Dehydrating Meat: Beef, Chicken and Tuna
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- Опубликовано: 11 мар 2016
- I demonstrate how to dehydrate three kinds of meat (beef, chicken and tuna) to be used later in meals for backpacking or canoe trips.
Meat should be dehydrated at a higher temperature than other foods (160 F). Because of this it re-hydrates best if it is dehydrated separately.
I show a few tricks that I use which improve the quality of the final product.
1) Boil ground beef rather than fry it. Frying sears the meat which makes it more difficult to re-hydrate. Also, the boiling water washes away most of the fat.
2) Pour additional boiling water over the ground beef to remove nearly all of the fat. Dabbing with paper towels is not required during dehydrating.
3) Pre-cook chicken in a pressure cooker. This breaks down the fibers in the chicken and makes them easier to re-hydrate.
4) For tuna, choose 'Solid White Albacore in Water'. This will give best results. Do not try to dehydrate any fish that is packed in oil.
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Any opinions expressed in this video are mine and mine alone and are not related to my employer or any other organization or individual. I have not been paid to make this video or to endorse a product. If I am ever paid for an endorsement or provided other compensation I will state it clearly in the video. Any advice or demonstration I provide is just advice. The viewer should take responsibility for their own actions, follow any manufacturers warnings and directions and act safely and responsibly when travelling in the backcountry.
Tip: weigh your meat (or anything else you are dehydrating) before and after hydration. The difference in weight is how much water you need to add to fully rehydrate the item. Then weigh out the water weight and convert it to volume measurement for use in the field, dividing the amounts down if you make individual portions of your dehydrated ingredient. Use that amount of water to accurately/fully rehydrate and not end up with a soupy mess. It's the same way pre-packed dehydrated meals can say "add 1.5 cups" or whatever.
Thanks, for sure that mathematical method works. I have been very successful with this simple rule of thumb... Regardless of pot dimensions if you just cover a normal meal with water it works out quite well. No soupy mess. If it is a soup or stew then you can add an additional 2 cm (or an inch if you prefer) on top of the meal. All the best!
Kevin Outdoors ok, maybe I'm a _tad_ ocd...
I didnt know this. Thank you for this tip. There is so much to learn about prepping. If not done right, you go to get your food stuffs in an emergency and you have nothing (because it spoiled) if not prepared correctly.
@@KevinOutdoors Thank you for responding to my questions Kevin. Knowledge is power.
@@KevinOutdoors can I store in mylar bags
probably the best dehydrating meat video, you got tricks that other dont have and its short and simple and effective, thank you.
Thanks Clement! That is what I was going for. And, that is why I am writing a book about dehydrated camping food. Stay tuned!
I Agree said the same thing myself
@@KevinOutdoorsIt's now three years since you talked about writing a book about dehydrating camping food. Have you done it?
Absolutely, it is called Backcountry Eats www.Backcountry-Eats.com@@rkatrails
@@KevinOutdoors Thanks! I'll go check that out. I'm getting very interested in dehydrating my own backpacking food. I especially enjoyed how you prepared the ground beef, on how to get rid of the grease so it doesn't spoil.
Heidi a Rain Country uses fabric tray covers cut from cotton sheeting in place of the plastic trays
That's a great idea for many products.
Thanks for great demo. This is ideal for camping in the near future. For longer storage, vacuum seal the meat. Ziplocs do leak air after a while. You can carry some olive oil to add to the meat when eating -- to add back some fat.
Thanks Kathy!
Great informational video bud!!!!!
Thanks for takin the time to make this for us
Much appreciated!
This is awesome. Going to start dehydrating and preparing meals per your other videos. Thanks alot. Very well taught.
Thanks Royals! That makes me happy!
I can definitely vouch for what you said about boiling the ground beef versus frying it. Searing the beef ruins it for dehydration/re-hydration, but if you boil it, it re-hydrates so easily and so well you almost can't distinguish it from freshly cooked ground beef.
As for the chicken, when I tried pressure cooking it and dehydrating it, it would not fully re-hydrate, no matter how long I cooked it in boiling water. But I noticed you cooked yours for about 15 minutes, whereas I only cooked mine for about 8 minutes. It's possible I may just need to allow it to cook longer.
I also tried cooking some fresh pieces of chicken in the slow cooker for 6 hours in some chicken broth and dehydrating it, and it fully re-hydrated very quickly and easily. It just soaked that water up like a sponge and you couldn't even tell it had been dehydrated.
Thanks for the comment. Chicken is always a bit of a challenge. Longer cooking times, 15-20 min in a pressure cooker, or 5-6 hours in a slow cooker seem to help the rehydration. Also, dehydrating the meat at a slightly lower temp (~155 or 150 F) than other meats seems to help.
@@KevinOutdoors Thanks, I'll give that a try.
I’m saving for a dehydrator now and so excited. Thank you for your video!
You are so welcome!
Great information, I’ve never seen dehydrated meat tutorial.
Thank you so much! Your family is so lucky that you are planning fun nature adventures in advance
Thanks so much Simply Impish!
These are awesome -- thank you so much for sharing :) I feel like a bit of an idiot in the kitchen sometimes, but you have made these clear enough to follow and I'm going to give it a try!
Thanks so much Kathryn! Good luck with your meals!
Thank you Kevin, for sharing this great knowledge of your's. It has opened so many doors of potential for me!
This thank you really understated the significance.
My pleasure! If this interests you I also have a cookbook. www.backcountry-eats.com
Thank you so much. Your instructions were easy to understand 🤟🏽🤟🏽🤟🏽
thank you so much that will help me a lot i am no good with math and of course i want the hubby to be happy with what i send with him thank you again have a great rest of the week
Best dehydrating video watched to date. Simple and effective. Great job and thanks for sharing!!! Enjoy your day!!!
Thanks Larry!
Hi Kevin great videos it is a good idea to do your meat separately as you suggested but it is also important to remember not to add salt, sugar or spices during the initial five minutes of reconstitution as these additives hinder the absorption process.
Thanks Jason, good to know!
This is the best info for dehyrating meat. First time I've seen it boiled and pressure cooked. Seems easier than a pan and rinsing many many times.
Thanks Heidi, yes I find these techniques to be much easier and do a better job than other methods that you will find out there.
Thanks for the info. I have enjoyed your channel and have learned a lot. I have been looking for a good way to store food on my sailboat for week longs trips. self prepared dehydrated food is the way to go. Thanks for sharing.
Happy Sailing! I am glad you found this useful!
Somebody recommended you on another channel and I absolutely love your technique way better! You've got yourself a subscriber my friend. ;)
Thanks, much appreciated! And Welcome!
I'm so happy to come across your channel . Nice simple to the point loads of tips and no squeaky preppy high pitched over excited voice . ❤
Welcome aboard! Yes, I don't like to sensationalize my delivery. I would probably get more views but that isn't me. :)
Great way of preserving food. Great video
Thanks Kwale Farming!
Excellent video! I am getting ready to get a dehydrator to make my own meals for backpacking. After I showed this one to my mom and told her that she could prepare meals and just boil them later she laughed and we are going to try it with her chili. Chili, the breakfast of champions lol.
Chili works well as a dehydrated camping meal. Nice to hear about someone getting into this. Good luck!
Kevin, I watch this video everytime I dehydrate beef. It has almost become a ritual haha. Happy to say that I'll be bringing your recipe to the coastal trail again.
Stay safe bro, and say hello to Quetico for me 😉
Thanks and will do, probably headed there next week.
This is so great!! Please keep making more videos!! I'm just getting started, and more recipes would be an AWESOME help. You're the most concise and helpful person I've found, and I'd love more tips! Thank you!!!
Thank you! I will be making more food videos and I also have a cookbook coming out soon. Stay tuned!
Hey Kevin, I am currently boiling some beef to dehydrate for a trip on the coastal trail of Lake Superior P.P. This video has been a huge help, thanks man.
-Boosh
Thanks, enjoy the CHT in Lake Superior PP! That is a great trail!
Nicely done KO! I do it differently with the ground beef by frying, then de-fatting in a food tub with boiling water and in the fridge overnight to make the fat "ice" which I skim off. I will have to try the boil method and do a re-hydrate test to see what GB method re-hydrates faster. Chicken I use use the can product like the tuna (pressure cooked in the can). But its salty, so I may have to get a pressure cooker to prep fresh chicken. Thanks for the how-to!
Thanks Winter-T!
You may have already learned this, but if you have a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment with hot chicken is a GREAT way to "pull" it, and it will break it down quickly and easily into small bits. Then you only have to manually pull what might have slipped past the paddle. :-D
Thanks - I didn't know about that. I will have to give it a try.
A hand mixer works, too. :)
Great tip
I use my hand mixer with the regular beaters works great!
Thanks, Kevin - great videos.
Thanks David!
I have seen several videos where frying the hamburger is the method they use, but yours is the first one I've seen that boils it. It makes sense as the best way to remove the fat. Must try. Great video. Thanks! :)
Thanks Brenda, Yes I have tried it both ways and I find boiling much more effective and it rehydrates very well.
It also remove the flavor a lot. I tried one time to boil the ground beef to remove the fat and ended up with a bad tasting meat.
Maybe it’s the meat u used was it bad when u started
If you want taste you add powdered beef bouillon
@@NoMore-gc3gi Fat = calories (energy)
You want that if you're counting on this food to help you live.
Good one Kevin. Great info, Thanks so much..
What an amazing channel
Thanks so much!
so glad you had this my hubby is a hunter and i was looking for a way to do meats for food for him thanks
This should work for you. We get great results!
Very helpful tips
Glad to hear that!
Awesome video, I’m trying this for my upcoming camping trip!
I love to hear that. Good luck!
Yup, me too :P
Kevin, it has been a while since you posted this video, but I thank you for it!! I'm trying to make ketogenic dehydrated meals for myself, but couldn't figure out how to incorporate meat/fish in the meals. Now I can, thanks to you! Also the clarified butter video helped me a lot! Thank you for your time and effort to make these video's!! Kind regards, Jolijn (The Netherlands).
Thanks Jolijn, I love to hear comments like that!
Jolijn, do you have any Keto backpacking recipes you could share? I am Keto as well and I really would like to find more recipes! I have a couple if you are interested!
@@Adventuringtoabetterme I'm doing keto too. My plan is to take meals that I love and are not keto and convert them to ketogenic percentages. Also, I'm going through the keto/low carb books I now have and will test make the recipes in dehydrated foods.
A WAY LATE reply but, we are also KETO and, when using our dehydrated meat (beef, anyway) we always add some fat to the recipe (avocado oil, olive oil, tallow...) to try to bring it back to its former glory, as it where.
What are you doing for fat on the hike if you take the fat out of the ground beef?
Hey Kevin ,,
,,,,,swamp gal here ,,,
,,never thought of dehydrating fish ,,,,,I'm giveing salmon a try ,,
,,,thank again ,,,
Fish can work well. You want to ensure it isn't a fatty fish. Salmon is sometimes lean and sometimes fatty. Native cultures have been drying fish for thousands of years. Good Luck!
Thanks for the great tips!
Thanks, glad it was helpful!
Good tips and great video
Thanks Shelly!
Great video!
Thanks!
I boil my Hb meat before canning as well. I might try the dehydrating soon.
I find if you boil instead of fry the meat that it will rehydrate much better.
Good information. I am relatively new at dehydrating meat. I never tried boiling the ground beef. I will have to try out the chicken. I will simply have to wait till there is a good sale on chicken breast.
Thanks, you can also use canned chicken. It is basically the same thing as pressure cooked.
Brilliant 👏 thank u simple and valuable tips
My pleasure 😊
I take half frozen chicken breasts and slice really thin and dehydrate then freeze for my Yorkie's treats. She loves them. I just keep in a sandwich bag.
I also dehydrated hamburg after frying, draining, and washing in a drainer til water is clear. Dehydrate and store in vaccuum sealed jar. I did this in October and it is now Christmas and I still have not used it. Will try in a week or two. Looks and sounds like grape nuts.
Good vid 👌
Will try it soon.
Hope you enjoy
re: ham - used cooked ham and pressure-cooked with black beans. I used water for stock because the ham has a fair bit of sodium already. If there was any fat, it floats on top of the stock so it was easy to remove. The whole ensemble was pureed to make a smooth soup, then dehydrated. The resulting 'bark' makes a great snack, as is! Split pea soup, made this way, is really tasty, as-is, too. Also, grinding the bark into a complete soup powder rocks!
Awesome!
VERY well done.
Good video
I have not tried this before except for drying beef and spaghetti.My concern would be about mingling flavors. Believe when I do this I will do only one type of meat at a time! Good show!☮️❤️☀️🌈🌎😇
Thanks, I haven't had any issues with the flavour except when I dehydrate stuff like raw fresh cut onions. good luck!
Thanks! Nice info 👍🏼
Thanks Freda!
Thank you for the detailed video. I'm wanting to start dehydrating meats so this was fabulous. I'm wondering if I can dehydrate meat in the regular oven?? I do have a dehydrater but I don't know the temperature . It's one setting . I may just invest in a better one with different settings if there is one.. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you again. Blessings from Gee and Dee from NM
Hi Denise, if you have a dehydrator without a thermostat it is probably like the one I have and it is permanently set to 'High' 160 F. Give it a try I bet it works fine. You can use it for everything, that is what I did before I got another one with a thermostat. I just find that the meals rehydrate a little better if you separate meat from the starches, fruits and veggies and set the other stuff to 130 F. The oven will work too. Just set your temp and leave the door open a few inches. Good luck!
Love this whole series. Can you recommend a good book or source for more recipes for dehydrating whole meals?
Hi Mike, I sure can.
Two at the top of my list are "The Dehydrator Bible" and "The Complete Trail Food Cookbook" They are written by the same three authors and are closest to the style of meal prep that I do. The three authors are a home economist, a professional chef and a Ph.D. in food science. Good reliable and safe meals and good variety.
I also recommend "Recipes for Adventure" if you want to explore different styles. Most of the meals are great but the author dehydrates everything separately and he gets deep into his concept of 'bark' which is the dehydrated sauce or thickener of what you are making. He also gets into dehydrating bread which I don't understand.
I will mention four others that are older and not as good but they go me started doing this...
"The Well-Fed Backpacker", "Backpack Gourmet", "Simple Foods for the Pack" and "Trail Food" (that last one is by Alan Kesselheim there are several books with that name). These are all interesting but some do some strange things like dehydrating raw eggs or cheese.
Good Luck!
You can try boiling the beef in a mix of water and red wine. Or all wine. Gives a wonderful flavour!
Interesting, I will have to give that a try sometime. Thanks Mandy!
This is a really helpful video, thanks so much for sharing what you have learned. What make of dehydrator do you use?
Hi Norin, Thanks so much. The brand I have is 'Nesco'. I think they are good but I am sure other brands are good as well. I am on my third one and currently have two that work fine. My oldest one (bought 20 years ago) died on me some time ago. I like the 'fruit roll' trays for many of my meals and once I invested in about 20 trays of the size that fit my dehydrator I was locked in to the Nesco brand and size of dehydrator. No regrets. They have all served me very well.
Thank you
You are welcome.
thanks man, really great info
Glad it was helpful!
Great videos 👍
Thanks, glad you like them!
Great idea... next time I will do the same when I go back country...
It is a good method.
I found that when I dehydrated a kilogram each of beef, chicken and lamb beforehand that the finished dehydrated weights varied between 255 to 270 grams. I blitzed them in a blender so they became a powder which for me avoids the sometimes gravelly texture. I like my on the track meals on the soupy side. For me they're rehydrated quicker. I'm going to be using the boiling method next. I was thinking I may refrigerate the pot of beef so the fat congeals to the top and then pour the hot water through. Thanks for your tips.
Humm, testing me? OK, generally speaking 1 g of carbs or protein will yield 4 calories. 1 gram of fat will yield about 9 calories. There is for sure quite a bit of variability but this is a good rule of thumb. Since we have eliminated all the fat what is left is mostly protein or carbs (and some fibre) so the meal should be about 600 calories. If you add two tablespoons of oil after rehydration you will add about 240 calories!
Thank you!
No Prob!
Great video! Great ideas. Have you run into problems dehydrating different meats at the same time, especially fish? Does it permeate the smell into the other meat?
Thanks Sinfonian, I haven't had any issues with that. I don't do much fish. I did try shrimp once and that stunk up the whole house.
Thanks for the video! I'm about to dehydrate meats to make my own Bullion for soups. This looks super simple. I'm curious, Do you also dehydrate herbs? I'm going to tackle that next! Thanks again!
Hi James, I usually don't dehydrate herbs but that's just habit. Herbs are easy to dehydrate. They tend to dehydrate better at the lowest temperature of your dehydrator and they can take some time to dehydrate. If I was growing lots of herbs in my garden I would certainly dehydrate them but we tend to use them all up by fall.
Thanks very detailed video. I feel like I can follow along well and replicate easily. 😍Question, why do you store in the freezer? Can it be stored in the pantry?
These meals and food can be stored in a pantry but in the freezer they will last almost indefinitely.
Helpful good information. Thank you.
Thanks Teri. And thanks for the sub!
You are welcome. I did try your method with chicken breasts this weekend and it turned out great. We live in Florida with high humidity so I use jars and mylar bags with either 02 absorbers or vacuum seal. Hurricane season is here so we need to be prepared. Love your snow.
Thanks for the feedback. Some folks report having difficulty with this method for chicken and they use canned chicken instead (it is really the same thing as the cans are boiled and hence pressure cooked). I'm not sure why it isn't working for them. Perhaps they don't cook it long enough. 15 minutes always works for me and I am glad it worked for you.
I'll keep the snow for 5-6 months if it keeps away the hurricanes! :) All the best and thanks for watching.
Thanks
You are welcome! I try and include as much as I can in my videos but if you want a deeper dive check out my book 'Backcountry Eats'.
Thank you so much for this informative video. Can't wait to start experimenting with my own meals. Is there a reason you put your dried foods in the freezer. Are they able to be stored on a shelf?
Hi Stella, they will certainly keep on the shelf. Keep the meals airtight and out of the sun. Vacuum seal for longer storage, probably up to a year easily. I throw them in the freezer so I don't worry about anything. A dehydrated and frozen meal will last almost forever. :)
Thank you for making this video so informative and easy to understand. How long does the meat stay good? do u know how to figure out the life of the items?
Misty, it is really hard to say how long an individual meal or some dehydrated protein might last. If you seal the food in an airtight container and you do a good job of removing fat and moisture from the food then it should easily last 6 months to a year. If you vacuum seal the food and add a desiccant pack it should last much longer than a year. Throw it in the freezer and it will last almost indefinitely.
Great videos Kevin. Question, what about seaing the meats after they are cooked? Example, After boiling the beef you mix in all the seasonings then dehydrating.
Good question. There are no hard rules here. I dehydrate sausage the same way and that is already seasoned. I also add salt and other flavour to beef before I make jerky. But for most spices I find the flavour is diminished if the spice or herb is cooked and then dehydrated and then rehydrated. I generally add my spices to the meal after dehydration. But, I will emphasize that there are no hard rules. In Indian cooking the same spice is often added at the beginning, middle and end of the cooking process so that the full flavour profile of the spice is realized in the meal. That's a little 'over the top' cooking theory for camping meals but I think it makes the point. Good luck!
Awesome videos on the dehydrators! I haven't seen the other ones yet, but I subscribed and will be checking out more content. Thank you for the info! I'm trying to get started with my Excalibur and am interested in long term food storage, mainly for meats at this time. I was wondering, I hear a lot of ppl talk about dehydrating eggs. Is there any tips or tricks (or a video already made?) with the eggs that I can refer to? Thanks!
Hi C Mex, thanks for the sub! I know there are lots of people who dehydrate eggs and I have done it myself for a test. It works well but there are serious risks of salmonella. You can dehydrate both fresh eggs and cooked eggs. Fresh eggs rehydrate the best but carry more risk. There are now a number of manufacturers making crystalized eggs. These have been pasteurized for safety and are freeze dried. They are expensive but for camping I find them worth it. I have a dozen laying hens and love fresh eggs but for camping I splurge on the freeze-dried egg crystals. They taste just like eggs should and not like traditional powdered eggs.
@@KevinOutdoors thanks for the info! That' was my main concern, the salmonella. I'll check into them. I bought a ton of appliances and items to help with food prep/storage, and I'm trying to do the food storage on the cheap, so doing it myself would be ideal. Considering the risk this one carries though, probably going to be one of those "splurge" items we end up buying. I appreciate the thoughts!
Hi Kevin, there are none of these "fruit leather trays" offered for my dehydrator. Do they still provide good circulation inside?
I´m looking for something to use instead, maybe cooking / roasting / baking paper.
Hi Rhein, Yes parchment paper is likely your next best bet. You will need to cut it out to fit your dehydrator trays. Yes the circulation is pretty good even with the 'fruit leather' trays there are channels in the middle and up the sides of my brand of dehydrator.
All great advice thank you is there a different way than a pressure cooker as I don't have one
Canned chicken will work the same. Essentially the meat is pressure cooked inside the can to keep it from spoiling.
Thank you so much for this information. Your tutorial is easy to follow. These are time and cost saving, because I cannot afford the Mountain House, Wise, Auguson Farms or other top shelf meals. You can tailor make what you want to eat. But dont the proteins lose flavor when the fat is washed away? I know that this needs to be done, because the fat will make the meat taste rancid over time.
Hi Vickie, thanks for the comments. Yes the meat will be missing something when you taste it. Unfortunately removing the fat is a necessary evil as you point out the meal can go rancid. So, after I rehydrate the meal I add either olive oil or clarified butter depending on the meal. Both last well without refrigeration and they re-add the fatty taste. It isn't perfect but everything tastes better while camping anyway. Thanks!
One year, I boiled 5 lbs hamburger in soup pot, cooled pot in sink, then put in fridge overnight once the sink cooling method brought down temp enough.
Next day, I found removing top layer of hardened fat challenging. But I finally managed using a butter knife with a spatula haha. Looking back, I bet overturning the entire pot onto a large platter or huge bowl might have been easier, as the broth was solid like Jello.
I used the butter knife and spatula again to separate the meat from gelled broth, I'd use a bread knife next time. So I finally have 3 layers separated. Put broth and fat back in fridge. Put meat back in pot and heat until I see steam, using strainer to collect rest of broth, which I poured onto gelled broth in fridge.
DH comes into kitchen asking what smells so good lol
Spread meat onto dehydrator trays, then make onion soup from the oh so yummy broth.
Next day, put half dried meat in little zip lock bags and the rest of meat in blender to powder. Heated enough fat to mix with powder onto baking trays, then cooled and cut with pizza cutter. Put the modern-lazy 'pemmican' into sandwich baggies in the freezer to have meat when we lost power because of storms. After hurricane season ends, toss in a few cubes of pemmican into spaghetti or pizza sauce, gravies, soups, omelets, ect...
Great video. If you don't mind taking the time, you could slow cook the chicken in a crock pot and get some stock out of it before you dehydrate it.
That's almost what I did with my first 3 chicken breasts, but in the pressure cooker. Water, 2 diced carrots, 2 diced celery stems, 1/2 diced onion, several pieces of crushed garlic, around 15 pepper corns, and some broth powder. 15 minutes... meat falling apart. Leave veggies in the broth, remove pepper corns, and cook a load of rice in it. Dehydrate as Kevin shows in his other video about preparing meals. The only difference, my dehydrator needed only 3 hours (maybe higher wattage?) for 3 chicken breasts and 2 cans of tuna. The dry weight came out the same as Kevin's. Thanks again Kevin, for your videos
You can do stock in a pressure cooker as well. Just need more water
Interesting tip, but how flavourful is actually the stock of chicken breasts (thus no bone, very low fat)?
@@Hermania3000 it's awesome
@@terryhutson4864 Thanks Terry! Have a great weekend.
Good evening sir, about 3 years late to the party. What make/model dehydrator do you use?
Thank you sir Kevin for your videos and your resourcefulness.
Thanks Adam, I have added a link to the dehydrator I use in the description. It is a Nesco FD-75A 600-Watt dehydrator. Enjoy!
Hi Kevin. Greetings from the uk! Great video thanks. Do you store your dehydrated vegetables in the freezer too? I see some people just store in jars in a cupboard.
I do store them in the freezer. It isn't necessary but if you have the space then there is even less to worry about.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I just started dehydrating because my sister does but not sure if she does meat. I am going to find out. Do you have to put all meat in the freezer after dehydrate? You are the best! Straight to the basic. I do a lot of canning also which that food will last for years so now I can take some of that and dehydrate. Keep up the good work and love your daughter enthusiasm.
You don't have to put the food in a freezer but if you do it will last almost forever. If you aren't going to store the food in a freezer then you should vacuum seal the meal for best longevity. A desiccant pack can also help. You will definitely get months of storage (conservatively) but the meals will likely last a year or more as long as they are kept in a cool, dark and dry place and airtight.
Hi Kevin, apologies if this has been queried before.
Have you dehydrated seasoned or marinated meats before and if so how did the results compare with plain?
Hi Robert, yes I have, I have made all kinds of beef jerky. There is virtually no end to recipes for jerky and in my experience all that I have tried add good flavour. I used to make my jerky in a dehydrator but I do find that the meat can dry out too much and be tough to chew. I started doing it in a smoker and got better results and more flavour. One of those videos I on my list to make.
Kevin, awesome video! No fluff or shots of your cute dogs or kids... just business!!😂. Not sure if missed this in the comments, but what do estimate the shelf life of this protein can be if vacuum sealed with oxygen absorbers and frozen?
Thanks Jack, I think if you do all those things the food will last for years. Without freezing if you do a goog job removing fat and you vacuum seal I would easily give it a year. I have certainly had my meals in the freezer for a year or two and they were fine.
Probably a couple of years. For longer storage, you need to freeze dry.
Do you have to freeze it?
Hey Kevin great video. Nice idea with the boiling of the hamburger meat. I scrolled through some of the comments didn't see this question, do you find that the tastes of the different meats mingle when dehydrating them together?
Hi Darc, Good question, no I don't. At least not chicken, tuna and hamburger. I have done shrimp and that stinks the place up a bit so I would definable do that one on its own.
Hi, how long do you cook the beef? Is there a specific time? Thx alot. Great vid by the way :)
Thanks, I cook the chicken for about 15 min in the pressure cooker. The beef doesn't take long, probably 10 min I know it is done when it is brown/grey and not red/white.
Great.vids. Would seasoning (salt) the meat help preserve it?
Thanks for the question. It can't hurt and yes it probably would help but it isn't necessary.
I wonder if adding some onion soup mix to the boiling water and beef would give it some nice flavor.
I would suggest adding the flavour to the meal when you rehydrate it.
Hey Kevin. Have you had an issue with moisture entering your bags when they are kept in the freezer? I can imagine the food is just fine when frozen, but I'm wondering if when you are ready to use it, and you remove it from the freezer if there is any moisture in the bags that can then cause it to spoil if left for a few days? Thanks in advanced! Trying to plan my own meals for some backpacking trips this summer, and this is something I'm always contemplating.
We have yet to take a frozen dehydrated meal with us. But we add silica packs to everything we dehydrate (if that helps at all).
sorry i just had a tout you can buy ground turkey and ground pork and ground chicken could you boil them as well before dehydrating?
Yes that will work too. Or you can buy canned chicken (and probably turkey). Canned food is basically pressure cooked as they pasturize the contents by boiling the can. Much easier options but I am always sceptical about ground or canned poultry :)
Tks
Welcome
What would the shelf life if dehydrated vacuum sealed and stored on a cool dark place in your opinion?
Hi Lee, I think if you did a thorough job it would easily last a year - probably longer.
Thank You!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!
No, Thanks you!
Question: Is pressure cooking chicken the only way to "break down the fibers" for better re-hydrating? I was thinking that slow cooking it might work too... but there doesn't seem to be any discussion on any other options...
Just got your book and trying to dehydrate food for camping for the first time this year... I am looking at doing some longer canoe trips in the future and sticking to the "long weekend paddling" for now... good to get used to this dehydrating thing before needing to for a week long trip or more...
Great to hear that you are getting into dehydrating and are using my book! Yes, I have heard of people having good luck with slow cooking chicken too. The reports I have are from folks who are doing very long cooking times in the range of 6+ hours. good luck and let me know how it works out.
After you take them out of the freezer will these last for a solid one week camping trip without spoiling?
We’re All That Bored, Absolutely! They should last for a month or more easily.
Great video and very helpful!!
Beef, which part is lean & best for drying?
Good question Netanel, with the boiling method it doesn't really matter, I just use ground beef and it works great. I have never had any issues so I haven't experimented with ground beef from different cuts of meat. When I make jerky I do use flank steak or top or bottom round steak. Those are good cuts that tend to have minimal marbling.
@@KevinOutdoors Thank you❤, thanks to you I entered the world of food drying, I recently purchased a dryer and I use your method with the hot water
Very informative and I am going to try this out! One question, what temperature do you set your dehydrator for? I own an Excalibur and have not tried drying meat yet. Thanks so much for the info! Awesomeness!
Thanks for the 'Awesomeness' comment! I do meat at 160F. I find that gives the best results in rehydrating.
Thanks so much Kevin! I greatly appreciate it! :)
blondizsmilz i
What is the shelf life of your dehydrated products. I am trying your procedure with Paneer (Indian cottage cheese). Any advice please
Hi Sadhana, Shelflife with DIY dehydrated meals is difficult to estimate as that depends on a lot of variables; remaining fat content, percent moisture remaining, exposure to air, exposure to light. Meals are very well dried and kept out of air and light can easily last 6 months and are likely good for a year or longer. I keep mine in the freezer until I am ready to go and in there they last almost indefinately. I an not familiar with Paneer but I do know that some folks dehydrate cottage cheese and yogurt. But, when you do this always select the lowest fat content possilble i.e. 1%. I still would not trust a meal with dairy as much as I would non dairy meals. It probably lasts longer than I think but I would keep it in the freezer until I wanted it and I would use it early in trip. I hope this helps.
do you dehydrate other the veggies and other stuff for the meals for the same amount of time as the meat?
What would you advise would be the Next best method recommendation should someone not have a pressure cooker?
Use canned chicken. It is essentially pressure cooked in the can. Good luck!
Do you recommend any seasoning on the meat like seasoning salt, pepper, onion or garlic powder to add some kind of flavors? Why do you put it in the freezer? Since dehydration cant you leave it on the shelf unrefrigerated? I thought that was the purpose of dehydrating.
Another couple of great questions. I usually add seasoning in my meal. Sometimes when I pressure cook chicken I will add herbs, spices or lemons to the pressure cooker and the flavour infuses a bit with the meat. One of these meals should easily last 6 months without refrigeration and a lot longer (a year or more) depending on the quality of the dehydration, if all the fat was removed and if it was stored in an airtight container and in a cool dry place. If you toss them in the freezer they last almost indefinitely.
Great video, Kevin! I will check this out. For how long do you cook the beef? Cheers, greetings from Norway.
Thanks Hermania! I cook the beef for about 10 minutes. You will know it is ready when it changes colour and becomes firm.
Thanks Kevin, greatly appreciated!
Could you please elaborate on rehydrating? How and when to prepare it for.
I have a number of videos on this subject, just dig a little deeper in my channel.
sorry i but am new to this why do you want to take away the fat i mean its a grat energy source.does it mess up the proceses? btw nice vid
Hi Backyard Camper, yes the faat can give energy but it also can go rancid. There are two major reasons to dehydrate meals 1) they last a long time (even without refridgeration) and 2) they are lighter. Unfortunatly the fat needs to be removed as much as possible to make the meal safe to store. I add olive oil when I am making the meal to add some fat back in - it works but it still isn't quite the same.
I'm kind of curious, if anyone might have an idea, if after all of this, you then vacuum sealed the meats and stored them in a cool, dry, dark place (but not refrigerated), how long might it last? I see a lot of sites that list dehydration or vacuum sealing for storage, but not cooking, dehydrating, _and_ vacuum sealing... TIA for any ideas!
That is what I want to do to cook , preserve it, and store for long term!
Hi John, properly dehydrated and stored in airtight containers the food will easily last 6 months to a year but probably up to 4 years if everything is done well.
If I want to do this for long term storage, what would I do? We are moving off-grid and will have solar, but I want to conserve the solar.
Hi Michelle, I know and appreciate that a lot of homesteaders and preppers get something from these videos but I really see this as a backcountry meal alternative especially for some ingredients. I suppose for off-grid situations I would concentrate on fresh produce from the garden and I wouldn't make meals but rather dehydrate individual ingredients. Dehydrated food should last 6 months to a year if you do a good job. Longer if you vacuum seal the food and include a desiccant pack. good luck!
Hello again Kevin ! Quick question : if I don't have a pressure cooker, should I try and boil the chicken like I did for the beef ? Thank you in advance for your help.
Hi Francis, boiling will work but the meat will still be difficult to rehydrate. Some folks have suggested a long cook time in a slow cooker will give similar results but I haven't tried that. Canned chicken also works well as it is basically pressure cooked in the can for preservation.
@@KevinOutdoors Thanks again for the reply. I actually got a used pressure cooker... I wanted to do this as good as possible. It worked pretty well !
Hi Kevin. Great video. Sorry if this has already been asked, so here it goes.
1. Have you or could you steam the meat instead of boiling?
2. Have you or could you add seasoning, herbs or spices to boiling water or pressure cooker and then dry the meat?
Thanks!
Hi Karen, good questions.
1) I suppose steaming meat would work. Lots of folks fry the meat then dehydrate it and they simply dab off the fat with paper towel. The boiling method removes all the fat and the meat rehydrates well. Steaming should also do a good job of removing fat but I would probably pour boiling water over it just to rinse off any excess. I would assume it would also rehydrate well, unlike fried meat.
2) Absolutely, this is the basic video with no special tricks. Check out my butter chicken video. I often add herbs or spices to the pressure cooker to enhance the flavour of chicken. It actually works quite well. I am not so sure it would make much difference in boiling water. Perhaps I need to pressure cook beef?