What Is Biltong Made Of? (And Is It Actually Raw?)
Biltong is whole-muscle beef cured in vinegar and spices, then air-dried for days — never cooked. Born in South Africa 400 years ago, this dried meat snack is tender like dry-aged steak, with 0g sugar and serious, protein-packed nutrition. Americans usually meet it and ask the same three questions: what is it made of, is it raw, and why isn't it jerky. Here are the answers.
What is biltong made of?
Beef, vinegar, salt, toasted coriander seeds, fennel, black pepper. Time. That's the entire spice mix — protein-packed, 0g sugar, naturally keto and paleo. Nothing a grandpa wouldn't recognize. Want the macros in full? Is biltong keto, paleo, carnivore? →
How is biltong made?
Whole-muscle cuts of meat — traditionally silverside — are dipped in a vinegar cure (a marinade in reverse: it preserves instead of sweetens), seasoned with salt and toasted coriander, and hung in cool moving air for days — no ovens, ever. In southern Africa the same curing process turns game meat like kudu and ostrich into traditional biltong; the method began as a way to preserve meat long before refrigeration. The full step-by-step, plus the Khoikhoi-to-Voortrekker history: How Biltong Is Made →
Is biltong raw? Is it cooked?
Biltong is never cooked — but it isn't raw either. Whole-muscle beef takes a vinegar-and-salt cure, then hangs in moving air for days until it's ready. The cure drops the surface pH and pulls moisture, and days of airflow finish the job — the same preservation logic behind prosciutto, salami, and every great cured meat. Peer-reviewed research meeting the USDA-FSIS standard confirms the process achieves a 5-log pathogen reduction with no heat step. Four centuries of South Africans got there first.
What do Americans call biltong?
Mostly, they call it jerky — and then get corrected by a South African. There is no real American equivalent. The closest cousins are air-dried European charcuterie like bresaola, not the sweet, heat-cooked meat in the jerky aisle. If you need a shorthand: it's air-dried beef. The point-by-point comparison lives here: Biltong vs Jerky →
What does biltong taste like?
Deep, concentrated beef flavour with a sharp vinegar edge and toasted coriander — closer to dry-aged steak than to anything in the jerky aisle. Tender, not tough. Dangerous in the "where did the whole bag go" sense.
Is biltong a snack?
Yes — biltong is South Africa's national meat snack, eaten by the handful at rugby matches, on road trips, and everywhere in between. As a dried meat snack it's shelf-stable and portable, and the flavour is concentrated enough that a small bag counts as a serious snack, not a sad one. It's the South African staple America is only now discovering.
Where does the beef come from?
Grass-fed beef — and we're working toward beef worth bragging about. Billi Tong's is searching for a local, sustainable and regenerative Texas ranch partner; nothing is signed yet, and when it is, you'll see their name on this site. We won't claim the word before we've earned it. Why regenerative beef makes better biltong → · Ranchers, start here →
Where can I buy biltong in Austin?
Not quite yet — Batch One is still drying. When Billi Tong's launches, it will be hand-delivered free within 5 miles of downtown Austin by Calvern Tong himself (yes, that's his real surname — the whole story is worth 60 seconds), $6 elsewhere in the Austin metro, $8 flat to the rest of the USA, free over $99. Until then the only way in early is a numbered Founding 50 spot — $100 for a first-batch founder box, full refund if we never launch. More on biltong in Austin →
How do I store biltong?
Cool and dry, out of the fridge, in a breathable bag. Eat within two weeks of opening — a rule nobody has ever needed. Full guide: How to Store Biltong →
Keep reading
Curious about the sausage cousin? What is droëwors? → · Why biltong has no sugar → · Why was biltong illegal in the US? →
More questions? FAQ · hello@btbiltong.com