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This post takes you behind the scenes at DJays Gourmet’s HACCP-certified Perth facility, where biltong has been made the same way since the family brought their South African recipes to Australia in 1985. The video walks through each stage: hand-cutting grass-fed beef, curing in salt, spices and vinegar, and the natural air-drying process that takes up to eight days depending on texture. It’s a genuinely different process from jerky production, and watching it makes clear why the end product tastes the way it does.
Curious about how biltong is made?
The team at DJays Gourmet has put together a short video to show you how the best biltong in Australia is made (did we hear someone say best in the world?) and what our points of difference are.
Our GM, Arron Zamel takes you into our purpose-built HACCP-certified facility in Perth for some insights into how DJays Gourmet’s authentic beef biltong is produced.
Arron explains how biltong is made and why this traditional protein-rich South African snack is loved by those who grew up with it as well as by newcomers to this meaty treat.
Watch the video and you’ll quickly learn that creating the perfect product requires a meticulous blend of art and science – something our master butchers and biltong technicians have been doing for over 40 years.
You’ll also learn that biltong and jerky are not one and the same. (Read more about their differences here).
Arron explains that jerky requires marination, whereas biltong is made using a blend of spices. The DJays spice mix is an authentic South African recipe that the company owners brought with them when they emigrated to Australia and which has remained unchanged over the years.
And talking of years, time is a recurring theme in the video.
It’s clear that time is a factor in just about every aspect of DJays biltong.
We make our biltong using a traditional South African recipe that has been passed down the generations
We only use premium all-natural ingredients, and we take the time to source quality 100% grass-fed Aussie beef
Our expert team hand cuts the beef into chunks of varying thickness depending on the type of biltong they’re crafting – a process which takes a bit longer but which ensures a premium end-product
The meat is cured in our special blend of salt, spices and vinegar over several days
Unlike jerky which is dehydrated in an oven or over heat, you can see in the video that our biltong is air-dried naturally under the watchful eye of a biltong professional. Drying is where the magic happens and the process takes time. Depending on the type of biltong we’re making and the desired texture (moist, medium, traditional etc), the chunks of biltong can be hung up to air dry for up to eight days.
Time is of the essence here – and while the video doesn’t show you our efficient door-to-door delivery all around Australia – trust us when we tell you that we pride ourselves on our speedy courier service!
In the video, Arron gives a brief summary of the benefits of biltong including:
Of course, not all biltong brands are equal, so you may want to check the package information before you buy. With DJays beef biltong, you can trust that you’re getting a premium snack with a solid nutritional profile and you’re guaranteed to get authentic South African flavours and textures.
Our biltong is expertly crafted by hand and carefully dried to perfection – ensuring a consistently superior product, time after time.
While we’re on the subject of time – did you know that our family has been making Australia’s best beef biltong and jerky since 1985?
Today, DJays remains a family-owned and managed business – and ever since we made our first batch of biltong in our home garage all those decades ago, we’ve remained true to our founding principles of delivering the highest quality products, standards and customer service.
So go on, order your beef biltong online through our website or find it on the shelves in service stations across the country, in major liquor chains like BWS and Dan Murphys as well as in supermarkets and independent grocers. We’ve also recently added 20 WH Smith travel retail stores, including at major airports and selected train stations across the Gold Coast to our list of stockists. Find a full list of stockists here and get your hands on some tasty, healthy and authentic beef biltong today.
Biltong starts with whole cuts of quality beef, which expert butchers hand-cut into varying thicknesses depending on the texture required. The meat is cured in a blend of salt, spices and vinegar over several days, then hung to air-dry naturally, with no heat applied. At DJays Gourmet, the air-drying process takes up to eight days, with the exact time depending on whether the target is moist, medium dry or dry biltong.
The full process from fresh beef to finished biltong takes up to eight days at DJays Gourmet, depending on the texture being produced. Moist biltong is ready sooner; dry biltong hangs for longer to achieve a lower moisture content and chewier texture. The slow timeline is deliberate. Rushing the drying process affects both texture and flavour.
The main difference is heat. Jerky is dried using low-temperature heat in dehydrators or ovens. Biltong is air-dried naturally with no heat applied at all. This means the meat retains a different texture, generally more tender and steak-like in biltong, compared to the chewier, firmer result in jerky. The curing stage (salt, vinegar and spices applied before drying) is also more prominent in biltong production.
Yes. DJays Gourmet is a family-owned Perth business that has been making biltong and other South African-style dried meats since 1985. All production takes place at their HACCP-certified facility in Malaga, Western Australia, using 100% grass-fed Australian beef.
DJays biltong is available to order online for delivery across Australia. You can also find it at service stations, BWS and Dan Murphy’s locations, supermarkets, independent grocers and selected WH Smith travel retail stores around the country.
Arron Zamel has been General Manager of DJays Gourmet since 2015 and under his expert leadership, the company has cemented its reputation as Australia’s leading supplier of packaged jerky and biltong.
His strong family connection to South Africa, his marketing and management degree from Monash University, his technical expertise plus his experience as a successful entrepreneur and import/export business owner made him the ideal candidate for the challenging position.
Additionally, Arron’s innovative approach to management, his proven brand-building credentials, his strong customer focus and youthful energy have ensured that DJays Gourmet’s high-quality biltong and jerky have become Australia's dried meat treats of choice.
He understands traditional South African flavours and the precision techniques required to create truly authentic biltong, jerky and droewors (dried sausage). Part of his job is overseeing operations at DJays' purpose-built facility in Perth, WA where tons of Australian beef goes into making premium dried meat products each month for distribution to retail and wholesale customers across Australia.
For more insights into Arron’s world, visit the DJays Gourmet website, check out their Facebook page or follow them on Instagram @djaysgourmet.