News

What do two young, fit, strong and healthy Canberra men do with their spare time? Well, in the case of Rory and Luke Rathbone…they make Biltong.

So what is biltong? Quite simply put, it’s lean meat which is marinated in vinegar, spiced, hung to air dry, then cut into strips. It originated in South Africa, as did the Rathbone brothers…but back to their delicious Barbell Biltong. The brothers make their biltong from their Canberra-based commercial kitchen in Lyneham. No heat is used to cook the meat during the curing and air drying process, so the finished product contains all the natural health benefits of raw beef. Unlike jerky, biltong is not heavily processed. Nor does it contain preservatives, sugars and other nasties. There are two very tasty varieties available – the original ‘Benchmark’ and ‘the burn’ which, as the name suggests, is loaded with chilli.

The Rathbone brothers have been making biltong for quite some time for their friends and family, and it also became popular amongst many local athletes they connected with through their other brother, Clyde Rathbone, and his association with the Brumbies. Barbell Biltong is enjoyed as a tasty, low carb, protein-rich food – a great inclusion in a paleo/protein/real food diet.

You can buy this fab snack at the markets in 250g, 500g and 1kg bags, and the guys will be onsite most Sundays of the year, or as production and supply will allow. To keep up to date with when they’re stocked up for the markets, check out their website or follow Barbell Biltong on Facebook.