Biltong vs jerky is one of the great dried meat debates, and it tends to be argued loudest by people who have only ever tried one of the two. Both are beef, both are dried, and both vanish from the bowl at the same alarming speed, but they are genuinely different foods with different histories, methods and personalities. This is the full, fair comparison: origin, cut, marinade, drying, texture and flavour, so that by the end you know exactly which one suits you.
Biltong vs jerky: what's the short answer?
Jerky is American-style dried meat: lean beef sliced thin, seasoned, then dried slowly until it is firm and pleasingly chewy. Biltong is South African: beef marinated in vinegar and spices, classically coriander and black pepper, then dried, traditionally in moving air, which gives it a gentler texture and a distinctive tang.
So no, biltong is not just South African jerky, and jerky is not biltong in a hurry. The marinade, the drying method and the texture genuinely separate them, and the rest of this guide takes each difference in turn.
Where do biltong and jerky come from?
Jerky's roots are in the Americas, and they run deep. The word descends from charqui, a term for dried meat from the Quechua language of South America, and the practice of preserving thin strips of meat by drying them spread across the continent centuries ago. Drying was survival before it was snacking: meat that would spoil in days became food that could travel for weeks.
Biltong's story begins later and further south. Dutch settlers in seventeenth century South Africa needed meat that could last through long treks across hot country, and their answer was to soak it in vinegar, season it with salt and spices, and hang it up to dry in the air. The name is usually traced to the Dutch words bil, meaning rump, and tong, meaning strip. The coriander and black pepper that define biltong's flavour today have been part of the recipe from early on.
Two continents, one problem: how to keep good meat good. The shared purpose is why the snacks resemble each other from a distance, and the different solutions are why they taste nothing alike up close.
Biltong vs jerky: how do they compare side by side?
Here is the whole comparison, difference by difference.
Biltong
- Origin: South Africa, born of the Dutch settler tradition of preserving meat for long journeys.
- Cut: a more tender cut of beef, such as an inexpensive steak or a small roasting joint. Traditional biltong dries in thicker strips that are sliced to serve.
- Marinade: the defining step. In our recipe the beef marinates in cider vinegar with coriander, black pepper and Himalayan salt. The vinegar tenderises the meat, helps preserve it and gives biltong its signature tang. There is no cure involved, just the marinade.
- Drying: traditionally air-dried in cool, moving air over several days, never cooked. Our simplified method gets there in a couple of hours.
- Texture: yours to decide, anywhere from soft and moist to firm and dry. At a medium dryness it should bend without snapping.
- Flavour: tangy and aromatic, with the vinegar and warm coriander doing the talking.
Jerky
- Origin: the Americas, with a name inherited from charqui and a dried meat tradition stretching back centuries.
- Cut: the leanest beef you can find, sliced thin before it ever meets the heat. Thin-cut frying steak and brisket both work really well.
- Seasoning: a dry seasoning rather than a marinade. Our recipe uses a BBQ or chilli and garlic blend, and again there is no cure, just the seasoning and your own beef.
- Drying: dried slowly in the oven on a low heat until firm, which takes a few hours.
- Texture: firmer and more consistent than biltong, one satisfying chew from edge to edge. Slicing across the grain gives a tender bite; with the grain gives a proper old-fashioned chew.
- Flavour: seasoning-forward and savoury. Because the blend coats thin slices, every bite carries the full flavour.
If you only keep one distinction, keep this one: jerky wears its character on the outside, in the seasoning, while biltong carries its character all the way through, from the marinade.
How are biltong and jerky made at home?
Far more easily than most people expect. Each starts with about 500g of lean beef and finishes in an ordinary domestic oven, no smoker or special equipment needed (though a dehydrator, if you own one, is arguably the ideal tool for both). Neither recipe uses a cure. The preserving is done by salt, seasoning, thorough drying and, in biltong's case, the vinegar.
For jerky, the craft is in the slicing. You want thin, even slices, and the well-worn trick is to firm the beef in the freezer for 30 minutes first so it cuts cleanly. Slice across the grain for tender jerky, season with the blend, then hang the strips in a low oven to dry slowly until they are firm, dry to the touch and bend without snapping. Our Beef Jerky Making Kit supplies both seasoning blends and the full timings, with enough for two 500g batches.
For biltong, the craft is in the marinade. The beef bathes in cider vinegar, coriander, black pepper and Himalayan salt, with the chilli and garlic on standby if you like heat, and that soak does the flavouring and tenderising before any drying begins. Tradition then hangs the meat in moving air for days; the simplified method in our Biltong Making Kit dries it in a couple of hours, and the finish is yours to choose, softer and moist or drier and firmer.
Whichever you make, the doneness test is the same: firm, dry to the touch and bending without snapping, jerky a touch firmer, biltong wherever your taste takes it.
Which should you try first, biltong or jerky?
We are not going to declare a winner, because there is no winner, only a better match for your particular snacking soul. Here is the honest way to choose.
Try jerky first if you like your flavours bold and immediate. The seasoning sits right on the surface of every thin slice, so the BBQ or chilli and garlic character arrives with the first bite, and the texture is a firm, consistent chew. It is the more familiar of the two, which also makes it the easy crowd-pleaser for sharing. The Beef Jerky Making Kit is the natural place to start.
Try biltong first if the word tang did something for you a few paragraphs ago. The cider vinegar sharpness against warm coriander is unlike any other meat snack, and the adjustable texture is a genuine luxury, from soft and almost charcuterie-like to firm with real character. If that sounds like your kind of experiment, the Biltong Making Kit has your name on it.
And if you are still torn, that is not indecision, that is good taste. Loving one tells you very little about whether you will love the other, which is the best argument we know for finding out.
What if you want to make both?
Then we will stop pretending you have to choose. The Ultimate Meat Making Kit makes jerky, biltong, bacon and more from a single box, with no smoker needed for any of it. The jerky and biltong follow the same no-cure recipes as the individual kits; only the bacon uses a traditional cure, because that is the safest and most reliable way to cure bacon at home. It is the kit for the reader who quietly nodded at both lists above.
Biltong vs jerky FAQs
Is biltong the same as jerky?
No. Both are dried beef snacks, but jerky is sliced thin, seasoned and dried, while biltong is marinated in vinegar and spices before drying, traditionally in air rather than an oven. They differ in origin, method, texture and flavour, in nearly everything except the beef.
Is biltong healthier than jerky?
We make kits, not medical claims, so we will keep this modest. Made at home, both come down to lean beef, seasoning and, for biltong, vinegar. Neither of our recipes uses a cure or preservatives, so you know exactly what went in. Beyond that, any comparison depends on the beef, the seasoning and how much of the batch you eat in one sitting, and we cannot help you with that last one.
Is biltong raw?
Not in the way the question usually means. Traditional biltong is air-dried rather than cooked, but it is not raw meat either: the vinegar, the salt and a thorough drying preserve it, which is the whole point of the recipe. Use fresh lean beef, follow the recipe, dry it properly, and if you are ever in doubt, simply dry it a little longer.
Which is easier to make at home?
They are about level, and neither is difficult. Jerky's fiddliest moment is slicing the beef thin and evenly, which 30 minutes in the freezer solves. Biltong needs less knife work but adds the marinade stage. With our simplified methods, both go from raw beef to finished snack in a few hours in an ordinary oven, pretty much foolproof.
What cut of beef do I need?
For jerky, lean is the law: fat does not dry well, so choose the leanest beef you can, and thin-cut frying steak or brisket both work really well. For biltong, pick a more tender cut, an inexpensive steak or a small roasting joint. Around 500g makes a batch either way.
How long do biltong and jerky keep?
Stored in an airtight container, well-dried jerky and biltong keep for a couple of weeks, and the fridge stretches that further. The drier the batch, the better it keeps, so eat any softer pieces first. In practice, few batches survive the fortnight.
Whichever side you land on, browse our meat making kits, hand-packed in Britain with free UK delivery over £25.
