My Chili Experiment

[Tuckahoe]

I have been trying the dehydrator out a bit and I find that my biggest frustration is that I am never please with the results of the dried meat. Never rehydrates fully and just tastes old. Pasta, rice and vegetables always work out just fine. So I have decided to come at the issue from a different approach; that I could always cook and dehydrate everything but the meat, and that I would add it freeze dried meat after everything else was cooked and dried.

My first try has been chili. I cooked up half an onion, half a green pepper, some mushrooms, a can of diced stewed tomatoes and a 6 ounce can of tomato sauce, half a can of pinto beans that I roughly chopped up with my hand blender and a packet of chili seasoning. Basically I cooked up the chili but left out the meat. I then placed two heaping 1 1/2 cup servings onto the dehydrator and dried.

To prepare I combined the dried chili vegetables and 3/4 cup of freeze dried ground beef along with a little salt pepper and garlic powder and covered with water. I cooked it until everything was rehydrated and it cam out great. The one thing I would probably change is that I would put in less freeze dried beef. Probably only 1/3 of a cup. And it wouldnt hurt to try out a few other filler vegetables.

[Wise Old Owl]

Drying removes the steam and aromas - hence it's tired. This is why expensive freeze dried works. You need to add more spices and sauces to make up for it.

[WingedMonkey]

I use my best chili recipe that I use at home. I make just the sauce and dry in separately, then cook the pinto beans which I also dry separately.
On the trail I reconstitute the sauce with extra liquid then add beans, usually skip the meat sometimes serve over instant brown rice.

[rocketsocks]

Aah Chili,one of my all time favorite dishes in the whole wide web!Tuckahoe,me mum makes a version of a vegetarian chili that uses rutabagas,and parsnips and it is good.They say no self respecting Texan would put beans in chili,well I was born but not raised there,and I love beans,especially on the trail,"No Respect".My pops recipe used some pork fat(jimmy deans sausage Hot)but don't tell anyone,and some cocoa powder not to much or it gets bitter.We always put the cumin in the last hour of cooking so it won't get bitter also,but throw in a little bit in the beginning so's folks No's we's cooking.I been thinking about a "trail corn bread" modeled after the recent "bread on a rock"thread.....Well I'm getting hongry...chilis huevos this morning? Bonapatite

[Farr Away]

...I been thinking about a "trail corn bread" modeled after the recent "bread on a rock"thread.....Well I'm getting hongry...chilis huevos this morning? Bonapatite

Corn bread batter works really well cooked into pancakes.

[rocketsocks]

Corn bread batter works really well cooked into pancakes.

Wow,that sounds great!I've seen people(on TV)cook little corn dogers on a shovel...maybe my trowel....never mind,pancakes sound good.

[Giantsbane]

The best thing that I have found for dehydrating ground meat is add 1/2 cup of bread crumbs for every one pound of meat. It helps to absorb more moisture in the re-hydrating process making the meat more tender.

[MyName1sMud]

And just like that..... i'm hungry for Chili.

[gopher]

I have had T.V.P, textured vegetable protein in chili. It is almost indistinguishable from ground beef. It is available at grocery stores under various brand names and is basically tofu. If you want to use tofu the brown stuff is crumbly and much more appetizing than the white stuff. Judging from your experiance with vegetables it should work fine.

I have been trying the dehydrator out a bit and I find that my biggest frustration is that I am never please with the results of the dried meat. Never rehydrates fully and just tastes old. Pasta, rice and vegetables always work out just fine. So I have decided to come at the issue from a different approach; that I could always cook and dehydrate everything but the meat, and that I would add it freeze dried meat after everything else was cooked and dried.

My first try has been chili. I cooked up half an onion, half a green pepper, some mushrooms, a can of diced stewed tomatoes and a 6 ounce can of tomato sauce, half a can of pinto beans that I roughly chopped up with my hand blender and a packet of chili seasoning. Basically I cooked up the chili but left out the meat. I then placed two heaping 1 1/2 cup servings onto the dehydrator and dried.

To prepare I combined the dried chili vegetables and 3/4 cup of freeze dried ground beef along with a little salt pepper and garlic powder and covered with water. I cooked it until everything was rehydrated and it cam out great. The one thing I would probably change is that I would put in less freeze dried beef. Probably only 1/3 of a cup. And it wouldnt hurt to try out a few other filler vegetables.

[sterling98]

I tried to dehyrate chili. Right now, it looks like some kind of crusty fungus. I havent rehydrated it yet -- I'm a little scared at the prospect of tasting the result... Back to ramen for me!

[One Half]

I just cooked up a batch of chili this week and canned 20 pints. I have leftovers and I think I will try dehydrating some this weekend. Might need some tweaking before going into the dehydrator though.

[actionpocket]

sounds tasty, I would never think of that method of freeze drying. If I didn't love eating like a squirrel I would buy a dehydrator.

[FarmerChef]

Chili is one of my family's favorites on the trail! We always pour it over noodles, mashed potatoes or rice on the trail.

The first time I made it, the beans were crunchy and the sauce was watery but everyone still raved about it (except me). Bound to improve it, I made just the sauce and dehydrated that into chili bark as "chef glenn" calls it. Next I cooked the beans separately and cut them in half to make them easier to rehydrate them at cook time. I seasoned up some ground beef (venison, technically) and dehydrated that. This time it cooked up great and tasted spot on like the real thing - it was just what the doctor ordered on our Spring Break hike on a day that was cold and rainy and after we'd hiked 24 miles. Of course later that night in the tarp, those beans.... Something that good does have to cost something after all.

I agree with WOO that you have to over spice with regard to the meat. For my other recipes, I always add the appropriate bouillon to my meal pack to make up for the lost flavor.