So - what is the best meat for biltong?

Well - biltong can be made by drying almost any type of meat, but the results will vary widely on that choice. The vast majority of biltong in the UK is made from beef. But, biltong made from game - primarily venison - is also growing in popularity. Interestingly enough, pheasant makes quite good biltong, as the meat is quite dense for poultry, although - tbh - The Biltong Merchant prefers the beef!

Anyway, historically speaking, biltong in southern Africa was made from all kinds of wildlife found on the vast plains and savannahs of the country. Everything from zebra and wildebeest to antelope, ostrich, and even elephant were prized sources of meat for the cured, air-dried, protein-rich delicacy. You can read a bit more about the history of biltong here. 

Nowadays, it’s all about the beef - and the options are varied. Traditional taste buds like the vinegar and coriander of the original bushvelt recipes, but there are options for garlic lovers, pepper fiends, those who yearn for a spicy kick, and even some sweeter recipes for the jerky loyalists out there. Best way to find out which is your favourite? Try them all! 😄

There are two main elements to consider in the making of biltong:

1: The cut of the meat

Biltong is made from pure, uncooked, and unprocessed meat, so it needs to be of the best quality. Premium biltong producers use silverside or topside cuts, as they’re most likely to be the tenderest. They also contain just the right amount of marbling, which is the Intramuscular fat content. Some of us like lots of it. Others prefer their biltong meat lean - check out the options here!

The best biltong producers really know their meat - and where it comes from. They know how thick to cut their slabs and what the optimum drying time is for them. There’s a real art to creating the different types of biltong to each biltong lover’s palette. Some like it dry for an intensely flavoured, chewy texture. Others prefer it super wet - imagine a beautiful rare steak - with a heap of juicy fat, for a melt-in-the-mouth taste sensation! Here at The Biltong Merchant, we have all the options - you just make your choice at the checkout 😀

Now, where were we? Oh yes…

2: The quality of the meat

Grass fed and well reared cattle are the heart of real, good quality biltong. Our suppliers are proud of their ethical meat sources, which enable them to provide their quality products. 

Prime cuts of quality beef, seasoned and air-dried, make biltong the tasty, nutritious foodstuff it is. The meat is raw - not cooked - so all its goodness is preserved in the curing process, including vital protein, vitamins and minerals.

Some people think biltong is “expensive”, but it’s important to remember that there’s a huge difference between a price tag and the actual value for money of the item. 

Eg: it takes 1kg of grass-fed beef to make about 250g of biltong because around 75% of the volume is lost in the drying process. This makes biltong a rich source of un-processed meat protein, as well as great value-for-money nutrition.

And if all this biltong talk is making you hungry, click here to get your order started…. 😉