There are certain subjects you should approach carefully around South Africans. Rugby is one. Braais are another. And somewhere surprisingly high up the list is how wet your biltong should be. For anyone relatively new to biltong, this might seem ridiculous. Surely biltong is just... biltong?
Oh, sweet summer child. Spend enough time around people who take their dried meat seriously and you'll discover an entire spectrum of preferences. At one end you've got soft, rich, slightly pink biltong that bends before it breaks. At the other you've got dark, properly dried pieces that require a little more commitment from the jaw. And somewhere in between are approximately seventeen different opinions about why everyone else is doing it wrong. Welcome to the great wet vs dry biltong debate.
First, What Do We Actually Mean by Wet Biltong?
"Wet" probably isn't the most appetising word the English language could have provided us with, so we should clear something up immediately. Wet biltong isn't actually wet. Nobody is pulling a dripping piece of beef out of a bucket and handing it to you. The term simply describes biltong that has been dried for less time, leaving more moisture inside the meat. Slice through a good piece and you'll usually find a darker cured exterior surrounding a softer, redder centre.
The result is tender, rich and intensely beefy. For people who love wet biltong, that's exactly the attraction. There's a softness to it that you simply don't get once the meat has dried further, and because more moisture remains inside, the texture can feel particularly luxurious. Then there are the fat lovers. Give them a piece of wet biltong with a beautiful strip of fat running down one side and they'll look at you like you've just presented them with the Crown Jewels. These people know what they like.
And Then There's Dry Biltong
Leave biltong hanging for longer and more moisture gradually escapes from the meat. The result becomes firmer, darker and - unsurprisingly - drier. But describing dry biltong as simply "wet biltong without the moisture" doesn't really do it justice, because the experience changes as the meat dries. The flavour becomes concentrated. The texture becomes chewier. Thinly sliced dry biltong can have an almost dangerously snackable quality where one piece immediately becomes five, five becomes half a bag and half a bag becomes you staring accusingly at whoever else happens to be in the room.
You know perfectly well nobody else touched it. For many people, this is biltong exactly as it should be: firm enough to chew properly, intensely flavoured and without too much softness in the middle. And then, naturally, there's everyone in between.
The Bit Nobody Tells You: It's a Spectrum
One of the slightly misleading things about the wet vs dry debate is that it makes it sound as though there are only two options. There aren’t. Biltong doesn't suddenly flick from WET to DRY like somebody has pressed a switch. During air drying, moisture is gradually leaving the meat. That means you can have very wet biltong, medium-wet biltong, medium biltong, medium-dry biltong and the sort of biltong that could probably survive being posted to Mars.
Thickness matters too. A chunky piece can develop a beautifully cured exterior while remaining tender inside, whereas a thinner piece will naturally dry more consistently throughout. Then you've got fat content, the cut of beef, airflow, temperature, humidity and how long the meat has been hanging. All of these things influence the final texture. This is why two pieces made using exactly the same seasoning can taste and feel surprisingly different. It's also part of what makes proper biltong so interesting. It isn't manufactured into absolute uniformity. It's food.
Which One Has More Flavour?
Now we're getting dangerous. Ask someone who prefers wet biltong and they'll tell you the softer meat has a richer, meatier flavour. Ask someone who likes it dry and they'll argue that removing more moisture concentrates everything and produces a stronger taste. Annoyingly, they're both sort of right. Wet biltong tends to give you more of that rich beef character and softer mouthfeel, particularly when there's a little fat involved. Dry biltong gives you a more concentrated hit of seasoning and cured flavour. Neither is objectively “better". It depends entirely on what you enjoy. We appreciate this is a disappointingly diplomatic answer, but unfortunately there isn’t any other way to answer this.
Is Traditional Biltong Supposed to Be Wet or Dry?
This is where things get interesting, because there isn't really one definitive traditional texture. Biltong originated as a way of preserving meat. Historically, drying it thoroughly had an obvious practical advantage: less moisture generally meant it could be kept for longer. But biltong hasn't remained frozen in the nineteenth century. As it became part of everyday South African food culture rather than something primarily made for preservation, personal preference became increasingly important. Butchers and biltong makers could produce different cuts, thicknesses and levels of dryness depending on what their customers actually wanted. That's why walking into a proper South African biltong shop can be such an experience. You're not necessarily just buying "a bag of biltong".
You might be discussing whether you want it lean or fatty, wet or dry, thick or thin. For someone accustomed to grabbing an identical packet of snacks from a supermarket shelf, this can initially seem like an unreasonable amount of responsibility. You'll soon develop opinions. Strong ones.
What About Biltong in the UK?
This is where biltong's increasing popularity gets particularly interesting. A lot of British customers first discover biltong after eating jerky, and that can create some expectations about texture. Jerky is generally cooked or dehydrated differently and often has a much more uniform chew. Proper biltong isn't trying to be jerky. Depending on how it's cut and dried, it can be soft and tender, dense and chewy, or somewhere beautifully in between. That's one of the reasons discovering genuinely good biltong can be a bit of a revelation.
You realise dried beef doesn't have to feel like something you'd keep in an emergency survival kit. It can actually taste like beef. Who knew?
So Which Should You Choose? If you love tender meat, richer beef flavour and a softer bite, you're probably going to gravitate towards wetter biltong. If you like concentrated flavour, a firmer texture and something you can properly get your teeth into, dry might be your camp. If you have absolutely no idea, congratulations. You've reached the best possible solution. Try both. This is serious research, after all. And your preferences might change depending on how you're eating it. A thicker, softer slice can be glorious when you're properly sitting down and enjoying it, while thinner, drier pieces have a habit of disappearing incredibly quickly when you're working, driving or watching television. There's no rule saying you have to choose a side forever.
The Only Unacceptable Biltong Preference
After all that, perhaps we've been asking the wrong question. Wet or dry isn't really what separates good biltong from bad biltong. Good biltong comes down to quality meat, proper seasoning, patience and getting the drying process right. Whether you stop that process earlier for a softer result or allow it to continue for something firmer is ultimately preference. And that's part of why biltong has remained so loved for generations.
It's simple food with an enormous amount of personality. Two people can eat pieces from the same batch and have completely different favourites. One goes straight for the dark, lean slices. The other hunts through the bag looking for the fattier, softer pieces like some sort of highly specialised truffle pig. Neither is wrong. Although obviously both believe they are right.
So, wet or dry? We're not going to settle the argument. Frankly, we're not stupid enough to try. We'd rather make the biltong, hand you the bag and let you fight amongst yourselves. Just don't call it jerky. Then we really will have a problem.