I’ve been dehydrating ground beef for a few years and it’s honestly my favorite thing on my shelf because it’s SO easy to use and tastes much better than pressure canned ground beef.
I didn’t like the texture of the meat when I canned it but after watching Becoming a Farm Girl on youtube I started dehydrating it. It is in the higher 95% of being like freshly cooked ground beef. Adding spices to it as I fry it up masks any minute off taste.
I dehydrate my ground venison. There is no fat because I grind my meat, made from trimmed venison with all fat and silver skin removed. I add chopped onions and or green peppers, canned tomatoes and spices while cooking the meat. After dehydrating I will store it in vacuum seal bags, after placing the dried meat in paper bags to prevent the dried meat from puncturing the seal a meal bags. I have experimented with just storing the dried meat in plastic jars ( used peanut butter jars) using no vacuum sealing at all. I have had no problem with spoilage after 3 years on the self. And sample it occasionally to see if it is still edible!!
Chicken, dehydrated, for vacation meals with one-day travel, then back in the refrigerator. Cooked the chicken in rotel. Cubed chicken. Dehydrated with juices and all the bits. Refrigerated in a sealed bag until time to travel. Another sealed bag with dehydrated veggies, dehydrated broth, and seasonings. Just add water to soak in the refrigerator overnight. Easy, economical vacation meals & so good! Thank you Darcy for all you do!
I have dehydrated cooked ground beef (sloppy joes & taco meat) last year, still in vacuumed sealed jars. They are still good. I keep them in a dark cool room. I open once in a while to check, then reseal. I need freezer space. I have also canned meatloaf (with bread crumbs) 2 years ago, opened a jar last week and it smelled and tasted delicious, so keeping them on the shelf a bit longer.
My ground beef and chicken with breadcrumbs are still in pristine condition from 2022. If the breadcrumbs make it rancid, I will smell it. My eggs from the same date are still pristine. It's amazing.
YES on the breadcrumbs! It makes rehydration so much faster/easier. Also, it seems to make the dehydrated version so much better. My husband will actually snack on the breadcrumb dehydrated meat right out of the jar. I love your idea of rehydrating with broth, I will try that next time.
I have limited freezer space. I have ground beef that I dehydrated four years ago that is still good. I use enough for 1-2 servings and re-vacuum seal the jar. I don’t care for the texture of the dehydrated ground meat as much as fresh ground meat. I’m going to try using the bread crumbs on the next batch. I had thought about making croutons out of stale bread but hadn’t gotten around to it. I had not thought about making my own bread crumbs. More things to add to my ever growing dehydrating list😃
Wow. I had no idea meat could be dehydrated. I only buy the low-fat ground beef because my husband has a heart condition so this would be perfect for longer-ish storage for me (rather than just freezing it all the time).
I’m watching every single one of your RUclips videos and beginning to fill and vacuum seal my jars! I have used my dehydrator more this past week than almost of last year. I turn 70 in a week! Better late than never!
I just found your page, and omgoodness I have been binge watching you for 2 days! Thank you for the wonderful videos and information! I've had my dehydrator for over a year just to do beets for my anemia. Now I decided to start my long term pantry. I love your videos. Just getting started and I'm all over the place with wanting to dehydrate/vacuum sealing. Lol
I love dehydrated ground beef. I make it and jar it with “fast” (dehydrated) cooked pasta and seasonings in a jar for camping. Rehydrate and simmer, perfect! Saves on camping fuel and can even be done in a solar cooker. Love the taco seasoning idea. Chili would be good as well. If you don’t want to use jars, you can vacuum seal for camping as well. I actually love canned ground beef as well. Such an easy shortcut for chili, tacos, and sloppy Joe’s. Yum 😋.
These are great suggestions! Especially pizza… I already use dehydrated peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms… but this would be nice not to have to cook the meat… even fasrer! And for tacos! Great! 🥰 Thank you!
You’re a mind reader! Just two days ago I was thinking about how I need to try dehydrating taco beef! I’ve been trying to come up with a few dehydrated meals for an upcoming camping trip. It’s a hike-in site, so dropping even just a few pounds of extra weight would be great.
Thank for the bread crumbs idea! My wife bakes bread every Sunday, but it often doesn't get used up. I suggested we use you method on Thursday bread. Great was to not waste bread and save money on bread crumbs.
I've been cutting up lean beef when it's on sale (like London Broil - very lean) and putting the chunks in my food processor to turn it into ground beef. I'm going to have to try drying it. Thank you!
So glad to see this video. TFS I've been dehydrating ground beef for years now per your first method using 93% lean, fry, drain, dehydrate. I store it in the freezer because I read that freezing it after dehydrating it literally stops all biological processes--plus, no freezer burn! It's never gone rancid on me, but the older it is, the longer it takes to rehydrate, and the older product can be chewy. I don't season mine but do rehydrate in beef broth for soup, spaghetti, sloppy joes, taco meat. Believe me, it's a dinnertime game changer after you've spent 2 hours in rush hour traffic during a heavy snow just trying to get home! I've also dehydrated other ground meats, including sausage, which works out great for sausage gravy. Refrigerator case containers of sliced bbq beef or chicken dehydrate well too, if you like that stuff. Would love to see more meat dehy vids.
Another thing about prepping your meats as much ahead of time, because, as a prepper, one may never know what there is available in a grid-down situation. Thanks for the info. I’m just now looking at a dehydrator for purchase.
I genuinely don't think I've ever used a product as much as I have my dehydrator lol, Not even my electric kettle, toaster, or even microwave at this point gets more use than my dehydrator. It's so awesome I can enjoy more time on the trail, and then feel like a gourmet chef at home dehydrating everything.
Darcy, I’m actually rethinking whether I REALLY want a freeze dryer or not. I’ve wanted one for years but the last year or so I’ve been so happy with the dehydrated food I’ve made that I don’t know if I can justify the expense. Peeps who have a freeze dryer, would you buy one again & Why?
I watch @GardenLikeAViking who has increased my backyard crop yields immensely. So, I got a Cosori dehydrator. I am 70, never hydrated before. I am having a ball. Taters on sale for 99 cents/5 lb bag, so I am dehydrating 10lbs! Let alone carrots, chili peppers, tomatoes and herbs all from garden.
I am right there with you. I had been budgeting/saving for a freeze dryer and I am now rethinking it. I am going to dehydrate some meat and other things to compare with freeze dried and see which works best for us (really leaning towards not buying)
I rinse my ground cooked beef to rinse out the fat then drain for a hour b4 putting into my dehydrator. Thanks for showing people how to stock up their pantry
I’m glad you mentioned seasoning. Even when I can ground beef, I season it, and add a dollop of tomato past to each jar. Even though the texture is still different, the bit of tomato makes all the difference.
Suggestion regarding getting the meat off the trays. I am a messy cook. When I dehydrated some tomatoes, they ended up all over the place when I tried to take them off the Nesco trays. I found that scrapping them off into a clean dish basin contained most of the mess and it would be a simple thing to put your sheet down in the basin for easier pouring when transferring the dehydrated items into a container.
Just found this video. I have wanted to try dehydrating but remain a lurker…this video was incredibly helpful for someone who isn’t even a beginner. Thanks!
The breadcrumbs are a big improvement they are like tiny sponges aiding in rehydration also the texture is highly improved (less gravel feeling) I use dried ground beef as a staple in my backbacking meals , and it can even be cold soaked for those who don't want to carry a stove(or if you run out of fuel while in the backcountry)
Thank you for this video. I am keto because of health so bread crumbs would be out of the question for me, but if I just season the meat and use it that way, what a game changer
I normally refreeze it if i don't use it up after camping. Plus if you looking to store a tone in the freeze dehydrate it makes lots of room. Chicken can be done the same way . Love it in my frugal soups
@@janp7660 yes you can dehydrate lean meats . But it has to be kept frozen it can go bad . If you can freeze dry foods it can last on the shelf . I like cooking soups when I camp so I carry dehydrated foods with me . Or you can snack on the dehydrated foods as you go for hikes .
Lately I’ve been cooking up all my ground beef when I first buy it, then freezing a pound per freezer bag. Saves a ton of time. What advantages are there to dehydrating compared to what I’m doing now? I’ve been wanting to use my dehydrator to get my money’s worth out of it. And I thought, can I do meat?! And here you are.
Thank you for explaining this with your book. I wasnt quite sure how to measure and fill things out. I gifted myself your journal for beginners book for Christmas and am very much looking forward to using it this month.
HMMMM got my brain working now...I have never thought about dehyrate meat like this ...I know what I am going to be doing and a good way to clean out the freezer for space...I see this in my near future Thank You for this video
I love dehydrated ground beef as a snack. I leave some fat and then store it in the freezer. But I'm going to try doing some with bread crumbs like you suggested and see if I can use it rehydrated. This is a great video. Thank you!
Jan - unless you're hiking and need fast rehydrating, I didn't see it being much different and won't be using it as a normal means of drying beef in the future.
Thank you for the video. I am getting ready to dehydrate ground beef to grind into a powder to make pemmican. Thank you so much for sharing the link to the jar vacuum sealer. It's not that expensive. I love it when youtubers provide information and give us links. :)
I have followed similar method, but froze the ground meat first, then dehydrated (based on another recommendation). It turned out great, very crunchy. Vacuum sealed and placed on the shelf. Have now processed some ground turkey, same method. Next time will add the bread crumbs ~ and love your breadcrumb recommendation.
Darcy this process looks fantastic, THANK you so much! Am going to give this a go with some ground deer, elk, caribou and moose meat… happy greetings from central Alberta, Canada 🥰
@@ThePurposefulPantry I still haven't tried this because I haven't really had opportunity to, but I hope to soon 😂 I went keto, so I may try the breadcrumbs but with almond flour instead. I'm thinking I may brown it all in the pan because let's face it, pan beef is best beef! Then once it's browned, boil it to get max fat out and skim off the top, but save that fat for later. My plan is to save all the fat, maybe in a small container in the fridge, and recombine it at eating time. I'll let you know how it all goes when I get a chance 😊
I love watching your videos. You are informative and to the point !!! Most of us need the info. w/o the jabber. Not trying to be mean, but 15 min. or less filled with info. I can go back and watch again if needed. Thanks for your time ! I just bought a new dehydrator, haven’t used. Don’t want to waste the time or foods !!! Ohhhh. Never entertained keeping the strawberry tops before now ! 🌺🌺🌺
Look a little at your first projects being experiments that might not make it (but then you can just make powder instead!). It's all a learning curve, but you can do it!
I have heard about it a lot. I’m going to try it too. I like to boil my hamburger and then after I’ve patted it dry before I put it in the dehydrator then I season it then. I don’t like to do the fry and squeeze the juice and fat out because it’s very time-consuming.
So glad to find your channel I have never dehydrated any meat of any kind we do grow our own beef and that would be great doing some of that meat. I have an Excalibur and have done lots of vegetables. I will be looking for some books on dehydrating meat.
I think if I were to go to the length of cooking all the way through, I would skip the drying step and store it in freezer since it seems that is the needed step anyway with the dehydrated. I guess, though, having some dried and frozen that could be pulled out of the freezer in a grid-down situation would be handy! So, I will copy your method and put up some that way too, Thanks for all you do!
Love, love, love all the tips! I really like the ideas of boiling a larger batch! I never use ground beef, however I'm pretty sure all of these tips will work for ground turkey.
As a diabetic, I wouldn't want to "pollute" a protein with heavy carbs. It would make it difficult for me to track. Other than that, i like the idea of dehydrating the ground beef with or without some seasonings. ❤
As a diabetic, food storage is a different ballgame in many ways. Protein has to be the main challenge unless you manage carbs with insulin. I'm focused on protein, fat, and SOME carbs (not a lot).
Talk about timing. We have Sirloin Tip roasts on sale here for $4.88 a pound CDN (and when I heard what our loonie was worth versus USD on the way home I think it works out about $3 for you folks). Now, hubby has dentures so he prefers ground meat. Period. Doesn't even care for burgers any more. I invested in a very good meat grinder a while ago, so no problem. Except a severe lack of space in my freezer, so I think I will try this, as it will be great in soups if nothing else. And I have been looking for an excuse to invest in a vacuum sealer for jars. Ahh, beef barley soup on tap for months to come.
Ah! Thank you again Darcy! Such a good video, great tips and great suggestions. This will be definitely on my list to do. I like shortcuts too! 😊 It will be great for lunches too… when the neat is ready, the rest comes along fast. Again, thank you, this is new to me. But it will save me a llot of time.
When I do this, I save all the rebdered fat abd and put it in through several rendering cycles to remove impurities. I make both little tiny all the wa up yo large mason jars of shelf stable lard, or when i render out butter i have ghee!
I make my own dog food which calls for lean meat and I've been looking for ways to store extra outside of the freezer, in case of extended power outages. This would work for me... I can dehydrate the meats and veggies separately, then combine all the ingredients before storing. This would be great for longer camping trips, too.
To fry ground meat, I use a stainless steel dutch oven, with a steel wire potato masher. It does a great job of breaking up the ground meat as you cook it.
Thanks for the video. I didn’t realize dehydrating meat was possible. Thanks for the demo. What is your vacuum sealer called? I have a food saver that I only use for my jars. That option would save a lot of space.
I don’t have a vacuum sealer but I’d love to try this. My care work shifts are 24 hours with a sleep-in. Sometimes an unexpected 48 hours if the next staff member rings in sick. This could prove very handy. It’s never nice getting stuck with no meat to add to packet meals.
Jar Sealer Vacuum Kit for Regular Wide Canning Sealing Kitchen Packaging Food AU. This is also a great product as it doesn’t require batteries or power
Ive been dehydrating for a couple of yrs now, and i am a minimalist camper/hiker/roadtrip Queen! Ive never dehydrated meat though. Time to start! I am not digging my emergency jars of canned ground meat on the shelf. Thanks for your great video & all your helpful commenters.
You can do it! You need to try all the ways to see what works best for you, too. I didn't find enough of a difference adding the bread to the meat to make it worth my while, but my cooking is different than what you'd do camping -so see what works for you!
I canned ground beef and DID NOT like the texture. I guess I could use in a meat pasta sauce if necessary. I really love the dehydrated ground beef as it’s texture is closer to the fresh. I don’t season as I use it in different ways and also give to my dogs when necessary.
You covered all the bases. I dehydrated ground beef 2 years ago. I ate it last week. Still good, but I could taste the bread crumbs. Not seasoned. I like your method better.
I boiled my ground beef, then took a fork to it to break it up. My dehydrator died so I learned to use my oven. 170° and after the first 6 hours, I check every hour until it's crispy.
Get the printable recipe and a few more tips here: www.thepurposefulpantry.com/dehydrate-ground-beef/
thanks much
Do you have a link for the journal?
I’ve been dehydrating ground beef for a few years and it’s honestly my favorite thing on my shelf because it’s SO easy to use and tastes much better than pressure canned ground beef.
Same!
So you just freeze it
I didn’t like the texture of the meat when I canned it but after watching Becoming a Farm Girl on youtube I started dehydrating it. It is in the higher 95% of being like freshly cooked ground beef. Adding spices to it as I fry it up masks any minute off taste.
Thanks for this comment, taste is very important to me and it looks like I'll have to try this now!
Thanks csimmons! What is your favorite process for dehydrating gr beef??? Fry and blot? Boil? Season?
I dehydrate my ground venison. There is no fat because I grind my meat, made from trimmed venison with all fat and silver skin removed. I add chopped onions and or green peppers, canned tomatoes and spices while cooking the meat. After dehydrating I will store it in vacuum seal bags, after placing the dried meat in paper bags to prevent the dried meat from puncturing the seal a meal bags. I have experimented with just storing the dried meat in plastic jars ( used peanut butter jars) using no vacuum sealing at all. I have had no problem with spoilage after 3 years on the self. And sample it occasionally to see if it is still edible!!
Chicken, dehydrated, for vacation meals with one-day travel, then back in the refrigerator. Cooked the chicken in rotel. Cubed chicken. Dehydrated with juices and all the bits. Refrigerated in a sealed bag until time to travel. Another sealed bag with dehydrated veggies, dehydrated broth, and seasonings. Just add water to soak in the refrigerator overnight. Easy, economical vacation meals & so good! Thank you Darcy for all you do!
I have dehydrated cooked ground beef (sloppy joes & taco meat) last year, still in vacuumed sealed jars. They are still good. I keep them in a dark cool room. I open once in a while to check, then reseal. I need freezer space. I have also canned meatloaf (with bread crumbs) 2 years ago, opened a jar last week and it smelled and tasted delicious, so keeping them on the shelf a bit longer.
Like I said - it's your mileage may vary ;)
Thank you for the tips!!
I'd love to hear more about what you put in your meatloaf, what liquid you process it in, etc
Eat sooner rather than later; it's hasn't been tested and has unapproved ingredients
My ground beef and chicken with breadcrumbs are still in pristine condition from 2022. If the breadcrumbs make it rancid, I will smell it. My eggs from the same date are still pristine. It's amazing.
Oh, Lord bless you for this. Can't afford freeze dryer, but love my dehydrator.
YES on the breadcrumbs! It makes rehydration so much faster/easier. Also, it seems to make the dehydrated version so much better. My husband will actually snack on the breadcrumb dehydrated meat right out of the jar. I love your idea of rehydrating with broth, I will try that next time.
How do you use this?
But they don't taste any different. Yes, a little faster rehydrating, but I didn't find any taste difference worth the extra step.
I always, always, always rehydrate with broth; it make a world of difference in the flavor
that is a great idea
I have limited freezer space. I have ground beef that I dehydrated four years ago that is still good. I use enough for 1-2 servings and re-vacuum seal the jar. I don’t care for the texture of the dehydrated ground meat as much as fresh ground meat. I’m going to try using the bread crumbs on the next batch. I had thought about making croutons out of stale bread but hadn’t gotten around to it. I had not thought about making my own bread crumbs. More things to add to my ever growing dehydrating list😃
Do you store on the shelf or freezer?
@@bgatlin5918 I store it on the shelf.
Wow. I had no idea meat could be dehydrated. I only buy the low-fat ground beef because my husband has a heart condition so this would be perfect for longer-ish storage for me (rather than just freezing it all the time).
I’m watching every single one of your RUclips videos and beginning to fill and vacuum seal my jars! I have used my dehydrator more this past week than almost of last year.
I turn 70 in a week! Better late than never!
YAY! Way to go! And happy birthday!
Good work! We can get around the social security cuts and hopefully survive with tips like these!
I like how you roll it up on the paper towel to get excess grease off. Excellent idea
I just found your page, and omgoodness I have been binge watching you for 2 days! Thank you for the wonderful videos and information! I've had my dehydrator for over a year just to do beets for my anemia. Now I decided to start my long term pantry. I love your videos. Just getting started and I'm all over the place with wanting to dehydrate/vacuum sealing. Lol
I love dehydrated ground beef. I make it and jar it with “fast” (dehydrated) cooked pasta and seasonings in a jar for camping. Rehydrate and simmer, perfect! Saves on camping fuel and can even be done in a solar cooker. Love the taco seasoning idea. Chili would be good as well. If you don’t want to use jars, you can vacuum seal for camping as well.
I actually love canned ground beef as well. Such an easy shortcut for chili, tacos, and sloppy Joe’s. Yum 😋.
Oh duh, vacuum sealed bags! I take waay too many canning jars on roadtrips.
I love dehydrated ground beef and ground sausage for pizza, tacos, spaghetti sauce, etc. Very convenient!
These are great suggestions! Especially pizza… I already use dehydrated peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms… but this would be nice not to have to cook the meat… even fasrer! And for tacos! Great! 🥰 Thank you!
@@danielledurand75 thank you, and you’re welcome!
Do you rehydrate before tossing them on the pizza?
You’re a mind reader! Just two days ago I was thinking about how I need to try dehydrating taco beef! I’ve been trying to come up with a few dehydrated meals for an upcoming camping trip. It’s a hike-in site, so dropping even just a few pounds of extra weight would be great.
Yep - better than carrying in the seasoning ahead of time, too :)
this was EXACTLY my reason for watching this tutorial, for lightweight shelf stable ingredient ideas😎
Thank for the bread crumbs idea! My wife bakes bread every Sunday, but it often doesn't get used up. I suggested we use you method on Thursday bread. Great was to not waste bread and save money on bread crumbs.
I've been cutting up lean beef when it's on sale (like London Broil - very lean) and putting the chunks in my food processor to turn it into ground beef. I'm going to have to try drying it. Thank you!
I am so thankful I have found you (new subscriber). I love dehydrating. Thank you for the work you put into these videos.
Thanks for watching! I hope they are giving you some great inspiration!
Darcy, this was a well done, well presented, well thought out video. I am not so sceptical about doing this now. TFS
aww, thanks, Koni! I've been freezing on this one for a long time because I wanted to make sure I got it right. Thanks!
I first saw your video on dehydrating ground beef almost a year ago. It changed my life!
That's impressive since I've never done a video on it before ;) (unless you meant the boiling to cook).
@@ThePurposefulPantry You WERE boiling to cook.
So glad to see this video. TFS I've been dehydrating ground beef for years now per your first method using 93% lean, fry, drain, dehydrate. I store it in the freezer because I read that freezing it after dehydrating it literally stops all biological processes--plus, no freezer burn! It's never gone rancid on me, but the older it is, the longer it takes to rehydrate, and the older product can be chewy. I don't season mine but do rehydrate in beef broth for soup, spaghetti, sloppy joes, taco meat. Believe me, it's a dinnertime game changer after you've spent 2 hours in rush hour traffic during a heavy snow just trying to get home! I've also dehydrated other ground meats, including sausage, which works out great for sausage gravy. Refrigerator case containers of sliced bbq beef or chicken dehydrate well too, if you like that stuff. Would love to see more meat dehy vids.
Another thing about prepping your meats as much ahead of time, because, as a prepper, one may never know what there is available in a grid-down situation. Thanks for the info. I’m just now looking at a dehydrator for purchase.
I genuinely don't think I've ever used a product as much as I have my dehydrator lol,
Not even my electric kettle, toaster, or even microwave at this point gets more use than my dehydrator.
It's so awesome I can enjoy more time on the trail, and then feel like a gourmet chef at home dehydrating everything.
Darcy, I’m actually rethinking whether I REALLY want a freeze dryer or not. I’ve wanted one for years but the last year or so I’ve been so happy with the dehydrated food I’ve made that I don’t know if I can justify the expense. Peeps who have a freeze dryer, would you buy one again & Why?
I don't have an answer for you, sorry, just no experience to give you. Hopefully someone will chime in.
So expensive
I’d love one but don’t have the funds
I watch @GardenLikeAViking who has increased my backyard crop yields immensely. So, I got a Cosori dehydrator. I am 70, never hydrated before. I am having a ball. Taters on sale for 99 cents/5 lb bag, so I am dehydrating 10lbs! Let alone carrots, chili peppers, tomatoes and herbs all from garden.
I am right there with you. I had been budgeting/saving for a freeze dryer and I am now rethinking it. I am going to dehydrate some meat and other things to compare with freeze dried and see which works best for us (really leaning towards not buying)
I squeeze the fat out of my ground beef before i freeze it (cooked), haven't dehydrated it yet, this video came at the right time
Always good info, you deserve a tip, thanks!
Thanks :)
I rinse my ground cooked beef to rinse out the fat then drain for a hour b4 putting into my dehydrator. Thanks for showing people how to stock up their pantry
Thank you once again Darcy for an easy to understand tutorial!❤
I’m glad you mentioned seasoning. Even when I can ground beef, I season it, and add a dollop of tomato past to each jar. Even though the texture is still different, the bit of tomato makes all the difference.
Thanks!!
Suggestion regarding getting the meat off the trays. I am a messy cook. When I dehydrated some tomatoes, they ended up all over the place when I tried to take them off the Nesco trays. I found that scrapping them off into a clean dish basin contained most of the mess and it would be a simple thing to put your sheet down in the basin for easier pouring when transferring the dehydrated items into a container.
Great idea..... thanks
I press up from underneath the tray and kind of "pop" them (sliced tomatoes) and they come off easier that way
I learned how to can ground beef about 2 years ago and I love it. I’m excited to try this now! Awesome!
I love your new hair style🎉
Just found this video. I have wanted to try dehydrating but remain a lurker…this video was incredibly helpful for someone who isn’t even a beginner. Thanks!
You're welcome! I'm glad you found it helpful.
We dehydrated our first things this weekend. We just vacuum sealed them into mylar bags today. OMG. Do it! It’s so fun!
I’m doing this! New at dehydrating, have had good results with fruits and vegetables. Thank you. Thanks to all the comments also
The breadcrumbs are a big improvement they are like tiny sponges aiding in rehydration also the texture is highly improved (less gravel feeling)
I use dried ground beef as a staple in my backbacking meals , and it can even be cold soaked for those who don't want to carry a stove(or if you run out of fuel while in the backcountry)
Awesome video. This could save me tons of money during backpacking and hunting.
Your book makes it so easy to keep track of notes.
Awesome!
I have just started making camp meals for this season .
I fry and boil my beef .
Thank you for this video. I am keto because of health so bread crumbs would be out of the question for me, but if I just season the meat and use it that way, what a game changer
I normally refreeze it if i don't use it up after camping. Plus if you looking to store a tone in the freeze dehydrate it makes lots of room. Chicken can be done the same way . Love it in my frugal soups
Are you saying that you dehydrate ground chicken or any kind of cooked chicken?
@@janp7660 yes you can dehydrate lean meats . But it has to be kept frozen it can go bad . If you can freeze dry foods it can last on the shelf . I like cooking soups when I camp so I carry dehydrated foods with me . Or you can snack on the dehydrated foods as you go for hikes .
Lately I’ve been cooking up all my ground beef when I first buy it, then freezing a pound per freezer bag. Saves a ton of time. What advantages are there to dehydrating compared to what I’m doing now? I’ve been wanting to use my dehydrator to get my money’s worth out of it. And I thought, can I do meat?! And here you are.
Thank you for making this video. I was wondering about how to store dehydrated food long term.
Thank you for explaining this with your book. I wasnt quite sure how to measure and fill things out. I gifted myself your journal for beginners book for Christmas and am very much looking forward to using it this month.
Very cool and very informative!! Thank you, Darcy
Great Video! Cook Tip: I like to use a potato masher to break up and incorporate seasoning into ground beef.
Thanks for the great pantry prep video!
Hi, Thanks for sharing, I use parchment paper for things that might fall through the racks of my dehydrator, It works great.
HMMMM got my brain working now...I have never thought about dehyrate meat like this ...I know what I am going to be doing and a good way to clean out the freezer for space...I see this in my near future Thank You for this video
You're welcome!
Thanks Darcey, another fantastic video
I love dehydrated ground beef as a snack. I leave some fat and then store it in the freezer. But I'm going to try doing some with bread crumbs like you suggested and see if I can use it rehydrated. This is a great video. Thank you!
Jan - unless you're hiking and need fast rehydrating, I didn't see it being much different and won't be using it as a normal means of drying beef in the future.
Thank you for the video. I am getting ready to dehydrate ground beef to grind into a powder to make pemmican. Thank you so much for sharing the link to the jar vacuum sealer. It's not that expensive. I love it when youtubers provide information and give us links. :)
Love your channel! I have always wanted to try drying foods. Glad to see your videos. Thank you for all the info!🥰
I have followed similar method, but froze the ground meat first, then dehydrated (based on another recommendation). It turned out great, very crunchy. Vacuum sealed and placed on the shelf. Have now processed some ground turkey, same method. Next time will add the bread crumbs ~ and love your breadcrumb recommendation.
You are so AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hugs from Texas
Darcy this process looks fantastic, THANK you so much! Am going to give this a go with some ground deer, elk, caribou and moose meat… happy greetings from central Alberta, Canada 🥰
Good luck with it! Test out small amounts first so you know how you like the rehydrated versions, okay?
@@ThePurposefulPantry yessum! will keep you posted 😎
I am just beginning to learn about dehydrating foods. This video was very helpful. Thank you.
You are so welcome!
😍
Great lesson!!
TYVM
I’ve never dehydrated meat before but I’m feeling confident after your video to give it a try😁👍🏻
Hey Darcy! Thank you for this, I've been thinking about doing this for ages, will definitely try soon.
Hope you do and like the results!
@@ThePurposefulPantry I still haven't tried this because I haven't really had opportunity to, but I hope to soon 😂
I went keto, so I may try the breadcrumbs but with almond flour instead.
I'm thinking I may brown it all in the pan because let's face it, pan beef is best beef! Then once it's browned, boil it to get max fat out and skim off the top, but save that fat for later.
My plan is to save all the fat, maybe in a small container in the fridge, and recombine it at eating time.
I'll let you know how it all goes when I get a chance 😊
I love watching your videos. You are informative and to the point !!! Most of us need the info. w/o the jabber. Not trying to be mean, but 15 min. or less filled with info. I can go back and watch again if needed.
Thanks for your time !
I just bought a new dehydrator, haven’t used. Don’t want to waste the time or foods !!! Ohhhh. Never entertained keeping the strawberry tops before now ! 🌺🌺🌺
Look a little at your first projects being experiments that might not make it (but then you can just make powder instead!). It's all a learning curve, but you can do it!
I have heard about it a lot. I’m going to try it too. I like to boil my hamburger and then after I’ve patted it dry before I put it in the dehydrator then I season it then. I don’t like to do the fry and squeeze the juice and fat out because it’s very time-consuming.
A great wealth of info. Thanks Darcy
So glad to find your channel I have never dehydrated any meat of any kind we do grow our own beef and that would be great doing some of that meat. I have an Excalibur and have done lots of vegetables. I will be looking for some books on dehydrating meat.
Thank you. You're a good teacher and I can tell a great cook. Your hubby is fortunate lol
Really great video!
I think if I were to go to the length of cooking all the way through, I would skip the drying step and store it in freezer since it seems that is the needed step anyway with the dehydrated. I guess, though, having some dried and frozen that could be pulled out of the freezer in a grid-down situation would be handy! So, I will copy your method and put up some that way too, Thanks for all you do!
I've Always put breadcrumbs in the meat. I like using instant potatoes as well
Love, love, love all the tips! I really like the ideas of boiling a larger batch! I never use ground beef, however I'm pretty sure all of these tips will work for ground turkey.
Yes, they will.
❤@@ThePurposefulPantry
Thank you. I will definitely try this.
Hope you love how it turns out!
Thankyou for sharing your experience and knowledge with us....good life 😊
As a diabetic, I wouldn't want to "pollute" a protein with heavy carbs. It would make it difficult for me to track. Other than that, i like the idea of dehydrating the ground beef with or without some seasonings. ❤
As a diabetic, food storage is a different ballgame in many ways. Protein has to be the main challenge unless you manage carbs with insulin. I'm focused on protein, fat, and SOME carbs (not a lot).
Talk about timing. We have Sirloin Tip roasts on sale here for $4.88 a pound CDN (and when I heard what our loonie was worth versus USD on the way home I think it works out about $3 for you folks). Now, hubby has dentures so he prefers ground meat. Period. Doesn't even care for burgers any more. I invested in a very good meat grinder a while ago, so no problem. Except a severe lack of space in my freezer, so I think I will try this, as it will be great in soups if nothing else. And I have been looking for an excuse to invest in a vacuum sealer for jars. Ahh, beef barley soup on tap for months to come.
Ah! Thank you again Darcy! Such a good video, great tips and great suggestions. This will be definitely on my list to do. I like shortcuts too! 😊 It will be great for lunches too… when the neat is ready, the rest comes along fast. Again, thank you, this is new to me. But it will save me a llot of time.
When I do this, I save all the rebdered fat abd and put it in through several rendering cycles to remove impurities. I make both little tiny all the wa up yo large mason jars of shelf stable lard, or when i render out butter i have ghee!
Very helpful video - thanks Darcy!
Make my own mre's out of my dried beef,chicken ,and turkey.... been prepping for 15 years
I make my own dog food which calls for lean meat and I've been looking for ways to store extra outside of the freezer, in case of extended power outages. This would work for me... I can dehydrate the meats and veggies separately, then combine all the ingredients before storing. This would be great for longer camping trips, too.
Great to know Darcy. Really enjoy your videos
Thanks!
To fry ground meat, I use a stainless steel dutch oven, with a steel wire potato masher. It does a great job of breaking up the ground meat as you cook it.
I’m going to try this. I thought it wasn’t safe, but I’m in….
Thank you you are the best 😊
Thanks for the video. I didn’t realize dehydrating meat was possible. Thanks for the demo. What is your vacuum sealer called? I have a food saver that I only use for my jars. That option would save a lot of space.
It's in the description area - amzn.to/44P0SNN
I don’t have a vacuum sealer but I’d love to try this. My care work shifts are 24 hours with a sleep-in. Sometimes an unexpected 48 hours if the next staff member rings in sick. This could prove very handy. It’s never nice getting stuck with no meat to add to packet meals.
Roses homestead can show you how to make one with a bike pump.
Jar Sealer Vacuum Kit for Regular Wide Canning Sealing Kitchen Packaging Food AU. This is also a great product as it doesn’t require batteries or power
@@hetheringtonfamily8798 that’s great, thank you! 🙏
Thanks so much Darcy!
Thank YOY Darcy!!!!! 🎉
Please advise!!!! Hot water or broth to properly rehydrate. Other than that. Wonderful examples and direction.
Completely up to you.
I love all these ideas.
oh my why i never thought about doing the bread croutons instead of throwing the hard bread in the trash -lightbulb time💡
Fascinating. Thank you so much.
so much good information. So nice to see ways to do meat!
Thanks, Sarah!
Pour boiling water over the browned beef to remove excess fat. It doesn't change the flavor since you season it after defatting.
Im a Cincinnatian and I know of the fat cookie!! 😅 Is when I make a batch of Cinci chili I get the fat off!! Love your ideas so far!! ❤
Ive been dehydrating for a couple of yrs now, and i am a minimalist camper/hiker/roadtrip Queen! Ive never dehydrated meat though. Time to start! I am not digging my emergency jars of canned ground meat on the shelf. Thanks for your great video & all your helpful commenters.
You can do it! You need to try all the ways to see what works best for you, too. I didn't find enough of a difference adding the bread to the meat to make it worth my while, but my cooking is different than what you'd do camping -so see what works for you!
Love this!!!!!
Thank you!
I canned ground beef and DID NOT like the texture. I guess I could use in a meat pasta sauce if necessary. I really love the dehydrated ground beef as it’s texture is closer to the fresh. I don’t season as I use it in different ways and also give to my dogs when necessary.
You covered all the bases. I dehydrated ground beef 2 years ago. I ate it last week. Still good, but I could taste the bread crumbs. Not seasoned. I like your method better.
Just wondering how long you dehydrate your desiccant packs to recharge them and at what temp? Thanks 👍
If you have the color-chaning, until the color changes. I just throw them in for a few hours / overnight.
@@ThePurposefulPantry thank you! Your videos have helped a lot. Just got my 7 tray nesco today and already dehydrating sweet potatoes and bananas.
Thank you, very helpful.
You're welcome!
I love my freeze drier for all meat. You still need to remove as much fat as possible prior to freeze drying.
Love the video. What is that book you are using? If a person has to buy the lower grade beef, would boiling be better?
shop.thepurposefulpantry.com If it's high in fat, boiling will remove a lot that you have to manage if you fry it.
I boiled my ground beef, then took a fork to it to break it up. My dehydrator died so I learned to use my oven. 170° and after the first 6 hours, I check every hour until it's crispy.