To choose good biltong, check three things: a short, honest ingredient list with no sugar, real information about how it is made, and where it comes from. The best biltong is air-dried spiced beef with just a handful of ingredients, high in protein and free of additives. If a pack hides a long list of unfamiliar names or is loaded with sugar, walk away and look for something simpler.
Buying biltong for the first time can be confusing, so if you want the basics before you shop, start with our beginner's guide to biltong, then use the checks below to tell the good from the ordinary.
What should the ingredient list look like?
Short and recognisable. Good biltong needs very little: beef, vinegar, Worcester sauce, salt and a few spices. Ours is six ingredients: Portuguese beef, Worcester sauce, vinegar, salt, coriander and black pepper, and nothing else. The moment you see sugar high on the list, or a string of additives and preservatives, you are looking at a more processed product.
A short list is not just about purity, it is about flavour. When there is nowhere to hide, the quality of the beef and the care in the drying are what carry the taste. Long ingredient lists often mask ordinary meat, propping it up with sweeteners and flavourings that a good product simply does not need.
Should good biltong have sugar in it?
No. Proper biltong does not need sugar. This is one of the clearest ways to tell biltong from jerky, which is cooked and usually sweetened. If a product tastes sweet or lists sugar, glucose or syrup, it has drifted away from what biltong should be. Ours has no sugar at all.
Sugar is often added to cover up cheaper meat or to mimic the sweeter taste of jerky. Real air-dried beef gets its flavour from the meat and the spice, not from a sugary coating. Once you have tasted biltong made properly, the sweet versions start to feel like a different, lesser thing.
How can you tell how it was made?
Look for biltong that is air-dried rather than cooked, and be wary of anything vague about its process. Air-drying is the traditional method: the beef is cured and then dried slowly in cool air, not baked or heated. A good producer will tell you this openly. We air-dry ours for about five days in the cool Atlantic air of Sintra, at around 400m.
How it is made affects both taste and texture. Air-dried biltong stays meatier and more tender, closer to the beef it came from, while cooked, sweetened products end up drier and more uniform. If a brand will not say how their biltong is made, that vagueness tells you something in itself.
Does the beef and the maker matter?
Very much. Because biltong is mostly beef, the quality of that beef sets the ceiling on how good the finished product can be. Air-drying preserves good meat, it cannot rescue poor meat. So it helps to know where the beef comes from and who is making it. We use Portuguese beef and make every batch by hand, working with a South African butcher who knows the craft.
Small, hands-on producers tend to care more about each batch than a large factory line does. Knowing the story behind your biltong is a decent sign you are buying something made with attention rather than churned out to a price.
What about protein and price?
Check the protein figure: good biltong is genuinely high in protein, over 60g per 100g for a lean cut, with very few carbs and no sugar. On price, remember that biltong loses a lot of weight as it dries, so a decent product is never going to be dirt cheap. Very low prices usually mean lower-quality meat or more filler.
Think about value rather than the lowest number. A pack of honest, high-protein biltong that satisfies is better spent money than a cheaper, sweeter product that is mostly sugar and disappointment. When you work out the protein you are getting, good biltong is fair value for real food.
How do texture and flavour help you choose?
Texture is personal, so decide what you enjoy. Some like biltong on the moister, more tender side, others prefer it drier and chewier, and good producers often let you choose. Neither is a sign of quality on its own, it is simply preference, so do not let anyone tell you one is automatically better.
Flavour is where you can lean into what you like too. A plain, lean biltong lets the beef speak for itself, while options like garlic or piri piri add a bit more character on top of the same honest base. Trying a couple of flavours is the easiest way to find your regular.
How do I know if biltong is fresh?
Good biltong should smell of beef and spice, look dark and appetising, and feel firm without being rock hard. A trusted producer and a sensible sell-by give you extra confidence.
Is softer or drier biltong better?
That is personal taste. Some like it moist and tender, others prefer it drier and chewier. Neither is wrong, so buy the texture you enjoy.
What is the difference between biltong and jerky?
Biltong is air-dried and unsweetened. Jerky is cooked and usually contains sugar. If you want real air-dried beef, biltong is what you are after.
Which flavour should a beginner try first?
Start with a plain, lean biltong to learn how it should taste, then branch out to garlic or piri piri once you know what you like.
Now that you know what to look for, shop our biltong and taste the difference. Packs start at 17.50 EUR, there is a monthly subscription if you want it to keep arriving, and every batch is made by hand in Sintra and ships within Portugal.
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