Biltong - The South African Classic
Mikkel Borre is a Danish cook, butcher, and sausage maker with deep roots in traditional food craft — trained in restaurant kitchens and at old-school butcher shops, including a century-old butchery on the island of Funen.
His approach blends years of hands-on experience in fermentation and curing with a genuine curiosity for new flavor ideas, always finding ways to make complex techniques accessible to anyone willing to try.
This Biltong is a natural expression of that philosophy — a personal take on the South African classic, brought closer to a European palate through thoughtful ingredient choices.
Mikkel's Recipe
Where traditional Biltong recipes call for malt or apple cider vinegar, Mikkel opts for red wine vinegar and adds Worcestershire sauce to build a richer, more layered base for the cure.
Alongside the classic rosted coriander seeds and black pepper, ginger powder and yellow mustard seeds bring a warming depth that makes this recipe distinctly his own.
Cut beef top round and bottom round with the grain into thick strips that are cured for 48 hours in the spice marinade.
Make a hole in the thickest end of each strip and tie a loop with butcher's twine. Hang the meat on your Meatdryer hook in a dark, well-ventilated place — such as a basement or shed — at 20–25°C (68–77°F) with 50–60% humidity. Ensure the pieces do not touch each other.
You can use your Meatdryer hook anywhere, Mikkel is making his Biltong in his apartment in Copenhagen.
The pieces are then dried slowly to 50% target weight, and sliced thinly against the grain — a finishing touch that turns each piece into a tender, flavor-packed ribbon.
You will find the recipe in the Meatdryer app. Check out our Instagram profile to see how Mikkel's makes the Biltong, step-by-step - Instagram - Biltong with Meatdryer
