Biltong vs Jerky – The Great Debate

Ok legends – the great debate. Biltong vs Jerky.  We are 100% not biased.

In this article, we’ll go through a few key points and touch on how Biltong and Jerky differentiate. They are essentially quite similar – both are forms of dried meat. Yep, thats about it…this is where the similarity ends. All other aspects ranging from the ingredients used, the nutritional composition, the differences of flavour profiles, all sets these two forms of dried meat very far apart.

Almost every culture has some form of dried meat product, before refrigeration was invented people needed to find some way of preserving meat. Biltong is no different, it was invented in South Africa by the natives as a method of meat preservation by placing salt which essentially cured the meat then it was hung in the sun to dry. This meant the meat could be transported safely and was suitable for explorers (the Dutch) travelling across South Africa.

As far as our research goes, Jerky began similarly to Biltong where a native tribe (this time in South America) a few hundred years ago. Fast forward a few hundred years in an obvious evolution of the product – spices, herbs, honey, seasonings and just about every ingredient under the sun has seen its way onto some form of jerky – which brings me to the below points on how the two are different:

1.      Flavours – Jerky comes in quite a wild amount of flavours. Yes, it is quite impressive, Jerky makers have become quite experimentive these days. Maple honey bacon jalapeno sriracha – all in one! Yeah…nah.
Here at The Herd, our mantra from day 1 has been to only use ingredients in our biltong that could have been found 400 years ago when biltong was first invented.

2.      Methodology – This is one of the key differences between Jerky and Biltong. Biltong is cold air dried, cured meat with natural curing ingredients such as vinegar, salt and coriander seeds. Jerky is cooked (figuratively and literally) with heat usually in a dehydrator which is why jerky is generally tougher and less moist because (just like the way a well-done steak is) the moisture has been cooked or dehydrated out of it. By using cold air to dry biltong, this process results in a moist and tender product.

3.      Ingredients – Jerky consists of many sweeteners and many different flavour profiles, literally way too many ingredients to add to this list. Biltong on the other hand is very simple, we can only speak on behalf of our own product but we only add in savoury ingredients, no sugars, no preservatives and (God forbid) no maple honey bacon jalapeno sriracha. You will NEVER see us using these ingredients.

4.      Nutritional Content – As mentioned in the previous point, Jerky consists of many sugars in different forms. Biltong however consists of little-to-no carbs and has a very high protein and iron content, making it an extremely healthy snack. Because biltong is not cooked, the nutrients are not lost. It is one of the most nutrient-dense (for protein and iron) available. To put it in perspective – our biltong is about 40-45% protein. Chicken breast is around 30% and a steak is around 25%.

But we really think the main difference (and in our opinion the reason why Biltong is superior to Jerky) is the texture.

Now imagine this, You open a fresh bag of beef Jerky, the sweet smell of artificial maple honey bacon jalapeno sriracha flavour filters through to your nose. You take a few pieces in your hand eager to take a bite. The jerky hits your tongue and bursts with flavour, a taste sensation!

You bite down…BOOM …cardboard. Mood ruined.

That’s not what we want! I don’t know about you but eating cardboard- that’s not my cup of tea….let’s try that again.

It’s a hot summer’s day, beer in hand, some Biltong in the other. You just opened a fresh bag of The Herd Biltong’s Chilli Garlic flavour.

You take a few pieces and place them in your mouth, absolutely bursting with flavour, the garlic, the chilli, the herbs and spices all exploding in your mouth and up through your nasal passage.

Your teeth sink into the meat, it’s chewy yet soft, dried yet moist. No cardboard, no trips to the dentist, just pure pleasure.

Before you know it a 250g bag is gone and you’ve got no one to blame but yourself and the fact that Biltong is just soooo much more palatable and easy to eat than jerky.

Again we are not biased…we will let you make up your own mind.

Much love,

The Herd