In South Africa, there are no processing guidelines for biltong production and therefore the industry uses different processing parameters which results in variation in the product. The same process was used throughout this study and drying was done using constant parameters – temperature 25 ± 2°C, relative humidity 30 ± 5%, air velocity 2 ± 0.2 m/s. An initial study investigating the influence of vinegar addition during the production of beef biltong showed that vinegar addition does not influence its drying kinetics. The biltong reached a 50% weight loss after 66 hours and a 65% weight loss after 96 hours. The use of different meat muscles (topside, semimembranosus and silverside, biceps femoris), beef with subcutaneous fat and gemsbok (Oryx gazelle) showed differences (p = 0.05) in drying rates when dried to a targeted weight loss of 65%. The two lean beef muscles both dried in 96 hours. The gemsbok topside took only 78 hours with a drying pattern similar to the lean beef topside. The fatty beef topside took 118 hours to dry. The microbiological profile of beef biltong over a three month shelf-life storage were studied. Final weight loss during drying and packaging method (modified atmospheric packaging and vacuum packaging) did not have an effect (p > 0.05) on the microbiological profile. Total viable counts and coliforms were only reduced in biltong with vinegar added. After drying, yeasts and moulds were already present at high levels (~ 2.5 log cfu.g-1) but not visible. After six weeks, yeasts and moulds became visible. Staphylococcus aureus was present at less than 20 log cfu.g-1 while Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli were not present during the three month storage period. Yeast and mould growth on biltong is a problem and therefore a challenge study was included. Beef biltong produced without and with vinegar and dried to a 50% or 65% weight loss were inoculated with yeasts and moulds. No yeast and mould growth was seen on bilton