Using The Bearded Butchers’ Method
If you love venison and want to explore one of the world’s most flavorful dried-meat traditions, biltong is the perfect project. Venison biltong is a South African air-dried steak—similar to jerky, but better. It’s tender, deeply flavored, naturally preserved, and incredibly versatile.
In this guide, we’ll walk you step-by-step through how The Bearded Butchers fabricate a hind leg of venison, season it with a traditional blend featuring coriander and vinegar, and dry it into perfectly cured biltong using an air-drying cabinet from Biltong Depot.
What Is Biltong?
Biltong originated in South Africa, where the dry climate made air-drying meat the ideal preservation method. Unlike jerky, biltong:
- Is air-dried, not cooked or smoked
- Uses simple, natural ingredients—vinegar, salt, and spices
- Has a tender, steak-like texture when sliced
- Retains a beautiful cherry-red interior due to the vinegar cure
- Is sliced across the grain after drying, even though the strips are cut with the grain before hanging
Venison is an excellent choice for this method because it is naturally lean and develops incredible flavor during the drying process.
Ingredients & Supplies
Ingredients (for ~5 lbs of venison strips)
- 4–5 lbs venison (top round, bottom round, eye round, or sirloin tip)
- ½ oz seasoning per pound of meat, mixed 50/50: Biltong Depot Base Biltong Spice (with coriander) & Bearded Butcher “Bold” Seasoning
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
Equipment
- Sharp boning knife
- Cutting board
- Food-safe tub or lug
- Hooks for hanging
- Biltong drying cabinet (or controlled environment around 72–75°F and ~40% humidity)
- Scale (optional but recommended)
- Paper bags for storage
How to Make Venison Biltong: Step-by-Step
1. Break Down the Hind Leg
Start with a cleaned and chilled venison hind quarter.
The Bearded Butchers remove:
- Top round (inside round)
- Bottom round
- Eye of round
- Sirloin tip (optional for biltong)
- Tri-tip
Trim away as much deer fat as possible—venison fat does not dry well and can add unpleasant flavor.
Square each muscle so the ends aren’t too thin (thin ends over-dry).
2. Slice Meat With the Grain
Biltong is sliced differently than jerky:
- Cut strips with the grain
- Target 1-inch thick slices
- Keep thickness consistent so all pieces dry evenly
These larger, steak-like slabs will later be sliced against the grain after drying, giving that tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
3. Season & Marinate (4–12 hours)
Mix your spices (50% Biltong Depot Base + 50% Bold).
In a tub:
- Pour a little red wine vinegar on the bottom.
- Add a layer of seasoning.
- Lay in meat strips.
- Repeat vinegar + seasoning between layers.
Total marinade time:
- For thick biltong: up to 12 hours
- For smaller venison pieces: 4–6 hours is often enough
Flip the meat once or twice during the marinade.
The vinegar naturally reduces surface bacteria and helps set that signature red color.
4. Hang the Meat in Your Biltong Cabinet
Hook each slab and hang with plenty of airflow, ensuring nothing touches.
Ideal drying conditions:
- 72–75°F
- 40% humidity
- Steady airflow from the cabinet fan
If humidity is too low, add a tray of water inside.
If too high, increase air movement.
5. Dry to 50% Weight Loss (3–6 days)
Biltong is traditionally dried until it loses about half its starting weight.
You can check progress by:
- Weighing the entire cabinet (knowing the empty weight), or
- Tagging one sample piece and weighing it daily
Depending on conditions, venison typically finishes in 4–5 days.
6. Slice & Serve
Once dried to your preference:
- Slice against the grain using a sharp knife or biltong cutter.
- You should see a gorgeous wine-red interior, tender and aromatic with coriander and vinegar.
Delicious as a grab-and-go snack or displayed as part of a charcuterie spread.
7. Storage
Because biltong has no preservatives, proper storage is essential.
- Store whole slabs (unsliced) in paper bags
- Keep in a cool place or refrigerator
- Once sliced, consume within several days and refrigerate
- Do not store in plastic bags—they trap moisture and cause mold
Venison Biltong Recipe (Quick Reference)
Ingredients
- 4–5 lbs venison roast muscles (rounds or sirloin tip)
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ oz seasoning per pound: 50% Biltong Depot Base & 50% Bearded Butcher Bold Seasoning
Instructions
- Trim & break down hind leg into roast muscles.
- Slice with the grain into 1-inch-thick slabs.
- Marinate 4–12 hours in vinegar + seasoning.
- Hang strips in a biltong cabinet (72–75°F, 40% humidity).
- Dry 3–6 days or until 50% weight loss.
- Slice against the grain and enjoy.
- Store in paper bags in a cool environment or fridge.
Final Thoughts
Biltong is one of the simplest, cleanest, and most flavorful ways to preserve venison. With just vinegar, spices, airflow, and a bit of patience, you can transform a deer hind quarter into a tender, steak-like delicacy that tastes better than jerky and showcases the rich flavor of wild game.
If you don’t have venison, this same process works beautifully with beef eye of round.
Ready to try it for yourself? With the right setup and seasoning, you’ll be slicing into perfect cherry-red biltong in just a few days.
