Biltong made by the simplified oven method takes about three hours at 80°C, after three to four hours marinating in the fridge, and it is ready when it feels firm and dry to the touch and bends without snapping. That bend test matters more than the clock, because every oven, every cut of beef and every slice thickness dries at a slightly different rate.
Here is how to read your batch rather than your timer: what changes the drying time, how to judge doneness properly, and what to do when it comes out drier or wetter than you wanted.
How long does biltong take to dry?
The whole process is an afternoon rather than the days that traditional air drying demands. Slice lean beef, marinate it in the cider vinegar and spice mix, coriander, pepper and Himalayan salt, plus the chilli and garlic blend if you like heat, and leave it in the fridge for three to four hours while the flavours blend and the vinegar tenderises the meat.
Then it dries. Hang the strips through the gaps in your oven shelf with a tray underneath to catch any drips, set the oven to 80°C, and give it around three hours, opening the door every hour to let the moisture escape. That last detail is easy to skip and genuinely matters: a sealed oven full of steam is not drying anything.
Those timings come from our Biltong Making Kit, which turns 500g of lean beef into South African biltong twice over, with no cure and no preservatives, just the vinegar, the spices and your own beef.
How do you tell when biltong is ready?
Three checks, in the order you should use them.
- The touch test. The surface should be dry and firm, not tacky or damp. If your fingers come away slightly wet, it has further to go, whatever the clock says.
- The bend test. This is the one that counts. At a medium dryness, a strip should bend without snapping. Bend it and it flexes: ready. Bend it and it cracks in half: you have gone past medium into firm, which some people prefer anyway.
- The cut test. Slice through a thick piece and look at the middle. A wet, red core means more time. A darker, evenly dried interior means it is done.
Biltong is unusual among dried meats in that doneness is genuinely a matter of taste. Softer and moister, or drier and firmer, both are correct. Dry it longer for firmer biltong, and pull it earlier if you like it yielding. The only thing worth being firm about is that if you are in any doubt, dry it a little longer, because properly dried meat also keeps much better.
Why does the drying time change so much?
Four variables, and they compound.
- Thickness. The biggest one. Thick strips take considerably longer than thin ones, and an uneven batch will finish at different times, which is the usual reason some pieces are perfect while others are still soft.
- Your oven. Every oven differs, and thermostats lie by a surprising margin. Check early on your first batch and note what actually happened, because that becomes your real recipe.
- The cut of beef. For biltong, a more tender cut works best: an inexpensive steak or a roasting joint. Leanness matters too, since fat does not dry well.
- How full the oven is. A crowded oven holds more moisture. Give the strips space so air can move around them.
The method also flexes to your equipment. If your oven will not run at 80°C, set it to its very lowest setting, making sure it is actually on and heating, then hang a tea towel between the door and the oven so the door stays ajar. That drops the temperature a little and lets moisture escape, and at the slightly higher heat the biltong may be done closer to the two hour mark, so keep an eye on it. An AGA works well too: use the simmering oven, which sits around 100°C, with the same tea towel trick, and expect it to finish closer to two hours.
A dehydrator is arguably the ideal tool. Follow the recipe as written, but instead of hanging the meat in the oven, lay or hang the strips at 65°C for 10 to 12 hours, until dried right through.
What if it is too dry, or still too moist?
Both are ordinary first-batch outcomes and neither wastes the beef.
Too dry or tough? Slice thinner next time, and slice across the grain rather than with it, which makes a noticeable difference to tenderness. Reduce the drying time and check earlier. This batch is still perfectly good, it is just chewier than you intended, and it will keep especially well.
Still too moist or soft? Simply dry it longer. Biltong should be firm and leathery, not wet, and under-dried meat will not keep as long, so this is the error worth correcting rather than living with.
Slicing itself is easier than people expect. Pop the beef in the freezer for 30 minutes before slicing and it firms up just enough to cut thin, even strips without a fight.
How should you store it once it is dried?
In an airtight container. Well-dried biltong keeps for a couple of weeks, and refrigerating extends that. If it still feels moist when you put it away, it will not keep as long, so eat that batch sooner rather than saving it for a rainy day.
Worth knowing: biltong carries on drying slowly in the container, so a batch that felt slightly soft on day one is often exactly right by day three. Store the pieces loosely rather than packed tight, and if you like it very soft, keep it in the fridge and eat it within a few days.
Home-dried meat is safe when you use fresh lean beef, follow the recipe and dry it thoroughly, with the seasoning, the salt and the vinegar all helping to preserve it. Two 500g batches come out of the biltong kit, which is gluten free and lactose free and hand-packed in Britain, and once its spices run out the recipe is yours to keep making.
Biltong drying FAQs
How long does biltong take in the oven?
Around three hours at 80°C, with the door opened every hour to let moisture out, after three to four hours marinating in the fridge. Ovens vary, so check it early on your first batch.
How do you know when biltong is done?
It should be firm and dry to the touch and bend without snapping at a medium dryness. Cut a thick piece open if you are unsure: a wet red middle means it needs longer.
Can you dry biltong for too long?
You can dry it past the texture you were aiming for, which gives a hard, very chewy snack rather than an unsafe one. It will keep beautifully, and slicing thinner next time solves it.
Can you use a dehydrator for biltong?
Yes, and it is arguably the ideal tool. Follow the recipe as written, then lay or hang the strips at 65°C for 10 to 12 hours until dried right through.
Why is my biltong tough?
Usually slices cut too thick, cut with the grain instead of across it, or a drying time that ran long. Slice thinner, cut across the grain and pull the next batch a touch earlier.
Fancy a batch of your own by teatime? Browse our meat making kits.
