Joburg – Traditional Beef Biltong (Review #2)

The next review on Joburg will focus on a 2 ounce/56 gram bag of their Traditional beef biltong. This bag was purchased at a Fairway store in Woodland Park, New Jersey.

This Joburg brand of jerky is distributed by International Gourmet Kosher Foods, LLC based out of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. As the son of a South African butcher, David Libesman moved to the USA in 1998. Disappointed with the available selection of Boerewors and Biltong, David started making his own. Soon an overwhelming demand led to the creation of Joburg™ Kosher Foods, LLC. This biltong uses a 40-year old family recipe brought to the U.S. from Johannesburg, or ‘Joburg‘ as the natives call it. All products sold are kosher certified.

Ingredient Review

Ingredients: Beef, Apple Cider Vinegar, Salt, Spices, Brown Sugar.

The beef used is not guaranteed to be free of growth hormones or additional antibiotics. Also, the beef is not guaranteed to have at least partial free range access to graze on grass. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Good (8/10) rating.

The only liquid used is super healthy apple cider vinegar. The vague term spices is used, which may mean black pepper, coriander, and possibly cloves.

With only a tiny amount of brown sugar used, the sugar level registers as 0 grams of sugar per 28 grams of biltong. The salt level is quite respectable at only 150mg of salt per 28 grams of biltong.

As advertised, this jerky has no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, just salt and apple cider vinegar to a lesser extent are used to preserve the jerky. Commendably, this jerky has no MSG added.

Good (8/10) – Ingredient Rating

Taste Review

These strips are small in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is fairly dry. Air dried beef tends to melt in your mouth more compared to beef dried in a dehydrator. There are some visible signs of fat that accentuates the natural beef flavor. Handling this biltong leaves no oily residue on your fingers.

Right away you are greeted with a great South African blend of spices. Some of those spices would include salt, black pepper, coriander, and possibly cloves. At a light level is the apple cider vinegar.

There is very little sweetness present, which allows the natural beef flavor to shine through. Overall, a classic tasting biltong flavor that does not disappoint.

This 2 ounce/56 gram bag cost $8.99, which works out to $4.50 an ounce. That classifies as being an extremely expensive price, where expensive prices start at $2.35 an ounce. From taste and ingredient perspectives this biltong is certainly recommended. $4.50 an ounce is high priced, but this biltong is kosher certified.

Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating

Bag Review

This bag has everything imprinted on the bag itself, both on the front and back. One small sticker is affixed with the best before date. The logo has the South African flag under the letter ‘o’, a giraffe in the letter ‘u’, and a tree in the background.

Their slogans are “Marinated and seasoned – savory and satisfying!” and “Experience the robust taste of South Africa”. Some facts printed on this bag are “Gluten Free”, “150mg sodium per serving”, “No preservatives – No nitrates or nitrites”, “97% Fat free – Zero carbs per serving”, “Made in USA”, “Deli Sliced”, and “#South Africa’s take on Beef Jerky”.

Some statements printed on the bag are “The more you chew, the better it tastes”, “Convenient for use at home, office, school, camp, business travel, sporting events, and vacation”, “A fun and tasty appetizer. Add to soups or salad.”, “Full pieces and other sizes available at Online store”, “Flavors: Traditional, Black Pepper, Spice Peri-Peri”, and “A snack so satisfying, it’s like a meal”.

This bag displays a “Glatt Kosher” logo, which implies that the meat used had a higher standard of inspection. Specifically, post slaughter, the animal lungs are examined to determine if they are smooth or defect free.

All bag categories are covered here. There is a good blurb printed on the back describing how David Libesman created this brand of biltong. To their credit, both an email address and toll free number are provided for customer inquiries.

Excellent (10/10) – Bag Rating