If someone eats biltong and jerky faster than you can buy it for them, stop buying it and give them the means to make it instead. A kit, a sharp knife and a butcher's voucher costs about the same as a couple of shop packets and turns a snack habit into a Saturday afternoon that produces a kilo at a time. This guide explains the difference between the two dried meats, which kit suits which kind of fan, what other gear is worth adding, and how to hand it over so they start the following weekend rather than next year.
There is also a practical argument. Shop-bought dried meat is expensive per gram in a way that borders on the offensive, and the flavour range is narrow. Making it at home puts the seasoning, the thickness and the dryness entirely under their control, and lean beef bought from a butcher is a very different price per kilo from the same beef sliced, dried and sold in a foil packet.
Biltong or jerky: which one are they?
They are both dried meat snacks, but they come from different traditions and taste like it, so this is the first thing to get right.
Jerky is American. Lean beef sliced thin, seasoned, and dried slowly in a low oven until firm. It is the drier, chewier, more directly seasoned of the two. Our jerky making kit seasons it two ways, a BBQ blend and a chilli and garlic blend, and uses no cure at all, just the seasonings and their own beef.
Biltong is South African. The beef is marinated in cider vinegar and a spice mix built on coriander, black pepper and Himalayan salt, with the chilli and garlic blend available if they want more bite, and then dried. It comes out softer and more aromatic, with that unmistakable coriander note. The biltong kit covers the same ground for the South African side of the argument.
Both kits take about 500g of lean beef per batch and make two batches each, and both use a simplified oven method that gets you there in a few hours rather than days of traditional air-drying. If you genuinely cannot tell which camp they are in, look at what they buy: if they talk about coriander and vinegar, buy biltong; if they talk about smoke and heat, buy jerky.
What about the person who wants all of it?
For the friend whose interest is dried and cured meat generally rather than one style of it, the ultimate meat making kit is the one to reach for. It covers bacon as well as jerky and biltong, which widens the project from a snack into a proper curing hobby.
The bacon side works differently from the dried snacks, and it is worth knowing why. Jerky and biltong use no cure, only seasonings, whereas bacon uses a traditional dry cure containing nitrites and nitrates, which is what protects the meat while it cures and is the safest and most reliable way to cure bacon at home. There is no smoker involved and no special equipment: it is a cold cure, so the meat cures and then air dries in the fridge over several days to develop its texture, with the whole process taking about a week.
That difference in timescale is a feature when you are choosing a gift. Jerky and biltong are same-afternoon presents. Bacon is a week-long one. Someone who likes a project will prefer the latter, and someone who wants snacks by teatime will prefer the former.
What else belongs in the parcel?
The kits cover the seasonings and the method. These are the additions that make the first batch go well:
- A very sharp knife. Thin, even slicing is the whole game, and a blunt knife makes ragged strips that dry unevenly.
- A butcher's voucher, or the beef itself. Lean is what matters, because fat does not dry well. For jerky, thin-cut frying steak or brisket both work really well. For biltong, a more tender cut suits it better, so inexpensive steak or a roasting joint.
- A dehydrator, if you are feeling generous. It is arguably the ideal tool: follow the recipe as written, but lay or hang the strips in the dehydrator at 65 degrees for 10 to 12 hours until dried right through.
- Good airtight containers. Well-dried jerky and biltong keep for a couple of weeks in an airtight container, and refrigerating extends that.
- A cheap oven thermometer. Ovens lie, and the low end of the dial is where they lie most.
How do you make sure the first batch works?
Pass on the three things that go wrong most often, because a good first batch decides whether a kit becomes a habit.
Slicing. Thin, and across the grain for tender results. With the grain gives a chewier bite, which some people prefer, so it is a choice rather than a mistake. Popping the beef in the freezer for 30 minutes first makes thin, even slicing dramatically easier.
Oven temperature. If their oven will not go low enough, the fix is to set it to its very lowest setting, check it is actually on and heating, and hang a tea towel between the door and the oven so the door stays ajar. That drops the temperature slightly and lets moisture escape. At the slightly higher heat it may be ready closer to the two hour mark, so it wants watching. An AGA works too, using the simmering oven with a tea towel in the door, and will likely finish faster.
Knowing when it is done. It should be firm and dry to the touch and bend without snapping, jerky a touch firmer, biltong to whatever texture they like. Too dry and tough means slicing thinner, across the grain, and reducing the drying time. Still moist and soft means giving it longer, and properly dried meat keeps much better anyway. If in doubt, dry it a little longer.
All three kits are gluten free and lactose free, and all are hand-packed in Britain. UK delivery is free over 15 pounds, which is worth knowing if you are building a parcel with a knife and a jar in it as well.
Biltong and jerky gift FAQs
What is the difference between biltong and jerky?
Jerky is American style: sliced, seasoned and oven-dried. Biltong is South African: marinated with vinegar and spices, principally coriander and black pepper, before drying. There is a separate kit for each.
How much beef do they need?
About 500g of lean beef per batch, and each kit makes two 500g batches. Lean is the important word, since fat does not dry well.
Do the kits contain preservatives?
The jerky and biltong recipes use no cure at all, just the seasoning blends and their own beef. The bacon recipes in the ultimate meat kit are different and use a traditional dry cure that includes nitrites and nitrates.
Do they need a dehydrator?
No. Both kits use a simplified oven method that takes a few hours. A dehydrator is a lovely optional extra, at 65 degrees for 10 to 12 hours.
How long does homemade jerky or biltong keep?
Kept in an airtight container, well-dried jerky and biltong keep for a couple of weeks, and refrigerating extends that. If it still feels moist it will not keep as long, so it should be eaten sooner.
Browse our gift kits and give the dried meat obsessive a supply line instead of a packet.
