What Are Chilli Bites? South Africa's Spicy Biltong Sticks, Explained

Chilli bites are thin strips of biltong, cut skinny before drying, seasoned with chilli and dried until they are firm enough to snap. Same whole-muscle beef and vinegar cure as biltong, just thinner, drier and hotter. In South Africa they sit on every biltong counter next to the droëwors, usually in a bowl someone is pretending not to keep eating from.

One warning before we go further. Google "chilli bites" and half the results are for a completely different South African snack. We will sort that out first, then get to the meat.

Two snacks, one name

In South Africa, "chilli bites" means two things:

• The biltong kind. Thin, air-dried beef sticks with chilli. That is what this page is about.
• The fried kind. A savoury fritter of chickpea or pea flour with chilli, onion and spinach, also called dhaltjies or bhajia. It comes from Cape Malay and South African Indian kitchens and is a Ramadan staple. The Dictionary of South African English actually only lists this one.

Both are excellent. Only one of them belongs in your jerky drawer. If you are reading this with a mixing bowl and chickpea flour, you want a different website.

What are chilli bites made of?

Lean whole-muscle beef, usually silverside (bottom round) or topside, cut into long thin strips before it is cured. The cure is the biltong one: vinegar, salt, toasted coriander and black pepper. Then chilli goes on, either mixed into the spice or dusted over the top, and the strips hang to dry.

Because the strips are thin, they dry in a day or three instead of the best part of a week. One Canadian maker describes them as "long thin strips of dried beef, seasoned with red chilli spice", and that is the whole thing in nine words. Their explainer also notes that thin strips dry faster and end up crispier.

Chilli bites vs biltong vs droëwors

So chilli bites are biltong's skinny, spicy sibling, not a sausage. The sausage comparison has its own page: chilli bites vs droëwors. The non-spicy version of the same thin stick is called stokkies or snap sticks, covered in biltong sticks.

What other names do chilli bites go by?

Chilli sticks, chilli stokkies, chilli snap sticks, peri-peri bites and, in America, chili bites with one L. Different shops, same idea: thin, dry, whole-muscle beef with heat.

How hot are chilli bites?

Anywhere from "pleasant warmth" to "why is my ear hot". It depends on the chilli. Most use cayenne or chilli flakes. The hot ones use African bird's eye, the peri-peri chilli, which can run several times hotter than cayenne. The numbers are in how hot is peri-peri biltong.

Are chilli bites healthy?

The beef part is. Lean whole-muscle beef, dried, high in protein, low in fat, with no sugar in a traditional cure.

The catch is the spice mix. The two most common commercial chilli bite seasonings in South Africa, from Crown National and Freddy Hirsch, both list MSG as a flavour enhancer, and many finished chilli bites sold in the UK list MSG and sugar on the label too. Plenty of US-made versions are cleaner, but you have to read the panel. If a chilli bite tastes suspiciously more-ish, it might not just be your willpower.

Sodium is the other one to watch. Thin strips dry harder, and the salt concentrates as the water leaves. The longer version is in spicy biltong vs spicy jerky.

How do you eat chilli bites?

• Straight from the bag, with a cold beer. This is the official method.
• Snapped onto a charcuterie board as the thing people dare each other to try.
• Crumbled over a salad, eggs or a bowl of ramen.
• In a cooler on the river, because they do not need a fridge and do not care about Texas heat.

Where can you buy chilli bites in the US?

A handful of US makers sell them online. These had live listings in early October 2026:

Biltong Depot says on its page that its chili bites contain MSG. ZBiltong and Howdysnax list ingredient panels without it. Prices move, so check before you order. Or make your own: chilli bites recipe.

Will Billi Tong's sell chilli bites?

They are on our list with one condition attached: no MSG. If we cannot make chilli bites clean, we will not sell them, because "no MSG, no additives" is on every bag we make and I am not starting with an exception. We are not open yet. The only way in early is a Founding 50 spot: $100 for a first-batch founder box of biltong, with first dibs on everything that follows, including these. Questions go to cal@btbiltong.com.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between chilli bites and biltong?

Chilli bites are biltong cut into thin strips before drying, seasoned with chilli and dried harder. Regular biltong is dried in thick pieces and sliced afterwards, so it is more tender.

Are chilli bites biltong?

Yes. Biltong-style chilli bites are whole-muscle beef cured and air-dried the biltong way, just cut thinner and spiced with chilli.

Are chilli bites healthy?

The beef is high in protein and low in fat. Many commercial chilli bites contain MSG and some contain sugar, and all are high in sodium, so read the label.

Do chilli bites contain MSG?

Many do. The most common commercial chilli bite spice mixes in South Africa list MSG, and so do many finished products. Some US makers use simpler seasoning without it.

Are chilli bites the same as the fried snack?

No. In South Africa, chilli bites is also the name for a fried chickpea-flour fritter with chilli, also called dhaltjies or bhajia. Biltong chilli bites are dried beef.

How long do chilli bites last?

Because they are dried hard, chilli bites keep longer than regular biltong. Store them in a paper bag somewhere cool and dry, and keep sealed packs until the date on the label.

Related reading

• Chilli Bites Recipe
• Peri-Peri Biltong: How Hot Is It?
• Chilli Bites vs Droëwors
• Spicy Biltong vs Spicy Jerky
• South African Meat Sticks: The Complete Guide
• Hill Country Heat: Chilli Beef Biltong