· By Avi MAHARJAN
What Is Biltong? A Plain Guide
Biltong is air dried, vinegar cured beef from South Africa. It is not jerky, it is not smoked, and nothing about it is cooked.
That is the short version. Here is what is actually going on.
Where the name comes from
Dutch, by way of Afrikaans. Bil means rump or hindquarter, the part of the animal it was traditionally made from. Tong means strip or tongue, as in a strip of meat. Rump strip.
The technique predates refrigeration by a long way. Settlers moving across southern Africa needed meat that would survive weeks in a wagon, and the combination of vinegar, salt and dry moving air did it.
How it is made
- Cut with the grain. Whole strips of beef, cut along the muscle fibres rather than across them. This matters for the final texture.
- Vinegar. The meat is soaked or wiped in vinegar. This is the preservation step, dropping the surface pH so bacteria cannot get established.
- Spice. Coarse salt and toasted coriander seed, sometimes black pepper. Coriander is the signature and it is not optional.
- Hang. Several days in moving air at room temperature. No heat, no smoke. Water leaves, flavour concentrates.
- Slice. Only at the end, and across the grain, which is what gives you tender pieces rather than stringy ones.
Why the vinegar matters more than you would think
People assume drying is what preserves biltong. Drying helps, but the vinegar does the heavy lifting in the first day or two, before the meat has lost enough water to be safe on its own.
It is also a large part of the flavour. That faint tang under the salt and coriander is not an accident.
What it tastes and feels like
Deeply beefy, salty, with a warm citrus note from the coriander and a light sourness from the vinegar. No sweetness at all in the traditional style.
Texture depends entirely on how long it hung.
- Medium rare. Soft, red through the middle, closest to rare steak. Shortest shelf life.
- Medium. The common middle ground. Firm outside, still giving in the centre.
- Dry. Firm all the way through, more concentrated, keeps longest.
There is no correct answer, and most people have a strong opinion after their second bag.
Common questions
Is biltong raw? It is uncooked, but it is not raw in the way a piece of steak is. Curing and drying change the meat chemically and remove the water bacteria need.
Is it the same as jerky? No. Jerky is cooked with heat, sliced thin before drying, cut against the grain, and usually sweetened.
Does it need refrigeration? No. It is shelf stable. It will keep drying in the cupboard, which is only a problem if you like it soft.
What cut is used? Traditionally rump or silverside. Cuts with even grain and enough marbling to stay tender.
Trying it for the first time
Start with traditional. Chilli and other flavours are worth having, but you cannot judge a maker until you have tasted the plain one.
We make ours in Mortdale from Australian wagyu, cured and air dried in small batches. Traditional wagyu biltong is the place to start, and the trio bundle covers all three if you would rather not choose.
