archived

Biltong Batch 5

8.2 kg. Substitutions throughout; +30% wash and +40% seasoning locked in as learnings.

Originally docs/biltong_logs/batch5.md. Preserved verbatim.

8.2 KG Silverside Irish Beef — Gourmet Experts €216.61

Main notes

Need to increase wash by 30%
Temperature of meat affects how long the wash is useable due to the fat & myoglobin mixing.
Finer the spice grind, the more you need, I would prefer to increase the seasoning volume by 40%
The meat remained spiced in the fridge for 2 evenings, given that its functionally a dry brine, I should actually weight sections before placing in the fridge next time.

Wash ingredients

70 g Worcestershire sauce (adjusted from 99.4 g - used available amount)
27.8 g red-wine vinegar
22.5 g apple-cider vinegar
26.5 g condimento blanco
21.2 g black-malt vinegar

Calculated spices for fifth batch (as actually used)

110.5 g salt (-10% from base)
13.9 g black pepper
47.3 g coriander (coarse-ground)
9–10 star-anise pods
54 g garam masala (4 g original + 50 g supplement for tandoori shortage)
50 g tandoori masala (reduced from 107.4 g - used available amount)
50 g direct-from-India masala (new addition)
5 chipotle + 3 guajillo chilies
80 g piment d'Espelette (French chili powder - substituted for cayenne)
15 g cayenne pepper powder (omitted - forgot to purchase)

Batch 5 Substitution Notes:

Worcestershire: Used 70g instead of calculated 99.4g

Tandoori masala: Limited to 50g available, compensated with extra garam masala

Garam masala: Increased to 54g total (original 4g + 50g supplement)

Chili powder: Switched to 80g piment d'Espelette (French) instead of 15g cayenne

Weight: Actual silverside was 8.2kg with larger loins resulting in fewer individual sections

Core deets

Start date | 18.07.2025 — 11 h 00
Hook weight | 13 g
Actual silverside weight | 8.2 kg
Pieces | 21 (hook 10 is missing)
Total net weight | 8,214 g
Expected dried yield | ≈ 3,697 g (45% of net)

Estimated Cost

Inspired by professional estimation practices, here is a line-item breakdown of your project costs. Prices are estimated based on typical German supermarket prices.

Item	Quantity	Estimated Cost	Notes
Silverside Irish Beef	8.2 kg	€216.61	Source: Gourmet Experts
Worcestershire sauce	70 g	€1.20	Estimated from 150g bottle
Red-wine vinegar	27.8 g	€0.30	Estimated from 500ml bottle
Apple-cider vinegar	22.5 g	€0.20	Based on supermarket prices 2
Condimento blanco	26.5 g	€0.20	Cheapest white condiment vinegar
Black-malt vinegar	21.2 g	€0.30	Chinese black vinegar estimate
Salt	110.5 g	€0.20	Estimated from 500g pack
Black pepper	13.9 g	€0.60	Estimated from 50g container
Coriander (coarse-ground)	47.3 g	€2.40	Estimated from 50g container
Star-anise pods	9-10	€1.00	Estimated from 20g bag
Garam masala	54 g	€1.60	Estimated from 100g bag
Tandoori masala	50 g	€1.50	Estimated from 100g bag
Direct-from-India masala	50 g	€2.00	Specialty item estimate
Chipotle + guajillo chilies	5 + 3	€3.00	Dried chilies estimate
Piment d'Espelette	80 g	€9.60	AOP specialty item estimate
Total Estimated Cost		€240.71

Piece characteristics: Larger individual loins resulted in fewer but bigger sections compared to previous batches.

Index	Gross (g)	Net (g)	Expected 45% (g)
1	310	297	133.7
2	558	545	245.3
3	567	554	249.3
4	395	382	171.9
5	786	773	348.0
6	555	542	243.9
7	702	689	310.1
8	942	929	418.1
9	524	511	229.9
11	393	380	171.0
12	436	423	190.4
13	550	537	241.7
14	471	458	206.1
15	479	466	209.7
16	219	206	92.7
17	133	120	54.0
18	160	147	66.2
19	91	78	35.1
20	96	83	37.4
21	107	94	42.3

Net weight = Gross – 13 g hook Expected dried weight = Net × 0.45 (55% loss)

Batch-5 notes