FAQs

What is Biltong?  

Biltong is an air dried, cured meat, originating from South Africa, it can be made using various meats, but beef is the most common choice here in the U.K. and the type found in the bags at The Gloucester Biltong Company.

Did you know?....Meat preservation dates back to ancient times as a survival technique using salt, brines and vinegars - it was also considered, in these times, that spices such as pepper, coriander and cloves contained anti microbial properties - although not marketed this way now, the ancient philosophy of these ingredients can still be found in the Biltong being made today.

How do I eat it? 

Biltong can be enjoyed on its own, or incorporated into your favourite recipes - it’s lovely in an omelette, sprinkled over a summer salad, added to a plate of cheese and crackers or even just as nibbles when enjoying a glass of wine or a pint down the pub with friends!

What are the blue packets inside the bags for? 

The blue packets inside the bags are Oxygen Absorbers and are used in the food industry to ensure that the product you are eating is as fresh as the day it was packed. PLEASE DON’T confuse them for those blue packets of salt that you may have come across in a certain brand of crisps, ours are NOT SEASONING and helpfully say DO NOT EAT in 9 languages!

How do I store it? 

Biltong is most happy when stored in a cool dry place, once you open your delicious snacks either devour it all in one go or stick it in a bowl with a bit of paper towel over it.

Don’t even think about sticking it in the fridge, we’ve spent days drying that beef to perfection, any moisture is gonna ruin all our hard work!

Same for putting it in a plastic bag and letting it sweat in the back of your cupboard for a week, you gotta remember this is cured meat - it needs air and freedom!

How long can I keep it? 

If the bag is sealed, our Biltong has been tested and certified good to eat for 6 months from manufacture in our 30g bags, all our larger sizes we’ve given you 2 months – these are all best before dates and you can use your professional biltong eating opinions accordingly.

Our general rule for the best quality is to eat within 48 hours of opening, but stored correctly you should get a good few days, just remember that this is an air dried product so air exposure will dry the beef out further, leading to a firmer texture – still delicious obviously!

How is Biltong Gluten Free if Malt Vinegar/Barley is listed on the ingredients? 

To make Biltong you need Vinegar and by way of process Malt Vinegar technically contains Barley, we are therefore legally obliged to list this as an allergen, however, it is not an ingredient (confusing, we know!) – Without giving all our secrets away, part of the Biltong making process is to ‘dip’ the steaks in a ‘Vinegar Bath’, therefore the product is technically in contact with the allergen and must be listed by law – we appreciate that  allergens are a serious subject and rigorous testing has proven there are less then 5PPM of Gluten in our finished product, a certified Gluten Free product must be less than 20PPM so we’re well within the safety zone for those that need to avoid Gluten.

We can proudly say that we have many Gluten Free & Celiac Customers that enjoy our Biltong with no issues

Are all your products Allergen, MSG, & Preservative Free? 

Our 4 core flavours – Traditional, Naga Chilli, Garlic & Piri Piri are what we call ‘clean’ they are Allergen, MSG & Preservative Free.

We also have Safari & BBQ flavours available and although incredibly delicious, these are not considered ‘clean’ as they contain potential allergens – Same for our Droewors & Sausage Bites!

As always, We ask that you check the ingredients to make sure they suit your lifestyle, you can always give us a call to talk it over too, we love a chat!