The hardest part of ordering biltong for the first time is not the price, the shipping, or even figuring out what biltong actually is. It is picking a flavor when you have never tasted any of them. Get that wrong and the whole experience lands flat, which is a shame, because the right flavor is genuinely one of those food moments you remember.
We carry three: Original, Peri Peri, and Loaded Garlic. Each one is a real profile, not a mild, medium, hot gimmick. Here is how to think about them, and how to figure out which one belongs on your counter.
What each flavor actually tastes like
Original is exactly what the name says. It is the biltong you would have eaten straight from a South African butcher's hook as a kid. Beef, salt, coriander, a little vinegar, and nothing else getting in the way. The grass-fed beef does a lot of the flavor work here, because without a sugary marinade covering things up, the quality of the meat is front and center. If you grew up in South Africa and you are chasing that specific taste memory, Original is where you start. If you are new to biltong entirely, Original is also a good anchor, because it shows you what the base product is before you add heat or aromatics.
Peri Peri is the version for people who want the biltong experience plus a slow, building heat. Peri Peri is a Southern African chili pepper with a flavor that is fruity before it is hot, which means it rounds out rather than just burns. It pairs well with something cold to drink and it holds up well on a charcuterie board where you want one bold element among milder ones. If your household skews toward hot sauce on everything, this is probably your flavor.
Loaded Garlic is the one that surprises people. Garlic biltong sounds like a seasoning choice. It is actually a whole different sensory experience. The garlic goes in during curing, not as a finishing coat, so it works its way into the beef over the full drying period. What you get is savory in a very deep, almost umami-forward way. It is the flavor that tends to convert snackers who are not sure they are biltong people yet. Once they try it, they usually order it by the pound.
Who each flavor is right for
Think about how you actually eat, not how you plan to eat. If you are grabbing handfuls straight from the bag while watching something on your phone, you want a flavor that rewards repetition without going monotonous. Original and Loaded Garlic both do that. Peri Peri is excellent, but the heat means some people start pacing themselves after a while, which is not a flaw, just a characteristic worth knowing.
For families with kids, Original is the safe opener. Children who are new to biltong need to get comfortable with the texture and the savory cured-meat profile before you introduce heat. Start them on Original, let them fall in love with the format, and then show them Peri Peri when they are ready.
For a charcuterie board or a party, one pound of sliced biltong across two or three flavor profiles is the move. Our Bulk Biltong comes as a full pound of sliced biltong at $58, and you get all three flavors in one order. You do not have to guess what your guests prefer because they can try all of them. That is genuinely a better outcome than committing to one flavor for a crowd where half the people have no idea what biltong is.
For gifting, the flavor choice matters more than most people realize. If you are gifting to someone adventurous, someone who cooks with heat and thinks in flavor layers, Peri Peri or Loaded Garlic signals that you actually know what you bought. If you are gifting to someone with unknown preferences, or to a corporate contact, or to anyone where you are not sure about dietary tolerances, Original is the right call. A minimalist spice profile travels better across palates and does not carry the risk of sending someone something they cannot eat.
When you genuinely cannot decide, start with the Sampler
The Biltong Sampler Pack exists specifically for this situation. It is $12.99 and it contains one mini bag of each flavor: Original, Peri Peri, and Loaded Garlic. You taste all three, you figure out which one you reach for first and which bag disappears fastest, and then you order accordingly. That is the right sequence for a first purchase.
We also have the Biltong Selector Quiz on the site if you want something more guided. Answer a few questions about what you normally snack on and what heat level you prefer, and it points you toward a flavor. It takes about a minute and it is surprisingly accurate.
One honest note on the slabs: if you want to go deep on one flavor and experience biltong at its most textural, the Biltong Slabs at $58 per pound are how you do it. You slice fresh off the slab, control the thickness yourself, and the tenderness is genuinely different from pre-sliced. But slab inventory is limited. We only set aside a small number per batch, and that can mean two to three week wait times. If you are buying for an event, plan ahead or go pre-sliced.
One more thing worth knowing about the Meat Candy
If someone in your household is not ready for traditional biltong, the savory-forward profile can be a barrier. Our Meat Candy, the beef jerky at $7.99, is where those snackers usually land first. It is sweet and savory, familiar in the way a childhood snack is familiar, and it is a real bridge into the rest of the range for people who find cured beef on its own a bit intense. It is Glatt Kosher certified, the same as the biltong, so it fits the same table.
The honest bottom line: Original is for purists and first-timers. Peri Peri is for heat lovers. Loaded Garlic is for people who want savory depth without the fire. If you have never ordered before, the Sampler at $12.99 removes all the guesswork and costs less than a single bag of most comparable snacks. Start there, then go big on whichever bag you open twice.
Still weighing your options? Here are the questions we get most before a first order.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Original, Peri Peri, and Loaded Garlic biltong?
Original uses a minimal spice blend of salt, coriander, and vinegar, letting the grass-fed beef do the work. It is the most traditional South African profile. Peri Peri adds a fruity, building heat from Southern African chili peppers. Loaded Garlic is cured with garlic throughout the drying process, which creates a deep, savory, umami-forward flavor rather than a surface-level seasoning taste. All three are genuinely distinct, not just mild-medium-hot variations on the same base.
Which biltong flavor is best for someone who has never tried biltong before?
Original is the right starting point for most first-timers. It shows you what biltong actually is without any added complexity from heat or aromatics. Once you are comfortable with the texture and the cured-beef profile, Peri Peri and Loaded Garlic make more sense to try. That said, the $12.99 Sampler Pack is genuinely the best first order because you get all three in one shot and you find out quickly which one you actually prefer rather than guessing.
Which flavor works best for a charcuterie board or party?
For a mixed crowd, having all three flavors available is the right call. The Bulk Biltong option comes as one full pound of sliced biltong across all three flavors at $58, which is built for exactly this use case. It gives your guests something to explore rather than one profile to take or leave. Loaded Garlic tends to be the crowd favorite at gatherings where people like bold savory flavors, but Peri Peri is the one that starts conversations.
What biltong flavor should I choose for a gift if I do not know the recipient's taste preferences?
Original is the safest gift flavor when you do not know the person's heat tolerance or dietary preferences. It has the most accessible profile and the fewest ingredients, which means it travels well across different palates and is unlikely to be too much for anyone. If you know the person cooks with heat and eats adventurously, Loaded Garlic or Peri Peri are more interesting choices. The Sampler Pack at $12.99 is also an excellent gift because it lets the recipient discover their own preference.
Is the biltong Glatt Kosher certified?
The Sliced Biltong and Sliced Biltong Mini's carry Glatt Kosher certification. The Meat Candy (Beef Jerky) is also Glatt Kosher certified. If Kosher certification is a requirement for your household or for a gift recipient, check the specific product you are ordering. We hold certification from Harav Weissmandl and Aleph K.
What is the Biltong Sampler Pack and is it worth ordering?
The Sampler Pack is $12.99 and contains one mini bag of each flavor: Original, Peri Peri, and Loaded Garlic. It is specifically designed for first-time buyers who are not sure which flavor to commit to. If you have never ordered from us before, it is the lowest-risk way to try the product. You find out which bag you reach for first, and that tells you exactly what to order in full size next time. It is worth it.
How is biltong different from beef jerky?
Biltong is air-dried and cured, not cooked with heat. Jerky is typically smoked or oven-dried at high temperatures. The result is a different texture entirely: biltong is tender and sliceable where jerky tends to be chewy and dry. Biltong also uses minimal seasoning, no sugary marinades, which is why the beef flavor itself is so much more present. If you have only ever had jerky, the texture difference alone will catch you off guard the first time. Our Meat Candy option exists for people who want something closer to the jerky sweetness profile while they make the transition.
