We have temporarily removed the home preparation and storage instructions pending review by a food-safety specialist. Raw meat dried without a validated safety process can contain harmful bacteria. Airflow, vinegar, drying time, colour, texture and taste alone do not prove it is safe. Please do not use the previous method to make or store biltong.
Deep red, fragrant with coriander and pepper, tender in the centre and firm at the edges — homemade biltong is one of the great achievements of the South African kitchen.
Biltong is not jerky. Every South African will tell you this, and they are right. Jerky is heat-dried, thin, and intensely chewy. Biltong is vinegar-cured and air-dried over several days — the result is something with a completely different character. The outside is firm and slightly salty. The inside — especially wet biltong — is tender, almost silky, and carries a flavour complexity that no commercial product can match.
The word biltong comes from the Dutch words bil (buttock) and tong (strip or tongue), describing both the cut and the shape of the meat. It originated with the indigenous people of southern Africa and was later adopted by Voortrekker settlers who needed a way to preserve meat without refrigeration during long journeys across the country. Today biltong is made in home kitchens, butcheries, and biltong boxes across South Africa — and increasingly, by South Africans all over the world who are homesick for the taste.
What to know about biltong safety
Biltong is a traditional dried meat. Processes for producing ready-to-eat dried meat need appropriate controls to reduce harmful bacteria; drying by itself may not be enough. USDA guidance on dried meat explains why a validated process is important.
Do not taste meat to test whether it is safe. If biltong has visible mould, or you are unsure whether a white patch is mould, do not eat it or try to save it by wiping it with vinegar; discard it. FoodSafety.gov advises against tasting food to determine its safety.
Storing biltong
Storage depends on how the biltong was made and packaged. For commercially produced biltong, follow the producer’s storage instructions. The earlier room-temperature storage times for homemade biltong have been removed because they have not been verified for this recipe.
What is the difference between biltong and jerky?
Biltong is traditionally seasoned and air-dried, while jerky is often made in thinner strips and dried with heat. Methods and flavours vary between recipes.
The homemade method and storage guidance should be reviewed by a food-safety specialist before they are republished.
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