Biltong is seasoned meat dried without the heating step used for jerky. This guide introduces the ingredients and equipment involved. Follow a validated process rather than relying on salt, vinegar or appearance alone to judge safety.
The ingredient amounts, treatment time and drying conditions need to work together. A fan and vinegar wash alone do not establish safety. Use this page to understand the equipment and stages before choosing a validated process.
The five steps
Cut into thick strips
Topside and silverside are common choices. Cut the meat to the dimensions required by the validated process you’re following.
Vinegar wash
Use the vinegar concentration, amount and contact time specified by the process. A quick dip is not a substitute for a validated treatment.
Salt & spice cure
Measure salt and seasoning according to the process. Coriander and black pepper provide flavor; their presence does not verify pathogen reduction.
Hang in moving air
Use an enclosure and monitoring equipment that can maintain the process’s temperature, humidity and airflow requirements. Keep space between pieces.
Dry to your texture
Follow the process’s completion criteria. Softer or firmer texture describes a preference, not proof of safety. Slice across the grain when serving.
Follow a validated process written for biltong.
Need somewhere to hang it?
See what goes into a biltong box, including hanging space, ventilation and monitoring.
Build a biltong boxChoosing the seasonings
Coriander, pepper and vinegar give biltong much of its familiar flavor. Follow a validated process for salt, vinegar strength and treatment times rather than changing them to taste.
- Coarse salt, measured according to your validated biltong recipe. Do not replace the specified weight with an estimated coating.
- Toasted coriander, the signature. Toast the whole seed until fragrant, then crack it coarsely so it clings to the strip.
- Cracked black pepper, coarse, not fine, for warmth and bite.
- Brown or cider vinegar, the tang and the first line of safety; it sours the surface as it dries.
- A little brown sugar (optional), rounds off the vinegar’s edge without making it sweet.
- Cure #1 (optional), about 0.25% of the meat weight, weighed, for colour and an extra margin in humid climates.
How it differs from jerky
Biltong and jerky differ in cut size, seasoning and drying method. Compare the processes below, but don’t transfer safety instructions from one to the other.
| Biltong | Jerky | |
|---|---|---|
| Preserved by | Vinegar + salt | Heat + drying |
| Dried with | Cool airflow | Heat (160°F) |
| Thickness | 1"-1.5" strips | 1/4" slices |
| Cut direction | With the grain | Either way |
| Time | 3-5 days | 4-6 hours |
| Signature spice | Coriander | Pepper / soy |
Common mistakes
Check the process and equipment before starting a batch:
- Still, humid air. The number-one cause of mold. Without a fan and low humidity the surface stays damp long enough to spoil, run the air constantly.
- Crowding the strips. Pieces that touch trap moisture between them and mold there first. Leave a gap around every strip.
- Drying too hot or too fast. Warm, bone-dry air seals the outside while the core stays wet, that’s case-hardening. Keep it cool and around 55-65% humidity.
- Skipping the vinegar. It isn’t just flavor, it’s the surface’s first defense. Don’t leave it out to make a “milder” biltong.
- Eyeballing the cure. If you use cure #1, weigh it at about 0.25% of the meat, never guess with nitrite.