06 October 2026 · motty

Carnivore Diet Snacks: Biltong, Jerky and What to Watch For

The best carnivore diet snack is plain, air-dried beef with a short ingredient list. Biltong fits that better than most jerky, and our certified Glatt Kosher Original bag is about as close to "just beef" as a seasoned snack gets. Strict carnivores should still read the label, because even simple biltong carries spices, and sweet jerky carries sugar.

Grub makes certified Glatt Kosher biltong and jerky in small batches in Florida. We are not a diet company, and we will not tell you what carnivore "allows." That depends on which version you follow. We can tell you exactly what is in each bag and let you decide.

What "carnivore" means for a snack

Carnivore is not one rulebook. There are at least three common versions, and the snack that works for one fails the next.

Strict. Only animal products. Meat, salt, water, maybe eggs and animal fats. No spices, no plants, no sugar.
Relaxed. Animal foods first, with salt, pepper and simple seasonings allowed.
Carnivore-leaning. Mostly meat, with a little flexibility for sauces or sweeteners when life gets in the way.

A snack has to pass your version, not ours. So the question is never "is it carnivore?" It is "what is in the bag, and does that match the rules I set?"

Three things decide it:

Added sugar. The biggest problem in the jerky aisle. Many jerky recipes lean on sugar, brown sugar, honey or teriyaki-style glazes.
Plant ingredients. Spices, garlic, vinegar and tomato powder are plants. Fine for relaxed carnivore, not for strict.
Filler and fine print. Soy sauce, corn syrup, starches and "natural flavors" show up in cheap snacks. On a short list, they stand out.

Why biltong fits better than most jerky

Biltong and jerky are both dried beef, but they are made differently. Biltong is cured with salt and vinegar, seasoned, hung and air-dried. Jerky is usually marinated, then dried with heat. If you want the full comparison, we wrote it up in Biltong vs Beef Jerky: The Complete Comparison.

For a carnivore, the difference that matters is the marinade. A biltong cure is built on salt, vinegar and spice. A jerky marinade is often built on sugar. That is why biltong tends to start closer to what you want.

Here is what is actually in our Sliced Biltong, from the bag:

Original: grass-fed kosher beef, coriander, black pepper, salt, garlic, vinegar. No sugar on the ingredient list.
Peri Peri: the same, plus red pepper and brown sugar.
Loaded Garlic: grass-fed kosher beef, coriander, garlic, roasted garlic, salt, tomato powder, vinegar.

If you follow a relaxed version of carnivore, Sliced Biltong in Original is the one to start with. It comes in a ready-to-eat 3 oz bag, with nothing to cut and no refrigeration. It is also the reference flavor for everything else we make.

If you are strict, be honest with yourself. Coriander, pepper, garlic and vinegar are all plant-derived. Original is simple, but it is not "beef and salt." No seasoned biltong is. If your rules rule out spices, a seasoned snack of any kind is out, ours included. We would rather you know that now than feel misled later.

Peri Peri has brown sugar in it. If sugar is the thing you are avoiding, skip it. That is the point of reading the list.

Where jerky fits, and where it does not

Jerky is a different bargain. It is cooked, sliced thin and glazed, and the glaze is the reason people love it.

Our Meat Candy (aka beef jerky) is real sliced beef, but it is sweet on purpose. It comes in Hickory Kickory Dock and Baa-Baa BBQ Sheep, and both are glazed. That makes it a poor fit for most carnivore rules. We would not point a carnivore at it as a daily snack.

That is the honest trade-off. Jerky is the better pick when you want something sweet and smoky and you are not tracking sugar. For anyone who cares about sugar, it is the wrong pick. If you do try it, check the label on the bag first, since the glaze is where the sugar and the other ingredients live. We cover what is in it in What's Actually in Meat Candy Beef Jerky.

If you shop for kosher beef jerky and keep a carnivore plan, read each flavor's list one by one. Do not assume that "beef" on the front means "just beef" inside.

A short checklist for any meat snack

This works for our bags and anyone else's. Flip the bag over before you buy.

Count the ingredients. Fewer is better. Beef, salt and a handful of spices is a short list. A paragraph is not.
Look for sugar in all its forms. Sugar, brown sugar, honey, corn syrup, dextrose, teriyaki.
Look for soy sauce and Worcestershire. Both are common jerky marinades, and both are plant-based or contain more than beef.
Check what kind of meat it is. Whole sliced beef is one thing. Ground, formed or mechanically separated meat is another. You want to know which you are buying.
Check the sourcing. Grass-fed is a choice many carnivores make. Ours is grass-fed beef. Check that any other brand says so on the label.
Do not trust the front of the bag. "Keto," "high protein" and "natural" are marketing words. The ingredient panel is the fact.

Other snack options, honestly

Dried beef is not the only carnivore snack, and it is not always the best one.

Beef crisps. A crunchy dried beef snack. We have run a small test batch called Beef Crisps (2oz) - Grub Lab, in Original flavor. It is a test batch, so when it is gone it is gone until we decide to bring it back. Read its label like any other.
Hard-boiled eggs. Cheap, simple and strict-friendly. They need a fridge, so they are a home or desk snack, not a pocket snack.
Cheese. Allowed by some carnivore versions and not others. It is also dairy, so if you keep kosher, it cannot sit beside meat. Keep meat and dairy separate, and wait between them according to your family's custom.
Pork rinds and meat sticks. Common choices. Check each label for sugar and added flavorings, and for pork if that is not for you. Grub sells beef only.
Bone broth. Not a crunchy snack, but filling and simple.

The practical edge for biltong is that it needs no fridge and no prep. It sits in a bag, in a desk, a glove box or a gym bag. For a plan that depends on not running out of food you can eat, that matters.

How to use biltong on a carnivore plan

A few habits make it work.

Start with a small bag. If you have never had biltong, it is softer than jerky and gives way when you bite it. Try the Biltong Sampler Pack to taste all three flavors before you commit to more. Then pick the one that matches your rules.
Pair it with fat. Biltong is lean. Many carnivores eat it alongside something richer, like eggs or cheese if that fits their plan. Mind the meat-and-dairy rule if you are kosher.
Treat it as a snack, not a meal. It is high in protein and it is salty. Drink water.
Keep the bag sealed. Biltong keeps well, but an opened bag dries out over time. For a longer look, see How Long Does Biltong Last?

If you are curious how it stacks up on other low-carb plans, Is Biltong Keto? covers the label questions in more depth. When you are ready to browse, Buy Biltong Online lists every size and flavor. US orders over $50 ship free.

Bottom line

For a carnivore snack, pick dried beef with the shortest ingredient list you can find, and read the label every time. Original biltong is a strong fit for relaxed carnivore: beef, salt and a few simple spices, no sugar. Strict carnivores should skip anything seasoned. Sweet, glazed jerky is the wrong pick if you are watching sugar. Your rules decide, and the label tells you whether a bag passes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is biltong carnivore-friendly?

It depends on your version of carnivore. Biltong is dried beef cured with salt, vinegar and spices, so it works for relaxed carnivore plans. Strict plans that exclude all plant ingredients exclude seasoned biltong, because coriander, pepper and garlic are plants.

Which Grub biltong has no sugar on the ingredient list?

Original and Loaded Garlic list no sugar. Peri Peri lists brown sugar. Read the bag when it arrives, since recipes can change.

Is jerky okay on a carnivore diet?

Usually not. Most jerky is marinated or glazed with sugar, soy sauce or other plant ingredients. Our Meat Candy is glazed on purpose and is sweet, so it is a poor fit if you track sugar. Check any jerky's label before you buy.

Is biltong a good high-protein snack?

Yes. It is dried beef, and it is high in protein. It is also salty, so drink water. We do not publish nutrition numbers in this guide, so check the bag for exact figures.

Does biltong need to be refrigerated?

No. Unopened biltong is shelf-stable and ready to eat. That is a big part of why people carry it. Keep it sealed, cool and dry.

Is Grub biltong certified kosher?

Yes. It is certified Glatt Kosher. If you keep kosher, remember that biltong is meat, so keep it separate from dairy and wait between them according to your family's custom. Ask your rabbi if you are unsure.

Can I eat biltong straight from the bag?

Yes. It is cured and air-dried, so it is ready to eat. There is nothing to cook, cut or prepare in the sliced bags.