What Is Biltong?

Biltong dates back to the Cape settlers of the 17th century, who cured strips of game and beef in salt, vinegar and spice to preserve it for months without refrigeration. Air, not heat, did the work — cool, dry wind turned fresh meat into something that could survive weeks in a saddlebag. The name comes from the Dutch “bil” (rump) and “tong” (strip): literally, a strip of rump. It’s been a South African staple ever since — in farm stalls, service stations, and kitchen cupboards from Cape Town to Johannesburg.

Our Story

Gourmet Biltong Co. started the way most good biltong does — with people who grew up eating it and couldn’t find anything close to it once they left South Africa. [Add your founder story here: who started the business, when, and why Australia. A few real, specific details will outperform generic copy.]

Why Wagyu

The one thing Australia has that South Africa doesn’t: some of the best marbled beef in the world. Traditional biltong is usually made from lean, grass-fed silverside — good, but lean. We use Australian Wagyu instead, prized for its marbling (graded up to MB9+ on the AUS-MEAT scale), and it changes everything. The intramuscular fat renders slightly during curing, keeping the biltong tender rather than tough, with a depth of flavour ordinary beef can’t match.

How We Cure It

Every batch starts with whole cuts of Australian Wagyu — never offcuts, never reformed meat. We cure it in a vinegar and coarse salt marinade, then coat it by hand in our spice mix: toasted coriander, cracked black pepper, and a touch of brown sugar. From there, it’s hung in cool, moving air for several days — no heat, no smoke, no shortcuts — until it’s lost close to half its original weight and every trace of moisture that isn’t meant to be there. What’s left is dense, dark, and honest: Wagyu beef, salt, vinegar and spice. Nothing else.

We make it in small batches because that’s the only way to do it properly. If you’ve had good biltong before, you’ll know the difference immediately. If you haven’t — welcome. You’re about to understand what all the fuss is about.