Biltong Sticks (Stokkies): The Biltong That Snaps
PublishedBiltong sticks, called stokkies ("little sticks") or snap sticks in South Africa, are thin strips of whole-muscle beef cured like biltong and dried until they snap cleanly. Same beef, same vinegar and coriander cure as sliced biltong, just cut thin before drying instead of sliced after. The result is drier, firmer and more intensely beefy.
If sliced biltong is a steak, stokkies are the crispy edge pieces everyone fights over. They are the version South African dads keep in the glovebox, and the one that goes in a school lunchbox when the lunchbox owner is lucky.
What are biltong sticks?
Butchers cut lean silverside or topside with the grain into strips roughly pencil-thick, cure them, and hang them until they are dry right through. One UK maker describes stokkies as thin strips of traditional beef biltong that dry quicker and end up chewier. Because they are thin, they dry in about two to three days instead of the four or five a thick slab needs.
Ask for them by any of these names and you will get the same thing: stokkies, snap sticks, snapsticks, snapstix, biltong sticks, biltong bites. Add chilli and they become chilli bites.
Biltong sticks vs sliced biltong vs droëwors
| Sliced biltong | Biltong sticks (stokkies) | Droëwors | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meat | Whole muscle | Whole muscle | Minced beef and fat |
| When it is cut | Sliced after drying | Cut thin before drying | Stuffed in a casing before drying |
| Dryness | Your choice, wet to dry | Dry right through | Dry, with fat |
| Texture | Tender, steak-like | Firm, snaps, chewy | Snaps, then crumbles |
| Fat | Optional rim | Lean | Mixed through |
| Keeps | Well | Longest | Shortest once open |
The sausage-versus-steak comparison is in biltong vs droëwors, and the moisture spectrum in wet vs dry biltong.
The naming trap on US shelves
Here is something worth knowing before you order. In the US, "biltong stick" does not always mean stokkies. Some brands use it for a sausage-style stick. Stryve's Original Biltong Sticks, for example, list beef, vinegar, salt, coriander, black pepper, nutmeg, clove and lamb casing in their ingredients. That is a droëwors recipe in all but name.
Nothing wrong with it. Droëwors is great. But if you want whole-muscle snap sticks, check the label for the word casing. No casing means stokkies. A casing means droëwors.
Are biltong sticks healthy?
They are about as lean as dried beef gets. Whole-muscle, fat trimmed, nothing added beyond vinegar, salt and spice in a traditional cure. Brooklyn Biltong's Classic Skinny Sticks, a stokkies-style product, list just grass-fed beef, kosher salt and apple cider vinegar.
Two things to watch. Sodium, which concentrates as the sticks dry, and the spice mix, because some stokkies, especially flavoured ones, use commercial seasonings with sugar or MSG. A UK producer's "original" stokkies, for instance, list sucrose in the seasoning. Read the label. For the protein-per-ounce comparison with jerky and US meat sticks, see high-protein beef snacks.
How do you eat biltong sticks?
- One at a time, snapped in half, while driving. This is South African law.
- On a board, stood upright in a glass like breadsticks.
- In a backpack. They do not need a fridge and survive being sat on.
- Dunked in a soft cheese or chutney, if you are feeling fancy.
How to make biltong sticks at home
Follow any biltong recipe, but cut the beef into pencil-thick strips before curing instead of thick slabs, and expect them to be ready in two to three days. The traditional biltong recipe has the cure, and the chilli bites recipe is the same method with heat. Leave out the chilli and you have stokkies.
Where can you buy biltong sticks in the US?
Brooklyn Biltong sells Classic Skinny Sticks. Bledie Lekker snap sticks turn up on Amazon. Most of the chilli bite makers in what are chilli bites also make a plain version. Remember the casing check: if it has one, it is droëwors.
Frequently asked questions
What are biltong sticks?
Biltong sticks, also called stokkies or snap sticks, are thin strips of whole-muscle beef cured like biltong and dried until they snap.
What does stokkies mean?
Stokkies is Afrikaans for little sticks. It is the South African name for thin, hard-dried biltong sticks.
Are biltong sticks the same as droëwors?
No. Traditional biltong sticks are whole-muscle beef with no casing. Droëwors is minced beef and fat in a casing. Some US brands use the name biltong stick for a droëwors-style product, so check the ingredients for a casing.
How long do biltong sticks take to dry?
About two to three days, because they are cut thin. Thick slab biltong takes around four to five days or more.
How long do biltong sticks last?
Because they are lean and dried right through, biltong sticks keep longer than sliced biltong. Store them in a paper bag somewhere cool and dry.
Billi Tong's launches with sliced biltong. Stokkies are the kind of thing we will add when the first batch has proven itself. We are not open yet, so the only way in early is a Founding 50 spot: $100 for a first-batch founder box of biltong. Questions go to cal@btbiltong.com.
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