Category:South African Cuisine

Sub Category:How to’s

Basically, you can make this biltong  box any way you please as long as you end up with something that can be opened and closed completely (whether the door is at the top or on the side), and that has holes only in the locations shown. The box basically consists of a box that has been divided into 2 parts (A and B in the diagram). The top of the box, the divider, and the sides of section (A) have several holes. Place a 60 watt bulb in the center of section (A). The meat is hung from wooden or steel rods (C) that are placed close to the top of the box.

Make a wooden box that measures about 1000 mm high, 600 mm wide, 600 mm deep, and that has a door on one side (a door is not shown in the diagram). Place a wooden divider in the box about 250 mm from the bottom (it must be high enough from the bottom that you can place the bulb under it). Drill several holes in the sides of the bottom section (A), the divider, and the top of the box. Cover the holes on the side and top of the box with insect netting, the kind used on screen doors, this will stop the bugs from getting to your biltong before you do. Place several (6 or 7) wooden rods (C) inside the box about 50 mm from the top. Space them about 75 mm - 100 mm apart. Place the 60 watt bulb in the center of section (A). Now hang your meat from the rods using little s-shaped hooks which are commercially available (if you live in South Africa) or ordinary metal paperclips which can be bent back to resemble s-shaped hooks. Make sure the pieces don’t touch each other (the meat will rot at the spots where they touch), and wait patiently for it to dry (4 to 5 days).

The heat from the bulb will warm up the air in section (A), causing it to rise through the holes in the divider, through section (B), and out at the top of the box. This also causes fresh air to be drawn into the box through the holes in the sides of section (A). This causes a constant airflow through the box (as indicated by the blue arrows), and that is what you need to dry the meat.

If you don’t have the technical expertise or inclination to make the box yourself, their is one available from Kalahari.net that will do the job just as well. Click here to buy it.