If you buy biltong in the UK, the price of biltong will vary between £30 to £50 per kilogram depending on the cut and meat quality.
I know that many South African ex-pats will convert that directly to Rands and feel that it is costly to what the price of biltong is compared to what you pay in South Africa.
The most important thing to remember is that, on average, people are earning more in the UK than in South Africa, so I feel you cannot compare it.
Let’s calculate what it will cost me per kilogram to make biltong at home.
Because you lose about 50% in weight, we will use 2 kilograms of meat and base the spices on that.
If we use the Hunters Biltong Spice from Freddy Hirsch, we will need about 50g to spice 2kg of meat, which works out to 65p.
Safari Brown Spirit Vinegar 750 ml cost about £3 for 750ml and we are not going to use much, so lets say that it will cost me £1 for spices and vinegar.
The best meat to use for making biltong is silverside, and a good quality cut that is trimmed will cost you about £10 per kilogram.
So if I quickly look at the figures above, it seems that I can make biltong at home for about £21 a kilogram.
Besides the fact that I am almost saving 33%, I love making my biltong at home and experimenting with different spices.
That being said, not everyone has the time and space or equipment to make biltong at home.
Some people might already have biltong that they buy from a supplier they love, or they struggle with the recipe, and the biltong never tastes the way it is supposed to.
So whether you like to make biltong at home or whether you like to buy biltong at the end of the day, it does not matter, do what makes you happy and enjoy this piece of South African history that was enjoyed by generations of South Africans.