calculator works backwards to determine the raw meat needed.
  3. Biltong loses approximately 45–55% of its weight during drying — the exact loss depends on fat content and drying level.
  4. Review the total raw meat quantity, spice amounts, and estimated hanging space required.
  5. The yield percentage can be adjusted if you know your box's typical drying efficiency from previous batches.
  6. Use the cost calculator to estimate total batch cost including meat, spices and packaging.
🎛️ Batch Details
← Use Drying Time tab to calculate this
💰 Batch Economics
📅 Timeline

Food Safety Checker

Answer these questions about your batch to get a safety assessment. Critical for first-time makers and anyone trying new formats like mince wiele.

How to use — Food Safety Checker
  1. Enter your salt quantity as a percentage of meat weight. Minimum 18g/kg for preservation — the calculator flags anything below this.
  2. If using Cure #1 (sodium nitrite), enter the quantity. Cure #1 is recommended for thick cuts and mince products.
  3. Enter your drying temperature. Optimal range is 25–35°C. Below 20°C significantly slows drying; above 40°C risks case hardening.
  4. Enter the relative humidity inside your box. Target 40–60% RH for active drying — above 70% slows drying and risks mould.
  5. The checker validates your settings against food safety thresholds and flags any parameters outside safe ranges.
  6. Always use a calibrated scale for salt and cure measurements — small errors in these quantities have large safety implications.
❓ Your Batch Conditions
Spice applied to all surfaces?
Including coarse salt from the dry spice mix
Vinegar applied to all surfaces?
Creates acidic surface barrier against mould
Cut faces wiped with vinegar? (Wiele only)
Prevents mould on flat sliced surfaces
Refrigerated during curing?
Recommended for ambient temps above 25°C
Safety Assessment
✅
Safe to proceed
📋 Safety Checklist
💡 White mould on biltong: Surface mould on whole muscle biltong is usually Penicillium — wipe off with vinegar-soaked cloth and continue drying. However, mould on mince wiele flat cut faces is more serious — discard if widespread. Always trust your nose: off-smell = discard.