Dehydrated Chicken and Beef

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MISSINGLINK
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Dehydrated Chicken and Beef

Post by MISSINGLINK »

Any suggestions for dehydrating chicken and beef for our June 10th trip, how long does it take for cubed and shredded and what temperature did you dehydrate at?
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Midwest Ed
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Re: Dehydrated Chicken and Beef

Post by Midwest Ed »

The problem with using dehydrated meat is not the dehydration process. The problem is getting the protein to re-hydrate so that it is not tough or chewy or rubbery (think beef jerky). This is why lots of vegetables and fruits are commercially available as dehydrated but for commercial meats they use freeze drying instead. The cooking process, especially for chicken, can dramatically affect the situation. Mechanical tenderizing and pressure cooking is recommended. One suggestion is that using canned chicken works best, something about the pressure cooking process that helps. For beef use very lean ground cuts. These articles have good step by step instructions:

Chicken:

http://www.backpackingchef.com/dehydrating-chicken.html

Beef:

http://www.backpackingchef.com/dehydrating-meat.html

If you are consuming all your product within a few days or weeks it's not as important but to keep it longer it is important to remove as much fat as possible, both before and during the dehydrating process. Fat residue will eventually become rancid.
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Tightlines01
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Re: Dehydrated Chicken and Beef

Post by Tightlines01 »

I've had really good luck with venison. I've always use ground venison. Fry it into smallest pieces possible breaking up any clumps. When it comes off the dehydrator it looks almost like tiny pieces of gravel. It's always popped back good for me. I've even mixed it up with taco seasoning prior to dehydrating (but after frying just like normal) and it comes back very good.

I've had very poor results from chicken and won't basically try it anymore. I even cooked it first in small cubes. Never pops back.

Now if I want chicken I carry the small foil packets (like tuna). They are heavy though...

As for the dehydrator temp I just used the guides in my manual. I think it was the warmest setting for meat, but don't recall for sure.
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head2north
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Re: Dehydrated Chicken and Beef

Post by head2north »

I have attempted to dehydrate most proteins and the resulting meals were not pleasant. The exception is ground beef and those Fake Crab Strips (Krab) - which both
turned out to be satisfactory for outdoor travel meals. I do dehydrate most of my veggies, but will purchase all other proteins in the freeze dried form in the #10 cans.
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Lucky Chicken
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Re: Dehydrated Chicken and Beef

Post by Lucky Chicken »

Both I dehydrate at 165... I use canned chicken and ground very lean beef, venison, or bison. It takes about 5 hours, and I use the freezer method to check it (put it in a ziplock and put it in the freezer for 15-30 minutes if the bag has condensation on the inside it isnt done yet). I also rinse the ground off while still warm after cooking to get as much fat off as posasble. I have never had a problem with any of this coming back to life... except when I am really hungry, dont wait long enough, and start eating early... but then the rice is crunchy too ;)
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Re: Dehydrated Chicken and Beef

Post by hooky »

I dehydrate ground beef once in a while, but ground turkey has become my new favorite because it's so lean. I brown it and drain it on paper towels before dehydrating at 145. I also started dehydrating shredded chicken breasts this year. It can be a bit chewy, but it's not bad. I boil the breasts until they're done then shred them as finely as I can, using a couple of forks. I dehydrate it at 145 also.
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Re: Dehydrated Chicken and Beef

Post by jemerick »

Recently used canned chicken, dehydrated it for 10 hrs over the warmest setting, and it came out okay. Stringy, but I was pretty hungry, so it was all good.
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Re: Dehydrated Chicken and Beef

Post by trailgoat_70 »

Why not just take already cooked chicken in the pouch. The extra weight is minimal and it's very fresh and mixes great with rice or pasta. The whole dehydration process seems like too much work for the payoff. Just my 2 cents…

The same with ground beef. Just buy already dehydrated ground beef (Packit Gourmet) and mix with your secondary dish. I dehydrate veggies and fruits...the meat I leave to the pros. The cost and difference in 'freshness' is undetectable. Spend your time dehydrating other foods...fruits, veggies, entire meals.
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Re: Dehydrated Chicken and Beef

Post by hooky »

Because then I have to pack out the pouch. I have no idea what's in the pouch chicken or in the store bought dehydrated stuff. I'm already running the dehydrator, so it costs nothing more to dehydrate whatever meat I want to take. The animal protein is part of the entire meal.

Leading up to a trip, I just make extra servings of whatever we're going to have for dinner. It's no coincidence that I make meals that lend themselves to dehydration during the 2 weeks before I take off.
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Re: Dehydrated Chicken and Beef

Post by jennifer.hendrix »

This will be my second trip in September. I wasn't a fan of all the sodium and preservatives in the mountain house.
I bought a dehydrator and am going to attempt dehydrating my meals and snacks.
Any advice is appreciated.
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Re: Dehydrated Chicken and Beef

Post by hooky »

Lots of resources on the web that I've used. My favorite is http://www.backpackingchef.com/. Lots of great options and recipes, as well as how to advice. Another good one is http://www.trailcooking.com/.

Once you realize that it's not magic, you can control the ingredients and you only need to use a little common sense, the options are endless. I started out assembling meals ahead of time, but this summer I've moved toward more of a pantry style. I'm finding that I prefer the pantry style. I dehydrate staples such as beans, ground meat, corn, veggies, sauces, etc... and then bring along pasta that will cook during the rehydration process (orzo, cous cous), dehydrated potatoes and rice. Then I decide what I want to eat and put it together. In the beginning it was easier for me to say "1 meal will be pasta and meat sauce, 1 meal will be chicken with black beans and corn...." And there's nothing wrong with that approach. I still do it for short trips. Out around 4-5 days, the pantry style starts to appeal to me. YMMV.

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