05.21.2016 - By Ken (Survival Guy) Jensen
Dehydrating and Vacuum Sealing Meats
Question from Jimmy – from Alabama
Can You Dehydrate Meats???
YES!!!
Doesn’t hydrate as well as veggies
They are chewier
Cooked Meats – Dehydrate 135F-160F (consult manual)
Don’t go below 135F
Vacuum sealed, dehydrated meats are known to last up to 2-3 weeks at room temp
Refrigerating or freezing will maintain quality and lasts longer
Fats and proteins – broken down by O2 and Light
Causes Poor Flavor and Spoilage
They are perfect for stews, soups, or dishes where they are cut up such as beef tips or stroganoff
Tips when Rehydrating Meats before We Go Into Detail
Adding chicken/beef stock adds more flavor
Small pieces rehydrate more evenly
General Preparation for Dehydrating
Choose Choice/Tender Cuts to reduce toughness
Less Fat – Fat goes rancid
Cut into small pieces
Cook it – thoroughly
Drying makes it easy to set up meals
Dehydrate all ingredients
Add all of your ingredients
Make meals and vacuum seal it. Freeze until you want to go hiking.
This is great for hiking meals for overnight or multi-week hikes.
Designed for use for month long hikes.
If you aren’t ready to make meals
Dehydrate ingredients
Freeze the ingredients you are not ready to use until you can make meals
Take it out and let it sit to return to room temp before opening (condensation)
At room temp – you can open it
Make meals and re-vacuum seal it. Freeze if desired.
Meals preserved this way have been good up to 8 months after packaging them
Place vacuum bags in Mylar bags
When vacuuming, use O2 absorbers
3-mil bag
Sign Up for FREE for the best survival training at BESTsurvivalskillstraining.com
Types of Meat to Dehydrate
Ground Beef
Sliced Ham
Shrimp
Tuna
Crab
Chicken
Dehydrating Beef
Called gravel by backpackers – doesn’t rehydrate well
Add breadcrumbs to the raw meat – allows liquid to penetrate it better
Turns out tender every time
Only use lean ground beef with fat below 15%
Lower is better
Usually labeled as ground round
Grass-fed beef is usually 7-10%
Prepare it
Each pound, ½ cup bread crumbs (can make them yourself)
brown over medium heat, fully cooked
blot with papertowels while cooking
press between papertowels after– remove oil
Dehydrate at 145F on sheets until hard
If drying for long term storage, no bread crumbs (soaks fat)
Dehydrating Sliced Ham, Lean Deli Roast Beef, Turkey, Chicken
Sliced 1/16 in thick
Slice into Strips of ¾-1”
Dry at 145F for about 6 hrs
Blot oil every couple hours while drying
Usually chewy when hydrated
Boil 2 mins to help soften it up
Dehydrating Shrimp
Frozen/Precooked/Peeled
Thaw in refrigerator or cold water
Slice into small pieces
Dehydrate at 145F for about 6hrs
No moisture remaining when cut
Dehydrating Tuna
Solid white tuna in water
Drain water
spread evenly on tray
Dry at 145F about 6 hrs
It will be crispy (yes it stinks!)