Traditional South African Biltong Recipe, Made at Home

South African biltong is seasoned beef that is cured with vinegar, coriander, salt, and pepper, then dried into a chewy, savory snack. This home version keeps those familiar flavors and beef-strip shape, while using a heat step before dehydration for a more cautious home process; traditional biltong is often air-dried without cooking, so methods and textures vary by region and maker.

Ingredients

3 lb (1.36 kg) lean beef top round, eye of round, or silverside, trimmed of visible fat
1 cup (240 ml) apple cider vinegar or malt vinegar
2 tbsp (30 g) fine sea salt or kosher salt
2 tbsp (12 g) whole coriander seeds
1 tsp (2 g) coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp (4 g) brown sugar, optional, for a faint rounded sweetness

Instructions

Chill and cut the beef. Put the beef in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes, just until firm enough to slice easily; this firming time is included in the prep estimate. With a clean knife and board, cut it lengthwise with the grain into strips about ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick and 1 to 1½ inches (2.5 to 4 cm) wide. Keeping the grain running along the strips gives biltong its characteristic long, pleasantly chewy fibers. Trim away thick seams of fat, since fat can turn rancid sooner than lean meat.
Toast and crush the coriander. Set a dry skillet over medium heat and toast the coriander seeds for 1 to 2 minutes, shaking the pan, until fragrant. Cool briefly, then crush them coarsely with a mortar and pestle or the bottom of a heavy pan. Avoid grinding them to powder: crushed seeds give a more distinct aroma and a pleasant texture on the finished meat.
Season the beef. Arrange the strips in a nonreactive glass or stainless-steel dish. Pour over the vinegar and turn each piece so its surfaces are moistened. Combine the salt, crushed coriander, pepper, and optional brown sugar, then rub the mixture evenly over the strips. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours, turning the pieces once halfway through. Do not leave raw beef marinating on the counter.
Prepare to dry. Heat the oven to 275°F (135°C). Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Lift out the beef and discard the marinade; do not reuse it. Pat the strips dry with clean paper towels, then arrange them in a single layer on the rack with space between pieces. Some coriander will cling to the meat; that is desirable.
Heat the strips for safety. Bake until the center of every strip reaches 160°F (71°C), checking with a food thermometer inserted into the thickest pieces. Thin strips are easier to check with a narrow-tip thermometer; if a piece has not reached the target, return it to the oven and check again. USDA FSIS gives 145°F (63°C) plus a 3-minute rest as the safe minimum for whole beef cuts, but its jerky guidance calls for heating beef to 160°F (71°C) before drying. Follow the higher jerky temperature here. The heat step changes the texture from uncooked, traditionally air-dried biltong, but is the more cautious choice for a home batch.
Dehydrate until pleasantly firm. Transfer the hot strips to a clean dehydrator tray, leaving room for air to circulate. Dry at 135°F (57°C) for about 18 hours, checking from 12 hours onward. Thickness, the dehydrator, and how dry you like the center affect the timing. Finished strips should feel dry and firm on the outside, bend rather than snap, and have a darker, drier edge around a somewhat softer center. If you prefer a drier result, continue drying and check every 1 to 2 hours. Do not judge dryness from color alone.
Cool and slice. Remove the strips and let them cool completely on a clean rack, about 30 minutes. Cut across the grain into thin slices for serving, or leave whole for a longer-chewing snack. For a more traditional biltong look, keep the strips intact and slice only what you plan to eat. Refrigerate the finished meat promptly.

Tips

Choose lean beef. Top round, eye of round, and silverside are useful because they are lean and can be cut into even strips. Brisket or a well-marbled roast is less suitable: excess fat can spoil sooner and leaves a greasy finish.
Use the right vinegar. Malt vinegar gives a familiar sharp, earthy flavor; apple cider vinegar is a practical alternative with a slightly fruitier note. White vinegar works in a pinch, but its sharper taste can dominate, so use it only if that flavor suits you.
Keep the strips even. Similar thickness helps the meat reach its heat target and dry at a similar rate. If the ends are much thinner than the centers, remove those pieces sooner once dry rather than letting them become brittle.
Do not rely on a fan or a warm room. Traditional biltong is commonly hung in a clean, well-ventilated place, but an ordinary room does not provide a validated temperature, humidity, or airflow control. This recipe uses a thermometer and dehydrator to reduce uncertainty; vinegar and salt alone do not make an uncontrolled air-drying setup reliably safe.

Serving Suggestions

Serve biltong as a snack on its own, sliced into slim strips and set out with roasted nuts, crackers, or sliced fruit. It is also good on a South African-inspired snack board with cheese, pickles, and bread. The salty, tangy meat pairs especially well with mild accompaniments that do not compete with the coriander.

For a meal, shave a few slices over a green salad, stir chopped biltong into scrambled eggs, or scatter it over a baked potato with sour cream. Add it near the end of cooking when using it as a topping, since prolonged heat can make the dried beef tough. Taste before adding extra salt to a dish; biltong is already well seasoned.

Variations

More peppery: Increase the black pepper to 1½ teaspoons (3 g), or add a pinch of crushed red pepper. These additions are not essential to the classic coriander-and-vinegar profile, but suit cooks who like a sharper finish.

Less tangy: Reduce the vinegar to ¾ cup (180 ml) and turn the strips carefully so each gets coated. The vinegar flavor will be gentler, though the cure will not be as pronounced. Do not omit the salt or the heat step in this home method.

Use a different cut: Lean beef rump or another lean round roast can replace the listed cuts. A very lean cut may dry a little faster, so begin checking it early. For the closest flavor, keep the coriander, salt, pepper, and vinegar combination rather than adding a strong marinade.

Traditional-style air-dried texture: Many South African versions are cured and hung to dry without an oven heat step, and makers differ in their vinegar, spice balance, thickness, and preferred softness. This recipe deliberately includes a jerky-style safety step and is not identical to that uncooked method. If seeking the classic process, use a reputable commercial product or follow a food-safety-validated process designed for biltong rather than improvising an ambient drying room.

Storage and Reheating

Cool the biltong fully, pack it in a clean airtight container, and refrigerate it within 2 hours of finishing. For this home-prepared batch, use it within 2 weeks in the refrigerator. A paper towel in the container can help absorb a little surface moisture, but replace it if it becomes damp. If condensation appears inside the container, move the meat to a clean dry container and use it promptly; moisture can shorten its keeping quality.

For longer storage, freeze well-wrapped portions for up to 3 months for best quality, then thaw them in the refrigerator. Do not store homemade biltong at room temperature as a long-term preserved food. Biltong is usually eaten cold and does not need reheating. If you add it to a cooked dish, heat the dish thoroughly; leftovers should be reheated to 165°F (74°C) before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is biltong the same as beef jerky?
Biltong and jerky are both dried meat, but they are prepared differently. Biltong is typically cut into thicker strips, seasoned with vinegar and spices such as coriander, and dried; jerky is often sliced thinner and commonly uses a different seasoning and heat process. This recipe borrows a jerky-style heat step for a more cautious home preparation, so its texture will not exactly match uncooked air-dried biltong.

Why is coriander important in biltong?
Crushed coriander is one of the defining flavors in many familiar South African biltong recipes. Toasting it briefly brings out its warm, citrusy aroma. You can adjust the amount to taste, but replacing it entirely will make the result taste less like the classic seasoning profile.

How do I know when the biltong is dry enough?
Use both the thermometer for the heat step and the texture checks for drying. The strips should feel dry and firm outside and bend without snapping; a slightly softer middle is common when biltong is kept moist. If you want it firmer, continue dehydrating in short increments. Strip thickness and equipment make a fixed drying time unreliable.

Can I hang the strips in my kitchen instead of using a dehydrator?
Not safely by simply hanging them in an ordinary kitchen. Room temperature, humidity, insects, and airflow are difficult to control, and vinegar or salt does not guarantee that harmful microbes are eliminated. Use the oven heat step and a food dehydrator as written, or obtain biltong from a reputable maker using a controlled process.

Can I make biltong without vinegar?
Vinegar contributes the characteristic tang and is part of the familiar cure, so leaving it out changes both the flavor and the process. Malt vinegar and apple cider vinegar are the easiest substitutes for one another. If avoiding vinegar, do not assume that extra salt or spices make an unvalidated drying method safe.

Why did my biltong become brittle?
It probably dried longer than your preferred texture, or the strips were cut thinner than intended. Start checking at 12 hours and remove individual thin strips as they become firm; larger pieces can continue drying. Once cooled, store the pieces airtight in the refrigerator to help preserve their texture.

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Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

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