Both are dried beef. Both are portable protein. But biltong and beef jerky are not the same snack, and once you've tried both, you'll know exactly which one you reach for. The question is which one that should be before you buy.
How They're Made. And Why It Matters
Biltong is cured in vinegar and spices, then hung to air-dry over several days. No heat. No smoke. The vinegar does the preservation work early, and slow airflow handles the rest. What you get is a piece of meat that's been dried from the outside in, holding onto its natural fat and depth of flavor as it goes.
Jerky is a different process entirely. The meat is marinated, then hit with heat, usually in a smoker or dehydrator at temperature, until the moisture drops to a safe level. The heat drives off moisture fast. It also cooks the meat slightly, which changes the texture and concentrates the surface flavors in a way air-drying doesn't.
Neither method is wrong. They produce genuinely different results, and the right choice depends on what you're after.
Taste and Texture: The Real Difference
Biltong has a savory, spiced flavor without much sweetness. The vinegar cure leaves a subtle tang. The spice blend, typically coriander, black pepper, and salt, sits on the surface and works into the meat during drying. The texture ranges from soft and almost buttery on wetter cuts to firm and pull-apart on drier ones, depending on how long it's hung.
Jerky tends to be leaner and chewier. The smoking process adds a distinct smokiness that biltong doesn't have. Most commercial jerky also includes sugar or brown sugar in the marinade, which gives it a sweet-savory profile. That's not a flaw. It's what a lot of people love about it. Our Meat Candy leans into exactly that: the sweetness is the point.
If you want savory and spiced without sweetness, biltong is your answer. If you want smoky, slightly sweet, and intensely chewy, jerky delivers that better than biltong ever will.
Shelf Life, Storage, and Portability
Jerky has the edge on shelf life. Because it's processed with heat and dried to a lower moisture level, it's more forgiving about storage conditions. It handles temperature swings and humidity better, which makes it genuinely easier to throw in a bag and forget about for a few weeks.
Biltong is more moisture-sensitive. Once you open a bag, it needs airflow to stay at the right texture. Seal it up too tight and it can go tacky or even develop surface moisture. Keep it cool and aired and it stays in good shape, but it asks a little more of you than jerky does. If you're packing snacks for a long trip with no refrigeration, jerky is the more reliable choice. If you're eating at home or within a few days of opening, biltong holds up fine.
Price, Origin, and What You're Actually Paying For
Biltong costs more. That's just true. The longer production time, the quality of meat required, and the hands-on process of hanging and monitoring each batch push the price up relative to mass-market jerky. Our Sliced Biltong starts at $4.99 for a mini and goes up to $58 for a full slab. The slab price reflects what you're getting: a significant cut of premium grass-fed beef that you slice yourself, fresh off the block.
Jerky is widely available at lower price points, which is part of its appeal. But the cheaper the jerky, the more likely it is to be made from lower-grade meat, heavy on the marinade, and light on actual beef character. Our Meat Candy at $7.99 is the honest version of the format. Full muscle beef, real ingredients, the sweetness comes from the recipe not from masking something.
Biltong is a South African tradition with a specific heritage and production method. Jerky is an American staple with a much wider commercial range, from excellent to genuinely terrible, depending on who made it. You're not choosing between equivalent products. You're choosing between two different snacking traditions.
Which One Should You Buy?
Get biltong if you want savory over sweet, softer texture over maximum chew, and a snack that tastes like real beef with simple spices. Get jerky if you want smoky, sweet, high-chew, and maximum shelf life. If you're not sure, our Sampler Pack at $12.99 gives you three biltong flavors to orient yourself, Original, Peri Peri, and Loaded Garlic, before you commit to a larger buy. And if you already know you love jerky but haven't tried ours, Meat Candy is worth the comparison.
There's no wrong answer here. They're both good. They just aren't the same thing.
Before you head off, here are the questions we get most often when people are deciding between the two.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is biltong healthier than beef jerky?
It depends on what you mean by healthier. Biltong made from grass-fed beef with a simple spice blend has minimal additives and no added sugar. Many commercial jerkies include sugar, artificial flavors, and preservatives. On a pure ingredients basis, quality biltong is cleaner. On protein content, both are high. But jerky is often leaner since the heat process drives off more fat. If you're watching sugar or carbs, biltong is the more straightforward choice.
Why is biltong more expensive than jerky?
Production time and meat quality drive the price. Biltong requires several days of air-drying with no shortcuts, and it starts with whole muscle cuts. You also lose significant weight during drying, so the finished product represents more raw beef than the package weight suggests. Mass-market jerky can use lower-grade meat and faster processing to hit lower price points. You're paying for the difference in what goes in and how long it takes.
Does biltong taste like jerky?
Not really. Biltong is savory and spiced, coriander and black pepper are the traditional base, with a subtle vinegar tang from the cure. Jerky is typically smoky and often sweet. The texture is also different: biltong ranges from soft to firm depending on dryness, while jerky is almost always chewy and dry. If you're expecting one and you get the other, it can be a surprise. Try both before deciding which you prefer.
Which lasts longer once opened, biltong or jerky?
Jerky generally has better shelf stability after opening, because the heat-drying process brings it to a lower moisture level. Biltong is more sensitive to humidity and needs airflow to maintain texture. Once you open a bag of biltong, store it in a breathable container in a cool spot and eat it within a week or two for best results. Jerky can tolerate a bit more neglect, which makes it the better option for long trips or uncertain storage conditions.
Is biltong or jerky better for high-protein snacking?
Both are high-protein. Dried beef in any form concentrates protein as moisture leaves. Biltong retains slightly more fat due to the air-drying method, which gives it a richer mouthfeel but means the protein-to-calorie ratio is a little different from ultra-lean jerky. If you're tracking macros precisely, check the label on whatever you're buying. If you want a clean, high-protein snack without added sugar, quality biltong from grass-fed beef is hard to beat.
