How to Make Biltong

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: December 25, 2020 References

Biltong is a classic South African-style jerky. It is typically a raw beef that is heavily seasoned and air-cured for several days. To make it, first marinate your meat in red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Then, rub the meat with a seasoning mix for extra flavor. The spice mix is the most important part of making biltong! After the meat marinates for 12-24 hours, hang it to dry for 3-5 days. With a bit of patience, you can easily make delicious biltong!

Ingredients

2 kilograms (4.4 lb) of meat
125 mL (0.53 c) of vinegar
125 mL (0.53 c) of Worcestershire sauce
125 g (8.3 tbsp) of crushed coriander seeds
15 g (1 tbsp) of black pepper
30 g (2 tbsp) of salt
100 g (6.7 tbsp) of brown sugar
15 g (1 tbsp) of baking soda

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Marinating the Meat

1
Cut your meat into 1 cm (0.39 in) thick and 2 cm (0.79 in) wide slices. For best results, use high-quality cuts of beef, like silverside or topside. Use a sharp, serrated butcher's knife to cut your slab of meat into strips. You can also cut your meat into 20 cm (7.9 in) long slices.^{[1]
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2
Put the chopped meat into a glass or ceramic baking dish. Use a large dish that is long enough to house your meat strips. Lay your meat chunks into the dish as flat as you can.^{[2]
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- If the meat overlaps a bit, that’s okay. However, try to have the meat as level as possible.
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3
Pour 125 mL (0.53 c) each of vinegar and Worcestershire sauce over the meat. Typically, red wine vinegar is used to make biltong, but you can also use apple cider vinegar. Either option creates a tasty marinade that adds flavor to your biltong.^{[3]
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4
Marinate the meat for 30 minutes. Cover your meat with a layer of plastic wrap, and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.^{[4]
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- The longer your meat soaks, the more flavorful your biltong will be.
5
Create your rubbing mixture with spices including pepper and coriander. To create a rubbing mixture, mix together 125 g (8.3 tbsp) of crushed coriander seeds and 15 g (1 tbsp) of black pepper in a large-sized mixing bowl. In addition, pour in 30 g (2 tbsp) of salt, 100 g (6.7 tbsp) of brown sugar, and 15 g (1 tbsp) of baking soda. Use a spoon to mix it all together.^{[5]
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- This creates your rubbing mix, which adds additional flavors to your biltong.
- If you’d like, you can also use 14.8 g (1 tbsp) of paprika or chili flakes.^{[6]
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- The baking soda dries out the meat.
6
Rub the spices over the meat 1 piece at a time. Pick up 1 strip of meat from your container, and squeeze out some of the excess juices. Then, place the meat inside the bowl of spices. Mix the spices around the meat so it is completely covered. Press the seasoning into the meat using your fingers, and repeat for each strip of meat.^{[7]
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7
Refrigerate your meat for at least 12 hours. Once your meat is completely covered in spices, leave the pieces in the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. For best results, put the thicker pieces of meat at the bottom. Then, place the bowl inside your refrigerator for 12-24 hours.^{[8]
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- The longer you refrigerate the meat, the more flavorful the biltong will taste.
- If you’d like, you can stir up the meat every 3-4 hours so each side flavors evenly.
- Alternatively, use another glass or ceramic baking dish, and lay your pieces of meat flat inside the container.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Getting a Biltong Box

1
Purchase a biltong box online for an easy hanging option. One way of hanging your biltong is buying a pre-made biltong box. There are small machine options great for home use, or you can get large-scale, industrial-sized machines to professional biltong making.

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- Many manufacturers make easy-to-use devices, such as the biltong buddy biltong machine.
2
Make a biltong box from a cardboard box to save money. To easily make a biltong box at home, use a cardboard box, such as a computer monitor box. Choose a box with dimensions of about 60.7 × 60.7 × 91.4 cm (1.99 × 1.99 × 3.00 ft). Stand the box upright and open the flaps on top.^{[9]
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- While you can make a biltong box out of virtually anything, this is the easiest method best for beginners. For example, you can convert an old smoker into a biltong box.
3
Cut a hole in the side of the box to the size of your fan. Use a small office fan about 20 cm (8 in) in diameter to add airflow to your box. Grab a box cutter, and cut a circle about 20 cm (8 in) in diameter. Then, place your fan immediately next to the hole.^{[10]
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- Choose to use either a battery powered fan or fan with an outlet.
- If your fan requires an outlet, place the box near an outlet so you can easily plug in the fan.
4
Snip the bottom wire from several wire hangers to make hanging rods. Collect 5-7 wire hangers, and make 1 cut on each side of the flat part of the hanger using wire cutters. Make your cut where the long, bottom wire begins to curve up the side of the hanger. Each piece of wire should be 38.1–40.6 cm (15.0–16.0 in) long. The wire should remain straight.^{[11]
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- Make 1 cut for each side of the hanger.
- Throw away the rest of your hanger after you make your cuts.
- If you don't have hangers around, use 10-gauge wire.
5
Poke the wires through the box along the top edge. Push 1 end of the wire through the top edge of the box along the flap fold. Then, poke the wire through the opposite side as well. Continue doing this for all of your wire, leaving 2.5-5.0 cm (1-2 in) or so in between each one.^{[12]
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- Make sure the wire is straight and parallel with the edge of the box.
- Since the wire is made of metal, you can easily poke it through the cardboard.
6
Bend the ends of the wire outside the box to keep them in place. Most likely, your wire will be several centimeters longer than your box. Hold the end of the wire with 1 hand, and use your other hand to bend the opposite end downward. Then, repeat this for the other side.^{[13]
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- Bending the wire over ensures it stays in place, rather than sliding out.
- If you are having trouble, use a pair of pliers to help you bend the wire in place.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Hanging the Biltong

1
Bend paperclips to create your hanging devices. Hold the outside edge of the paperclip in 1 hand, and hold the inside edge with your other hand. You can hold the edges in between your index finger and thumb. Then, pull both edges apart to stretch your paperclip into an “S” shape.^{[14]
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- The paper clips easily stretch apart. This gives you 1 end to hang the meat from and 1 end to hang inside your box.
2
Pierce the end of your meat with the paperclip to easily hang it up. Hold the piece of meat with 1 hand, and push the end of the paperclip through the meat about ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) from the end.^{[15]
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- If you purchased a biltong box, it may come with hooks to use instead of paperclips.
3
Hang each piece of meat inside your biltong box. Hold the meat by the paper clip, and hang the paperclip from the metal wire on the inside of your box. You can place the meat side by side to fit as many as you can inside.^{[16]
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- If you purchased a biltong box, it has hooks or wires to dangle the meat from.
4
Let the meat hang for 3-5 days, based on personal preference. Let the fan run constantly as you dry the meat. Your meat will be completely dry in about 3-4 days. For maximum flavor and dryness, leave your meat for a bit longer.^{[17]
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- When the meat is dry, simply take it off the paperclip and eat it.
- You can store your biltong in a plastic freezer bag or Tupperware container at room temperature.