Meat on the trail

[MuddyWaters]

All jerky not equal. Nor hard and tough.
I have local near me that is great. $$$. Had to change name to kippered beef sticks because moisture level too high to be called jerky.

The Krave chipotle is awesome. Soft, tasty. Seriously, try thus stuff. Walmart carries now.

Some jerky out west in texas, nm, is like crusty old cardboard. Terrible.

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I use a Nesco dehydrator and it works great. I like to dehydrate pasta sauce without the meat. It turns into a "brittle like" substance. about a 3rd of a jar makes a good portion. Then rehydrate and add no boil pasta and vacuum packet of pepperoni. And you have an awesome spaghetti dinner on the trail.

[Mouser999]

Tyson has cooked chicken (7,5 ounces) in bags. A little too much for me. Tried I t once neede spices. Should keep over night .

[Venchka]

Tyson has cooked chicken (7,5 ounces) in bags. A little too much for me. Tried I t once neede spices. Should keep over night .

Try this stuff at home first. I bought the Grilled Chicken variety. The fake smoke additives gave off an aroma and taste that made me gag. Normally, I'm known as the guy who eats anything. The Tyson Grilled Chicken disproved that claim. 7 ounces was way too much chicken for a single serving as well.
Krave Jerky rocks!
Wayne


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[Deacon]

Suzzz,
Each year I dehydrate several dishes that contain either ground pork or ground beef. I begin dehydrating in January for the upcoming season.

I still have a couple of six ounce ziploc bags of "barbecued spaghetti with pork" in my hiking drawer that I dried last January, and is still good.

I would be comfortable with dried meat up to a year if kept in a dark, not too warm place.

[Hosh]

I use glass mason jars that are vacuum sealed with an attachment to my FoodSaver sealer. I then store in a freezer and get 2-3 years shelf life.

[Wise Old Owl]

Most here are making the same season for same year of use. Reconstituting gravel and Jerky IMO doesn't have a good outcome... but if that's what you want to do that's great. There is a trick that is spelled out in the Nesco instructions.Take time to soak the meats overnight in an acid of choosing, a good low sodium teriyaki, or Vinegar, and bring the meat to a soft dry. I set a separate electrical timer and have a cut off in four hours or adjust accordingly.

Ground beef should be browned prior to any process, I have tried it without a soak in an acid, appears OK. The basic idea of soaking is to prevent mold growth.

Good idea with the Ball Jars - avoids Botulism, for backpacking - I would still use a vac sealer. Do not hang on to the meat after one year.

I too use HB eggs, Home made Jerky, Sausage (Salami and Pepperoni) hard block cheese and small tubs of Cream Cheese for bagels and landjaeger sausage.

[Suzzz]

I too use HB eggs.

How long are they good for once they're boiled? Is it the only/best way to bring eggs on the trail? Are there companies who make dehydrated or freeze dried eggs? I know you can find ready made breakfast meals, i.e. bacon and eggs, omelets, etc. but what about just eggs? My reason for asking is for situations when you'd want to add eggs to a recipe on the trail.

[slbirdnerd]

I'm working on the menu for my first big trip and I am planning to work on take meat with me. Buying from someone else is convenient but can be expensive. You can get a good dehydrator for $50. I have 2 Nesco dehydrators and they work great. Plus they are expandable for larger preps. I hvae been reading the Backpacking Chef and he has some great recipes along with directions for dehydrating a variety of your own foods.

http://www.backpackingchef.com/

+1 for Backpackingchef.com! I learned how to dehydrate ground beef from him, and I do plan ground beef to put in with pasta and marinara, and also seasoned taco meat to make soft tacos or "walking tacos" on the trail. Lots of options! Also check out http://www.trailcooking.com/.

[Sandy of PA]

How long are they good for once they're boiled? Is it the only/best way to bring eggs on the trail? Are there companies who make dehydrated or freeze dried eggs? I know you can find ready made breakfast meals, i.e. bacon and eggs, omelets, etc. but what about just eggs? My reason for asking is for situations when you'd want to add eggs to a recipe on the trail.

I got freeze dried scrambled eggs from Mountain House thru Beprepared.com. I had to buy the #10 can to get just plain eggs, pre-cooked ready to eat. If you don't rehydrate they are like eating egg flavored Styrofoam, I eat them this way about half the time. Overall not too bad, go great in mashed tators or Ramen.

[Suzzz]

Egg flavored styrofoam... yeah, really looking forward to that. Haha. That sounds terrible but then again, what might be considered to be terrible in a ''normal'' setting can quickly become very acceptable when you're tired and hungry on the trail.

Thanks for all your input guys, I'm taking notes. My kids don't know it yet but they're about to become my guinea pigs. I'll be testing all this on my family before hitting the trail in July. If it's not tasty they won't be shy about letting me know.

[swisscross]

Egg flavored styrofoam... yeah, really looking forward to that. Haha. That sounds terrible but then again, what might be considered to be terrible in a ''normal'' setting can quickly become very acceptable when you're tired and hungry on the trail.

Thanks for all your input guys, I'm taking notes. My kids don't know it yet but they're about to become my guinea pigs. I'll be testing all this on my family before hitting the trail in July. If it's not tasty they won't be shy about letting me know.

My wife is my guinea pig.
I really enjoy cooking so dehydrating came naturally for me.
I have only had a couple of things that did not turn out as I had wished.

Shrimp, fish, ground beef, ground pork and chicken all dehydrate well.
I find meat takes longer to rehydrate than most ingredients.
Found it helpful to not package the meat with other ingredients and add a little water to the meat of choice a couple of hours before cooking the rest.

[Suzzz]

I find meat takes longer to rehydrate than most ingredients.
Found it helpful to not package the meat with other ingredients and add a little water to the meat of choice a couple of hours before cooking the rest.

I was thinking about bringing an empty peannut butter or similar jar (plastic - not heavy) to put food and a little water to rehydrate while walking the last leg of the day and have it ready to cook once I stop for the evening.

[egilbe]

Alton Brown has an episode on good eats where he makes jerky. You can check it out on Netflix.

[Pastor Bryon]

I have purchased cuts of dried beef from our local Amish store and it has worked great. It will keep for a couple of days easily without refrigeration. Also, at the store, I can give them an idea of how I want it cut and then they will wrap it twice to keep it nice and fresh.

I've used this to make a beef mac and cheese that turned out pretty darn good. Also good with wheat thins and colby jack cheese.

[swisscross]

Alton Brown has an episode on good eats where he makes jerky. You can check it out on Netflix.

Didn't he use home air filters and a box fan?
Watched an episode of him smoking salmon in a cardboard box using an alum. pie pan to hold the wood chips.

[Venchka]

How long are they good for once they're boiled? Is it the only/best way to bring eggs on the trail? Are there companies who make dehydrated or freeze dried eggs? I know you can find ready made breakfast meals, i.e. bacon and eggs, omelets, etc. but what about just eggs? My reason for asking is for situations when you'd want to add eggs to a recipe on the trail.

Ova Easy Eggs. 12 eggs / package. REI stocks them. I've also seen them at well stocked outfitters.
Wayne


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[saltysack]

Nothing better than Krave chili lime jerky....I buy it in large quantities off Amazon....Cabot seriously sharp cheddar on wheat thins or Hawaiian sweet rolls with pepperoni is also the bomb..


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[atraildreamer]

...Some jerky out west in texas, nm, is like crusty old cardboard. Terrible.

That is because it was made for crusty, old cowboys!

cowboy.jpeg

You got a problem with that Pilgrim?

[Wheezy]

Imitation crab meat dries/rehydrates really well. Goes great in a Pasta Side.