If you have eaten biltong, you already know it is not jerky. The texture is different. The flavor is different. Even the way you eat it is different. But if you are new to biltong and trying to figure out what separates it from the beef jerky you grew up with, the short answer is this: biltong and beef jerky are not variations of the same product. They come from different culinary traditions, use different preservation methods, and produce different results in the bag. Once you understand how each one is made, the difference in what you taste makes complete sense.
Two Different Traditions, Two Different Products
Beef jerky has its roots in North America. Indigenous peoples across the continent dried and smoked meat for preservation centuries before European settlement, and the techniques they developed became the foundation of what we now recognize as jerky. Smoke was a practical tool. It added flavor, yes, but it also created a surface barrier that slowed spoilage. Heat finished the job by driving out moisture quickly.
Biltong comes from South Africa. Dutch settlers in the 17th century needed to preserve large quantities of meat while traveling across the country on foot and by wagon. Their method used vinegar and salt to cure the meat before hanging it in open air to dry. No heat. No smoke. Just time, airflow, and spice. The word biltong itself comes from Dutch: bil (rump) and tong (strip). It was named for what it was, a strip of cured rump meat.
These are not two countries arriving at the same answer by different routes. They are two genuinely different answers to the same question: how do you preserve meat without refrigeration? The methods diverged, and so did everything downstream, texture, flavor, fat content, moisture level, and eating experience.
How Each One Is Made
The production process is where the real difference lives. Understanding it explains everything else.
Biltong starts with a wet cure. Strips of beef, typically cut thick, with the grain, are soaked or rubbed in a mixture of vinegar, salt, and spices. The vinegar does two things: it begins breaking down the muscle fibers, which contributes to biltong's tender texture, and it lowers the pH of the meat surface, creating an environment where harmful bacteria struggle to survive. After curing, the meat is coated in spices, coriander, black pepper, and salt are the traditional base, and then hung to air-dry. No heat is applied at any stage. The meat dries slowly over days, sometimes more than a week, until it reaches the target moisture level. The result is a product that is cured from the inside out before it ever starts drying.
Jerky works differently. The meat is typically cut thin, against the grain, and marinated in a wet or dry seasoning before being exposed to heat. Commercial jerky uses industrial dehydrators or ovens. The drying process is faster because heat actively drives moisture out. Smoke is often added during this stage, either from wood chips or liquid smoke flavoring. The thin cut and direct heat produce a product that is significantly drier than biltong and considerably chewier.
The sequence matters as much as the ingredients. Biltong is cured first, then dried. Jerky is marinated, then heat-dried simultaneously. That difference in order produces fundamentally different outcomes.
Texture: Where the Difference Is Most Obvious
Texture is the first thing most people notice when they try biltong for the first time, especially if their reference point is commercial beef jerky.
Biltong, particularly sliced biltong from a thick cut, has a tenderness that jerky does not. The vinegar cure softens the muscle fibers before drying begins, and the slow air-dry process preserves some residual moisture. A good piece of sliced biltong pulls apart easily and has a slight give, not soft, but not tough. Some describe it as melt-in-mouth relative to jerky, which is accurate for wetter cuts. Drier biltong, especially from a slab that has been hanging longer, has more resistance but still does not approach the jaw workout that commercial jerky demands.
Jerky requires work. The thin cut and aggressive heat-drying produce a product with very low moisture content. Commercial jerky is designed to be shelf-stable for months, and that stability comes from having very little water left in the meat. The result is chewy, dense, and resistant. Some people prefer this. It is a slower eat, and for some that means more satisfying. But it is a different experience.
Our Biltong Slabs offer an interesting middle ground worth knowing about. A slab is the whole dried piece before slicing. When you cut it fresh, you control the thickness. Thinner slices are firmer and drier, thicker cuts are tender and rich. That level of textural control does not exist with pre-sliced jerky. You get what the manufacturer decided, full stop.
Flavor Profiles: Savory vs. Sweet-Smoky
The flavor difference between biltong and jerky is almost as significant as the texture difference, and it reflects the same underlying process distinction.
Biltong's flavor is built on a savory foundation. Coriander is the defining spice. It is what makes biltong taste like biltong and not any other dried meat. Black pepper and salt round out the traditional base. The vinegar cure adds a subtle tang that you might not consciously identify but would notice if it were absent. The overall profile is savory, slightly acidic, and clean. There is no sweetness in traditional biltong. Our Original flavor stays close to that traditional profile. Peri Peri adds heat from the chili. Loaded Garlic pushes the garlic forward without adding sweetness. All three are savory-forward, none of them sweet.
Beef jerky spans a much wider flavor range, but sweetness is a defining characteristic of most commercial versions. Teriyaki jerky, brown sugar jerky, honey BBQ jerky. These are common on American shelves and they blur the line between savory snack and something closer to candy. Even savory-positioned jerky usually has some sweetener in the marinade. The smoke flavor is another constant in most commercial jerky, whether from actual wood smoke or liquid smoke flavoring. The result is a product that tastes less like beef and more like a seasoned, smoked, sweetened beef product.
Neither flavor approach is objectively better. They suit different preferences and different moments. But if you are looking for something that tastes like actual beef, seasoned well but not masked, biltong is the clearer choice.
What We Look For in a Quality Biltong
Not all biltong is made the same way, and the gap between good and mediocre biltong is wide enough to matter. When we evaluate biltong quality, including our own, these are the things that determine whether the product is worth eating.
The beef comes first. Biltong made from full-muscle cuts of grass-fed beef produces a fundamentally different result from biltong made with cheaper inputs. Full-muscle beef has a consistent grain structure, a real fat distribution, and a flavor that holds up through the curing and drying process. Mechanically separated meat, the kind you find in lower-cost processed products, does not produce that result. We use full-muscle beef because the finished product reflects that choice in every bite. There is no shortcut that gets you to the same place.
The spice blend matters, but it should support the beef, not cover it. Coriander, black pepper, and salt are the traditional base for a reason. They complement the natural flavor of the meat. A good biltong tastes like seasoned beef. A bad one tastes like seasoning with beef in the background.
Moisture content is the other variable that separates producers. Biltong that is too wet has not been hung long enough and will not hold. Biltong that is too dry has been over-processed and loses the tenderness that makes it worth eating. Getting this right consistently requires controlled environments and attention to each batch. It is not something you set and forget.
Nutritional Comparison: What the Macros Actually Show
| Primary protein source | Full-muscle beef (grass-fed) | Varies, often grain-fed, sometimes mixed cuts |
| Fat content | Higher. Depends on cut and dryness level | Lower, thin cuts, heat-dried |
| Sugar content | Near zero in traditional recipes | Often significant, sweeteners common in marinades |
| Sodium | Present. Salt is a curing agent | Often higher, soy sauce and salt in most marinades |
| Preservatives | Vinegar and salt, natural preservation | Often includes nitrates or artificial preservatives |
| Carbohydrates | Near zero in clean recipes | Varies. Sweetened varieties can be significant |
The nutritional picture for biltong is cleaner than most commercial jerky, primarily because of what is not in it. Traditional biltong does not need added sugar to taste good. It does not need nitrates because the vinegar cure handles preservation naturally. What goes into the bag is beef, vinegar, salt, and spice. That is genuinely different from the ingredient lists on most commercial jerky products.
Shelf Life and Storage
This is one area where jerky has a practical advantage over biltong, and it is worth being honest about it.
Commercial jerky is extremely dry. The aggressive heat-drying process removes most of the moisture from the meat, and combined with vacuum sealing and preservatives, the result is a product that can sit on a shelf for a long time without refrigeration. Gas stations sell it. It lives in truck stops and vending machines. That shelf stability is a real feature for certain use cases.
Biltong retains more moisture, which is part of what makes it more tender and flavorful. That same moisture means it does not have the same open-air shelf stability as commercial jerky. Unopened, commercially packed biltong holds well. Once opened, it does best in the fridge in a breathable container. It is not fragile, but it does have preferences. The vinegar cure gives it natural stability that many processed meats lack, but it is not a product designed to sit on a gas station counter for three months.
For most people who are buying biltong because they want to eat good food, this is not a meaningful limitation. You are not buying it to forget about it. You are buying it to eat it.
Which One Should You Choose?
These are the use cases where each product wins clearly:
Best for savory flavor purists: Biltong. The flavor profile is beef-forward, spiced without sweetness, and genuinely satisfying on its own terms.
Best for texture lovers who want tenderness: Biltong, particularly sliced cuts or fresh-sliced from a slab. The air-dry process and vinegar cure produce a texture that heat-dried jerky cannot replicate.
Best for maximum portability and long shelf life: Jerky. If it needs to live in a bag for a week without refrigeration, jerky is the more practical choice.
Best for clean-label snacking: Biltong. Near-zero sugar, natural preservation, no nitrates in quality recipes. The ingredient list is short because it does not need to be long.
Best for smoke and sweet flavor fans: Jerky. If you want that smoky, slightly sweet profile, jerky is built for it. Biltong does not go there.
Best for trying before committing: Our Biltong Sampler Pack at $12.99. Three flavors, Original, Peri Peri, and Loaded Garlic, in one order. It gives you the full range without buying a full bag of something you have not tasted.
The Verdict
Biltong and beef jerky are not interchangeable. They are two different products that happen to share the same raw material. If you want tender, savory, clean-label beef with real flavor depth, biltong is the answer. If you want maximum shelf stability, smoke flavor, and something you can find at a highway rest stop, jerky fills that role. Most people who try biltong seriously do not go back to jerky as their default. That is not a marketing claim. It is just what tends to happen once you understand what you are eating.
People usually have a few specific questions left after reading this far. Here are the ones that come up most:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is biltong healthier than beef jerky?
For most definitions of healthier, yes. Traditional biltong has near-zero sugar, natural preservation through vinegar and salt, no nitrates, and a clean ingredient list. Commercial beef jerky frequently contains added sugars, soy sauce with significant sodium, and artificial preservatives. The protein content of both is high. The main nutritional difference is what has been added to the beef rather than what the beef itself provides. Read the ingredient list on whatever you are buying. That tells you more than any general comparison.
Does biltong taste like beef jerky?
No. The flavor and texture are different enough that most people who try both back-to-back describe them as distinct products rather than variations of the same thing. Biltong is savory, slightly tangy from the vinegar cure, and spiced with coriander and pepper. Jerky is often smoky, frequently sweet, and has a concentrated flavor from heat-drying. If you are expecting biltong to taste like jerky, you will be surprised. That surprise is usually a good one.
Why is biltong more expensive than beef jerky?
A few reasons. The drying process takes significantly longer, days to weeks rather than hours. Quality biltong starts with better beef, typically full-muscle grass-fed cuts rather than commodity inputs. There is less yield from the raw beef because biltong retains more moisture than jerky and is not compressed or reformed. You are paying for time, better raw material, and a process that cannot be meaningfully rushed without affecting the result.
Can I eat biltong if I am on a keto or low-carb diet?
Yes. Traditional biltong with no added sugar has near-zero carbohydrates. It is one of the cleaner protein snacks for anyone managing carb intake. The fat content is higher than lean jerky, which for keto purposes is neutral to positive. Check the ingredient list for any biltong that claims flavoring or marinade, since some modern variants add sugar. Our original and spiced flavors are made without added sugar.
What cut of beef is used for biltong vs jerky?
Biltong is traditionally made from thick cuts of full-muscle beef, often rump or silverside, cut with the grain so the muscle structure holds through the long drying process. Jerky is typically cut thin, against the grain, to allow faster moisture loss during heat-drying. The cut choice is directly connected to the production method. Biltong's thick cut would not work in a jerky dehydrator, and jerky's thin cut would not produce the texture biltong is known for.
Is biltong available in the US?
Yes, though it is less common in retail than jerky. Biltong built its initial US following through South African expat communities and specialty food stores. It is now available from online producers and a growing number of specialty retailers. We ship across the US, and the Sampler Pack at $12.99 is the practical way to try all three flavors before committing to a full order.
Which is better for kids: biltong or beef jerky?
Biltong is the easier recommendation for most families. The lower sugar content and natural ingredient list are meaningful if you are thinking about what your kids are snacking on. The texture is also more forgiving than commercial jerky, which can be tough for younger kids. Our Sliced Biltong Mini's at $4.99 are a practical starting point. The portion size is right for kids and the price makes it easy to try without committing to a full bag.
