Sliced air-dried biltong spilling from an open brown paper bag onto a wooden cutting board

How to Store Biltong Properly: The Complete Guide

What's in this guide

The short answer: store biltong in a breathable container (paper bag or open dish), keep it cool and out of direct sunlight, and put it in the fridge if it's moist or your kitchen runs warm. Once it's open, eat it within seven days. The fridge is the move for our biltong at Farmer Bill's, and the food science backs that up.

What follows is everything you need to know, broken down by form: whole slabs, pre-sliced biltong, and sticks. The rules are slightly different for each, and getting them wrong means mold.

  • The fridge is the non-negotiable for fresh, moist biltong. Everything else is best practice on top of that.
  • Never reseal biltong in the plastic shipping bag and leave it at room temperature. Mold is a near certainty.
  • Paper bag or open dish in the fridge is the right setup for sliced biltong and whole slabs once opened.
  • Shuffle sliced biltong daily to keep airflow moving through the pieces.
  • Sticks are more shelf-stable but should still be consumed within seven days of opening, not just resealed and left in the pantry.
  • Freezing works well for long-term storage. Freeze in the original sealed packaging and thaw in the fridge when you're ready.
  • Shelf life depends on moisture, packaging, and climate. A single number is meaningless; a range tied to those variables is what actually helps.

At a glance

Storage requirements differ by form factor and whether the package is open. Use this as your quick reference.

Form Unopened Opened: room temp Opened: fridge Frozen
Sliced biltong Up to 30 days from pack date (best by label); refrigerate if possible 3–5 days (cool, dry, breathable bag) 7 days; paper bag or open dish; shuffle daily 6–12 months; thaw in fridge
Whole slabs Up to 30 days from pack date; refrigerate if possible 3–7 days (cool, dry, breathable container) 7–14 days; paper bag or open dish 6–12 months; thaw in fridge
Beef sticks Up to 30 days from pack date; shelf-stable 5–7 days; cool, dry location Optional but extends freshness 6–12 months; thaw in fridge

Ranges reflect producer experience and the moisture-content variable. Wetter biltong sits at the short end; drier biltong has more room. Farmer Bill's ships fresh, preservative-free biltong made weekly, so treat our product as the wetter, shorter-end case and refrigerate.

Why it's different

Most customers who run into trouble with biltong are treating it like jerky. That makes sense (both are dried beef snacks), but the comparison falls apart when it comes to storage. Commercial jerky is typically loaded with preservatives, sodium nitrites, and enough sugar to help lock out moisture. It's designed to sit in a pantry for months with almost no care required.

Our biltong has none of that. Salt, vinegar, and time are the only things doing the curing work. There are no synthetic preservatives, no celery powder, no nitrites. That's a deliberate choice, and we think it's the right one. But the flip side is that it takes a little more care to store properly.

The fridge solves most of it.

The other thing that catches people off guard is the moisture level. Biltong exists on a spectrum from very wet (almost steak-like) to very dry and crumbly. The wetter it is, the faster it needs to be eaten or refrigerated. Farmer Bill's biltong leans toward that fresh, steak-like end because that's what actually tastes like something.

But it means you should treat it more like a fresh meat product than a pantry snack, because that's essentially what it is.

We ship in sealed plastic for a practical reason: it protects the biltong and keeps it fresh in transit. But the plastic bag is not how you store it at home. Once you open it, that plastic bag is done. Resealing it and putting it back in the pantry is a reliable way to end up with mold.

The science

Here's why any of this matters, and why the fridge works.

Dried foods resist spoilage because drying removes the water that bacteria and mold need to grow. Food scientists measure this as water activity (aw), a value between 0 and 1 that represents how much water is actually available for microbial use. Fresh meat sits right around 0.99 aw, which is why raw beef in the fridge only lasts a few days. Drying pulls that number down dramatically.

Most pathogenic bacteria can't grow below about 0.91 aw. Staphylococcus aureus needs at least 0.86 in aerobic conditions. Clostridium botulinum requires around 0.93.2 The FDA's regulatory threshold for shelf stability sits at 0.85 aw or below.1 Well-made biltong, dried through the full process, can reach aw levels well below that range.8

Mold is the other variable. Molds tolerate lower water activity than most bacteria, with some surviving down to about 0.61 aw.2 That's why mold shows up on biltong before any bacterial spoilage would. It's the early warning sign that moisture is too high.

Whether biltong needs refrigeration depends almost entirely on how dry it is and how humid your environment is. Fully dried biltong stored in a breathable bag in a cool, dry room can sit at room temperature for days without issue. But moist biltong, like ours, or biltong in a warm, humid kitchen absorbs moisture from the air. That absorbed moisture pushes the water activity back up toward the danger zone. Refrigeration slows that reabsorption. Airflow prevents condensation from pooling on the surface.

Peer-reviewed work on biltong specifically has confirmed that a proper cure of vinegar, salt, and drying can achieve more than a 5-log reduction in E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, and S. aureus, producing a safe product under USDA-FSIS guidelines even without a heat lethality step.7 That validation applies to a controlled commercial process, not casual home drying. Other work has compared how the wet and dry biltong-making processes each affect the survival of Listeria and S. aureus.9 UC ANR notes that well-dried products like jerky typically reach water activity below 0.75.4 The Virginia Cooperative Extension adds that while some yeasts and molds tolerate water activity below 0.85, pathogenic bacteria cannot grow there.3

Best storage method

Paper bag or open dish

This is the traditional method, and it works because airflow is biltong's best friend. In South Africa, biltong has always been sold in brown paper bags. That's not nostalgia or marketing. It's function. Paper lets the biltong breathe, which prevents moisture from pooling on the surface and feeding mold. Plastic does the opposite: it traps heat and humidity against the meat.13 The practice is old. Traditionally, biltong was packed in breathable bags so air could circulate and help keep mold from forming.15

At home, a paper bag or an open bowl in the fridge does the same job. The fridge keeps the temperature low enough to slow any microbial activity, and the open or breathable container keeps condensation from building up.

If you don't have a paper bag, a loosely covered dish or even a plate works. The goal is airflow with some protection from the fridge's dry air (which, over more than a week, can over-dry the surface).

Why not plastic?

Even in the fridge, resealing biltong in the original plastic bag isn't ideal. The plastic doesn't breathe, so any residual moisture from handling or ambient humidity gets trapped against the meat. Over a few days, that creates the exact conditions mold needs. The fridge significantly reduces that risk, but the paper bag or open dish approach is better practice, especially for sliced biltong where there's more surface area exposed.

Shuffling sliced biltong

For pre-sliced biltong in the fridge, shuffle the pieces daily. Pick up the container, toss the slices around, spread them back out. This keeps individual pieces from pressing against each other, which blocks airflow and creates small humid pockets between slices. It's a simple habit, and it makes a real difference over the course of a week.14

Sticks

Sticks are a different situation. Because of their smaller diameter, lower total moisture, and the cure (apple cider vinegar and salt), they're more shelf-stable than sliced biltong or whole slabs. You can take them with you, leave them in a bag, bring them to the gym or onto a trail. They don't need the fridge.

But they're not indefinitely shelf-stable once you open the package. Reseal them well, keep them somewhere cool and dry, and eat them within seven days. Don't leave an opened bag sitting in a warm car for a week and expect them to come out fine.

Does biltong need to be refrigerated?

The honest answer: it depends on the biltong.

Fully dried biltong (the very dry, crumbly kind you sometimes see hanging in a traditional South African butcher) has low enough water activity to be genuinely shelf-stable at room temperature in a breathable bag, as long as the climate cooperates. USDA guidance on shelf-stable dried meats confirms that moisture and salt together can create products that don't require refrigeration before opening.5

Our biltong is different. We make it fresh weekly, ship it fast, and the texture is closer to steak than to something crumbly. That's intentional, and it's what makes it worth eating. But it also means the water activity is higher than heavily dried biltong, and humid or warm conditions can push it higher still through reabsorption.

For our biltong: put it in the fridge. Unopened, we recommend refrigerating it even before you open it, and eating it within 14 days of receiving it. Once opened, it should be in the fridge immediately, in a paper bag or open dish. Consume within seven days.

If you're somewhere hot and humid (a Florida summer kitchen, for example), this matters even more. Ambient humidity speeds up moisture reabsorption, and a warm room gives any mold spores that land on the surface better conditions to grow.

The fridge is the simple, universal answer. Everything else is optimization.

How long does biltong last?

Shelf life is a range that depends on moisture content, packaging, storage environment, and whether the package has been opened. Anyone giving you one number is leaving out the variables that actually determine the answer.

Here's how to think about it:

Wet vs. dry matters most. Fresh, moist biltong (like ours) has a shorter window than heavily dried biltong. The difference can be several days at room temperature or a week or more in the fridge. Our best-by is 30 days from the pack date, which is short compared to heavily preserved snacks. That's a feature, not a flaw.

Opened vs. unopened is the second-biggest variable. An intact sealed package has a controlled environment. Once you open it, every interaction with air, hands, and ambient humidity starts the clock.

Room temp vs. fridge vs. freezer. Room temperature works for short windows and dry conditions. The fridge extends everything by slowing microbial activity and moisture reabsorption. Freezing essentially pauses the clock on quality.10

For reference, USDA guidance on commercially packaged dried meats like jerky puts the shelf life at up to 12 months; home-dried products, without the validated commercial process, are recommended for only 1–2 months.12 Biltong isn't jerky, but the dried-meat analogue is useful context.

Across producers, the range for opened biltong at room temperature is roughly 3–7 days. In the fridge, most producers cite 2–3 weeks, with drier products sometimes reaching close to a month. Frozen, properly packaged biltong can hold quality for 6 months to over a year.17 For our product specifically, follow the windows on the label and the guidance in this post.

Opened vs. unopened

Unopened: The sealed package gives you more flexibility. Technically you don't have to refrigerate it immediately, but we recommend the fridge from arrival. The best-by date on the package is 30 days from the pack date, which is simply the day we made and packed it. Because we make it fresh every week and ship fast, you'll usually receive it with two to three weeks of that window still left. Eat it well within that window rather than pushing to the limit, and if you know you won't get to it for a week or two, refrigerate it right away.

Opened: Once the seal is broken, the clock moves faster. Sliced biltong and whole slabs should go straight into the fridge in a paper bag or open dish. Sticks can stay out of the fridge but should be kept cool and dry. Seven days is the window for opened biltong; for sticks, also seven days.

Resealing the bag and assuming it'll be fine is the thing that trips people up. The fridge dramatically reduces the risk, and combining the fridge with a paper bag or open dish is the right answer.

Can you freeze biltong?

Yes, and it works well. Freezing is a legitimate long-term storage option, not a last resort.

The simplest method: freeze the biltong in the original sealed packaging. The factory seal gives you better protection than a home zip-lock bag, and you don't need to do anything special. When you're ready to eat it, move it from the freezer to the fridge and let it thaw slowly. Don't rush it at room temperature, and don't use a microwave.

A few things worth knowing:

Portion before freezing if you can. If you're freezing a large order you know you'll eat over several weeks, dividing it into smaller portions before freezing means you only thaw what you need. Every thaw cycle degrades texture a little.

Don't refreeze after thawing. Once thawed, treat biltong like fresh meat. Eat it within seven days and don't put it back in the freezer. As USDA guidance on freezing notes, once thawed, microbes that were dormant can become active again, and refreezing partially thawed meat increases risk and degrades quality.10

Texture changes slightly. Freezing is safe and effective, but the texture after thawing can be slightly different from fresh. The fibers soften a bit. For most people it's not a problem, especially if you're using the biltong in a dish or eating it quickly after thawing.

Quality, not safety. Per USDA guidance, food stored at a constant 0°F is always safe; only quality deteriorates with extended freezer storage.10 For best texture, eat frozen biltong within 6–12 months.

Long-term storage

If you're buying in bulk (a box sampler, a bundle, or a large order), you need a storage plan before the order arrives.

The freezer is the best long-term option. Sealed original packaging, 0°F or colder, labeled with the date. Pull what you need, thaw in the fridge, eat within seven days.

Vacuum sealing comes up often in this context, and it's worth being clear about how it works. Vacuum sealing removes oxygen, which controls aerobic mold growth. But the key safety factor is still dryness, not the seal. A moist product sealed under vacuum isn't made safe by the vacuum; the absence of oxygen doesn't protect against anaerobic spoilage or the slow work of moisture. C. botulinum, the anaerobe behind botulism, requires a water activity of around 0.93 to grow, meaning a genuinely dry product is protected by its low aw, not by the packaging.2 Research on vacuum packaging in cured meats has confirmed that dryness, not the seal, is the primary protective factor.11 Vacuum sealing is a useful tool for genuinely dry biltong you're adding to the freezer; it's not a substitute for getting the moisture right first.

If you're building any kind of storage setup, the practical advice is: freeze, label, rotate stock so you're always eating the oldest batch first, and thaw in the fridge on demand.

How to tell if biltong has gone off

Visible mold. Fuzzy growth, any color (white, green, grey, black) on the surface of the biltong is the clearest sign. Don't eat it. The conservative guidance from USDA FSIS is straightforward: if food is covered with mold, discard it.6 USDA notes that with higher-moisture foods, mold contamination can extend below the visible surface, unlike very hard dry-cured products where surface mold can sometimes be scrubbed off. Farmer Bill's biltong is a moister product, so treat any visible mold as discard.

Off smell. Biltong has a distinctive smell: savory, vinegary, slightly funky in a good way. If it smells sour in a different way, ammonia-like, or generally wrong, trust your nose.

Unusual sliminess. Fresh biltong has a firm, steak-like surface. If the outside feels slimy or tacky in a way that's different from its normal slightly moist texture, that's a sign of bacterial activity.

Is white bloom safe?

Not all white spots mean mold. Salt and fat can migrate to the surface of dried meat and form a crystalline white deposit. This looks quite different from fuzzy mold growth. It's flat, regularly spaced, and looks almost powdery or crystalline rather than fuzzy or raised.16 Salt bloom on the surface of biltong is normal and harmless.

If you're not sure, the rule is: if it's flat and crystalline, it's likely salt. If it's fuzzy, raised, or colored, treat it as mold and discard. When in doubt, throw it out.

How to revive over-dry biltong

This is the opposite problem. Biltong that's gotten too dry, either from extended fridge storage without a cover or from the dehydrating effect of refrigerator air over several days, needs a little moisture coaxed back in.

The fix is simple and works well. Place the biltong in a paper bag with a very slightly damp (not wet) paper towel nearby. Don't let the towel touch the meat directly. Leave it in the fridge for 12–24 hours. The small amount of additional moisture in the bag will soften the exterior slightly without creating the conditions for mold.

An alternative is wrapping the biltong loosely in a paper towel and leaving it in the fridge for a day. The towel acts as a slight humidity buffer without trapping moisture.

Don't use the microwave or any heat. Heat drives off more moisture and toughens the fibers further, which is the opposite of what you want.

If biltong has gotten very dry and you have a vacuum sealer, sealing it and leaving it in the fridge for 24 hours can redistribute internal moisture to the surface and soften it. This is a technique that works for biltong that's genuinely just dried out from storage, not for biltong that shows any signs of spoilage.

Travel and climate

Sticks are your travel option

Sliced biltong needs a fridge. Whole slabs need a fridge. Sticks are what belong in your bag for travel, a hike, a job site, or a long drive. They're cured with apple cider vinegar and salt, carry well at ambient temperatures, and don't require refrigeration once you're on the move. Just eat them within seven days of opening, and keep them out of direct sun and extreme heat.

Humidity changes everything

The single most overlooked storage variable is ambient humidity. In a dry climate, biltong at room temperature in a breathable container can do reasonably well for several days. In a humid climate, moisture reabsorption happens fast. The biltong softens, the surface becomes more hospitable to mold, and the shelf life shrinks.

Florida summers are a useful example. High humidity plus warm indoor temperatures can significantly accelerate moisture reabsorption in opened biltong left at room temperature. In that environment, the fridge isn't optional; it's the only way to get the full seven days.

If you're somewhere dry (a cool desert, a well air-conditioned space), you have a bit more flexibility. If you're somewhere warm and humid, get it in the fridge immediately.

Shipping and receiving

When your order arrives, it comes in a sealed plastic bag. That seal keeps it protected and fresh in transit. Once it arrives, treat it like a fresh meat product: refrigerate it if you're not eating it within a day or two, and know the best-by date printed on the package is 30 days from when it was packed. Eat it fresh. That's the point.

If you ever receive an order and something seems off, contact us. We stand behind what we ship.

We make our biltong fresh every week from pasture-raised beef, cured with salt and vinegar the way it's been done for generations. No preservatives, no shortcuts. If you want to keep it tasting the way it's meant to, the fridge is your friend. Browse our slices, slabs, and sticks and stock up knowing you've got the storage figured out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does biltong need to be refrigerated?

It depends on the biltong. Fully dried biltong in a cool, dry, breathable container can be kept at room temperature for a few days without issue. But moist, preservative-free biltong like ours should go in the fridge once opened. Refrigeration slows moisture reabsorption and keeps the surface conditions hostile to mold. When in doubt, refrigerate.

How long does biltong last once opened?

For sliced biltong and whole slabs in the fridge, seven days is the window we recommend. At room temperature in a cool, dry environment, the realistic range is three to five days for moist biltong. Sticks hold a bit longer but should also be consumed within seven days of opening. These are ranges, not exact expiration points, and wetter biltong sits at the shorter end.

How long does biltong last in the fridge?

Opened biltong stored in a paper bag or open dish in the fridge should be eaten within seven days. Unopened, refrigerated biltong is best within 30 days of the pack date (check the best-by on the label). Drier biltong can push toward two to three weeks once opened in the fridge; moist biltong should be eaten sooner.

Can you freeze biltong?

Yes. Freeze it in the original sealed packaging, label with the date, and store at 0°F. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge. Don't thaw at room temperature and don't refreeze after thawing. Properly frozen biltong holds quality for roughly six months to a year.

How long does biltong last in the freezer?

Six months to a year at a consistent 0°F. Food stored at 0°F is always safe indefinitely; quality (texture, flavor) is what degrades over time. For best results, eat frozen biltong within six to twelve months. Thaw in the fridge, eat within seven days of thawing.

How do you store biltong after opening?

For sliced biltong or whole slabs: remove it from the plastic bag, place it in a paper bag or open dish, and put it in the fridge. Shuffle sliced biltong daily to maintain airflow between pieces. For sticks: reseal well and keep in a cool, dry location. Eat within seven days.

How do you store biltong long-term?

The freezer is the best option for long-term storage. Freeze in the original sealed packaging or vacuum-sealed portions, and label with the pack date. Thaw individual portions in the fridge as needed. For biltong you're eating over the next week, the fridge in a paper bag or open dish is all you need.

Can you vacuum seal biltong?

Yes, vacuum sealing is useful for long-term freezer storage. It reduces oxygen, which controls surface mold. But dryness, not the seal, is what makes a cured meat product safe. A moist product sealed under vacuum isn't made safe by the packaging alone. Vacuum seal dry biltong for the freezer; don't rely on a vacuum seal to extend moist biltong at room temperature.

How do you know if biltong has gone bad?

Look for fuzzy mold growth on the surface (any color: white, green, grey, black). If you see it, discard the biltong. Also trust your nose: off smells, unusual sourness, or an ammonia note are signs it's past its window. A flat, crystalline white deposit is usually salt or fat bloom, which is normal and safe. When you're not certain, throw it out.

How do you store droewors?

Droewors (dried sausage) follows the same basic logic as dry biltong: it's more aggressively dried and lower in moisture than fresh biltong, so it tolerates room temperature better. A paper bag or breathable container in a cool, dry spot works well for short-term storage. For longer storage or humid environments, the fridge extends freshness significantly. The same mold-prevention principles apply: airflow, breathable packaging, no resealing in plastic.

Sources

  1. FDA, Water Activity (aw) in Foods, Inspection Technical Guide No. 39, FDA, 1984. View
  2. Getty K, Gaikwad R, Water Activity of Foods, Kansas State University Extension, MF3674, 2024. View
  3. Hockman E, Wright MS, Hamilton AM, Interpreting Water Activity Lab Results for Food Producers, Virginia Cooperative Extension, FST-485NP, 2024. View
  4. Shaw H, Water Activity and its Role in Food Preservation, UC Master Food Preserver / UC ANR, 2025. View
  5. USDA FSIS, Shelf-Stable Food Safety, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. View
  6. USDA FSIS, Molds on Food: Are They Dangerous?, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. View
  7. Gavai K, Karolenko CE, Muriana PM, Effect of Biltong Dried Beef Processing on the Reduction of Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, and Staphylococcus aureus, Microorganisms, 2022. View
  8. Matsheka MI et al., Microbial Quality Assessment of Biltong Produced in Butcheries in Gaborone, Botswana, Food and Nutrition Sciences, 2014. View
  9. Naidoo K, Lindsay D, Survival of Listeria monocytogenes and enterotoxin-producing Staphylococcus aureus during two types of biltong-manufacturing processes, Food Control, 2010.
  10. USDA FSIS, Freezing and Food Safety, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. View
  11. Christiansen LN, Foster EM, Effect of Vacuum Packaging on Growth of Clostridium botulinum and Staphylococcus aureus in Cured Meats, Applied Microbiology, 1965. View
  12. USDA FSIS, Jerky, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. View
  13. Stor-Age, How to store biltong, according to South Africans, Stor-Age, 2023. View
  14. Wijngaerd J, Tips For Storing Biltong The Right Way, The Biltong Merchant, 2021. View
  15. Biltong, Wikipedia. View
  16. Meately, Biltong Mould Guide, Meately. View
  17. Producer shelf-life ranges compiled from: Mufasa Biltong (mufasabiltong.com.au); Stor-Age (#13); Brooklyn Biltong (brooklynbiltong.com); The Biltong Merchant (#14). Reported as ranges; actual results vary by moisture level, cure, packaging, and storage conditions.
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