Biltong on the Carnivore Diet: Does It Fit Your Rules?

Biltong fits the carnivore diet if your version allows spices and vinegar. It is whole-muscle beef cured in vinegar and salt with a coriander and pepper rub, then air-dried. If you eat beef, salt and water only, the spice rub is the part that falls outside your rules.

So the answer depends on which carnivore you are, not on the biltong.

• What biltong is made of
• Biltong on the carnivore diet, by how strict you are
• What to check on any biltong label
• What is in ours
• Questions people ask

What biltong is made of

Traditional biltong is a short list: beef, vinegar, salt, coriander and black pepper. The beef is cut thick, cured, and hung in moving air for days. Nothing is cooked and the classic recipe has no sugar in it. How biltong is made walks through each step, and biltong seasoning explains what each spice does.

Biltong on the carnivore diet, by how strict you are

• Animal-based or relaxed carnivore: biltong fits. Spices and vinegar are usually accepted.
• Standard carnivore (meat, eggs, some dairy, seasonings allowed): biltong fits, as long as the bag has no sugar, soy or fillers.
• Strict or lion diet (ruminant meat, salt, water): biltong does not fit, because of the coriander, pepper and vinegar. Homemade with salt only is the workaround. The traditional biltong recipe shows the method.

What to check on any biltong label

Not every bag sold as biltong follows the traditional list. Before you buy, look for:

• Added sugar, brown sugar or honey in flavored versions.
• Soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce in the cure.
• Seed oils or flavor carriers in spice blends.
• Preservatives you would rather skip. See nitrate-free biltong.

What is in ours

The Classic from Billi Tong's lists beef, salt, pepper, coriander, Worcestershire sauce and white vinegar. It contains fish (anchovies) from the Worcestershire sauce, and it has no MSG and no artificial additives. We would rather you read that here than find it on the bag. If Worcestershire sauce is outside your rules, this one is not for you. The full ingredient list and nutrition panel are printed on every bag.

Biltong on the carnivore diet: questions people ask

Is biltong carnivore?
Biltong is carnivore for people who allow spices and vinegar, since the rest is beef and salt. It is not carnivore under strict beef-salt-water rules.

Does biltong have plant ingredients?
Yes. Traditional biltong uses coriander, black pepper and vinegar, all of which come from plants. The amounts are small and sit mostly on the surface of the meat.

Is biltong better than jerky for a carnivore diet?
Traditional biltong has a shorter ingredient list than most jerky, which is usually marinated in sugar and soy sauce. Compare the labels of the two bags in front of you, since recipes vary by brand.

See The Classic · Carnivore diet snacks · Is biltong keto? · Biltong vs jerky