If you do not have a dehydrator you can bake it for an hour at 260* after frying and get the same results. Season it too. This is a Boy Scout method that’s been around for 50 years or more. Salmon works well too.
Just an extra tip...After you're done cooking the beef and straining off the grease, throw it in a pot and cover with water. Bring it to an easy boil and all the remaining grease will float to the top. I set mine in the sink afterwards and slowly run hot water into the pot until it overflows and the grease will wash over the side and down the drain. Works great!
You can reduce fat even more by: Boiling the beef before cooking After you cook it pour even more boiling water over it through a colander. Kevin Outdoors has great food dehydration videos.
That's what I did. Poured boiling water over the beef through a sieve after it was cooked then added spices before dehydrating. (salt, pepper, onion, garlic and chili powder, paprika)
@@jtiso2395 thank you for your answer. What I did was, I grounded lean beef myself. I even cut off where I saw fat. No fat in my pan... So I gave it a try...
Awesome. Thanks! Saw an article about this a while back and it sounded like it would NOT reconstitute beyond grape nuts consistency. Your method makes sense. I'm considering using this method for sailing passages up to a month or two in duration. I've had good luck with using a wide mouth thermos for dehydrating meals. Add dry contents to thermos, pour in boiling water, seal immediately, set aside for 3 or 4 hrs. Hot lunch or dinner. Meat added to these rice or pasta and veggie meals would be sweet! Take care and happy trails. Sailor Steve.
@Richard Ensey Hi Richard, can you give a rough estimate of how much water per how much beef you would put ? (the weight of the beef before it was cooked obviously) Thanks in advance for your answer
yes, it bears explanation. will boiled water poured into a freezer bag properly rehydrate? i can say from experience that even tiny pieces of dehydrated chicken will stay almost rock hard unless pre-chopped almost into dust
KEVIN OUTDOORS is the channel y'all need to check out!! He has by far the best backpacking cook system, guy is eating gourmet looking meals deep in the backcountry.
Great tip. Also, you can add different seasonings to add some variety. For example, I added curry to one batch, chili powder and cumin to another. Between the 1/2 cup dehydrated ground meat, a half pack of ramen noodles (no seasoning pack) and some dehydrated vegetables, I had a nice tasty meal that beat the Knorr's, tuna packs, or fancy commercial meals. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge, it is all appreciated.
+Vincent Miceli Nice! I might make a video of some of the meals I made. The Knorr's are convenient but definitely less appealing than homemade. Curry and chili powder sounds gooood :)
If nobody has already said it, another good trick to making it last longer is running some water over the meat in a colander after cooking to rinse some more of the fat off.
This might be a problem, since bread crumbs have been mixed with the hamburger. They'll absorb the water. Will make it take longer to dehydrate. Suspect it will change the texture. Possibly void the reason for adding the crumbs in the first place. Vacuum sealing prolongs the shelf life, as does freezing.
@@Kayenne54 Yep! That's a possibility, but I suspect it won't work the same way as adding breadcrumbs to raw meat. However, since I haven't tried it, I could be wrong.
One bushcrafter takes her cooked ground chuck and rinses the whole thing in hot water. Don't know if that would work with the bread crumbs.... hmmm, why wouldn't it? Can't wait to try this trick. Thanks, Dixie.
little tip for getting meat out of those chubs. Take it out while it is frozen. with the chub frozen you quickly run it under hot water just enough to loosen the wrapper. Then you take a knife and make one long cut down the length of the chub. Then you make another cut all the way around the circumference at the middle. You can then peel the wrapper off with very very minimal loss of meat in the crimped ends. Once you have it out you can thaw it in a bowl or for crumbled beef you can just throw the frozen wrapperless chub in a covered skillet and crumble it as it cooks.
I like to cook in my kitchen, rather than on the trail. I buy lean meat, and grind (medium plate) it in the old Griswold meat grinder my Mom got for a wedding present 75 years ago. Then I loose fry the burger, then rinse it in a colander with very hot water for a minute. I mix in spices, then I dehydrate it. I store it in mason jars. Soon, I will get a food saver with a mason lid suction attachment, to take most of the air out of the jar. I repackage in ziplocks for the trail. I have a round dehydrator, with temperature control, and Amazon sells extra solid trays for fruit leather that work for liquids and fine solids. I have used a dehydrator with no temperature control, and it worked well. Also, I dehydrate very thin cut strips of raw chicken for doggy treats. I got curious, and tried them, and they make good trail food too, especially with some spices. i cook them for me to eat, but Doggy likes them just dehydrated. I have also dehydrated boiled potato cubes, cooked rice, sliced onions, sliced peppers, carrots, beef jerky, scrambled eggs, sweet potato chips, and best of all, boiled shrimp. The shrimp last very well, and retain delicious shrimp flavor. I buy them when they are running plentifully, right at the dock, for a very reasonable price. They can turn drab ramen, with some dried onions and shrimp, into a real treat, a taste of my Florida home when I am away from home. To eat the dry food, I start it soaking in a container of water about an hour before I want to eat. Warming on a stove is optional, but nice. I carry the different dry foods in separate bags, and make various combinations to vary my diet. Bon Apetite.
I drop my cooked lean meat into a colander in the sink and pour boiling water over it immediately and let it drain momentarily before it goes in the drier. I will blitz the dried meat in a blender to reduce the volume for better packaging. I dry my sauces separately and blitz the leather as well. I make Mexican, Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian and Asian sauces using finely cut vegetables, herbs and spices, which I give a brief blitz. I add psillium husks or chia seeds as a thickener before ziplocking. Yes it is a little mushy like baby food but the meals are really flavoursome, quickly rehydrated and easily digested. I carry a bag of my meat and smaller individual bags of sauce and a plastic measuring spoon so I can select what I want on the day. Today I dehydrated a kilogram each of lamb, chicken and beef, which I bought on special for $20 AUD all up. That's about 30 meals, way cheaper than store bought.
A tip for cooking ground beef in an iron pan: allow the pan to get hot first, and add a little bit of oil, just so the pan isn't dry. It won't stick so bad, or leave that layer of meat stuck to the pan you can see in this video. Easier to clean, too. Just don't add the meat until a drop of water sizzles on the pan. Not too hot, maybe just above medium temperature, then let the pan heat up along with the layer of oil.
Thank you for the tips and that you using the same music as Cowboy Kent Rollins, the finest cast iron cook on TH-cam. If you enjoy outdoor cookin’ you will love him. I noticed you got a bit simpler on subsequent thru hikes. You are a strong, beautiful woman. Keep your foot on the gas !!
Thanks for pointing me here. I'm going to apply this to sausage for gravy and biscuits. I've got freeze dried sausage but after 30 minutes of boiling they are still crunchy.
I luvd it, hadn't thought to dehydrate. I quite often cook 4 oz of beef, elk, deer that way, season my way, mostly cayenne pepper,salt, scramble 2 eggs dump on top, continue to cook to desired doneness, and my breakfast is ready.
Hi, thoroughly enjoyed this video. One way of removing the fat is to cook the beef in water, when cooked let it cool and the fat rises to the top and goes hard. Then you just scoop it out and discard. Its funny as the more fat in the meat the easier it is to discard. This way you keep the beef stock
I like doing dehydrated mushrooms too. They turn out a little chewy when recooked, but they add a lot of flavor to whatever you put them in. Plus, I can just do it in my oven, so it doesn't require a dehydrator.
You could marinate the beef in something acidic like worcestershire and/or soy sauce. That will boost the acidity which will help the beef store longer.
@@GreyBeatle Another channel said for long term storage, like prepping when you want it to last years and years, that it was best not to use any seasonings while cooking because salt especially retains moisture, may hold on to the grease, and cause it to go rancid. So I guess depending on how long you want it to last, either add flavorings for backpacking, or leave plain for prepping. Just add your flavorings when you rehydrate it.
@@recoveringsoul755 Salt has forever been used as a preservative. All those old mason jars that grandma would store soup and corned moose meat, was always heavily salted. I wouldn't trust a prepper that says it wouldn't store long term. I can contest to it's 40-60 years of storage. I'm sure I still have some of their stuff in my basement that I'd still eat to this day, and they died when I was in my early teens. Salt preserves food. So much so that in the early biblical days salt was used as currency. Just for the simple fact of food preservation was one of the most important parts of life. Every culture uses it. Religions specifically have their own blessed salt as well. That stems from way back traditions. I don't know if they were saying that possibly because it could effect the plastic that most preppers are using these days. But if your storing in jars, I'd for sure recommend salt.
@@GreyBeatle It's all about the amount of salt used, in a situation, as to whether it has preserving qualities. I grew up on a farm and learned to salt cure pork hams, shoulders and sides. It took 6 weeks of resting inside a bed of salt. I've, also, canned meats and vegetables all my adult life. The salt added to those jars was/is for flavor only. A number of years ago I stopped adding salt to foodstuffs that I canned, due to health issues. Properly canned & stored food is safe to eat as long as the seal isn't broken. The nutritional value will decrease over time. There may be color and favor changes. Neither affects the safety. There are guidelines on what to look when the seal has been breached. There are a number of good canning (food preservation) sites that can give specifics on these points and more. In brining, it depends on the concentration of salt, as to whether the brined foodstuff will keep without further processing - (freezing, canning, dehydrating). Ever heard the expression "salty as brine"? Thinking of pickled eggs, for example. Generally, foods that are salt cured/brined for preservation are too salty to eat more than a small portion, without soaking out some of the salt. From Google Search: "Salt is not necessary for safe processing of canned or frozen fruits and vegetables. It is necessary for the preservation of most pickles and cured or smoked foods." Just 2-cents for whatever it may be worth. Don't take my word for it. I encourage everyone to research, in depth, for themselves.
Vacuum sealing is pretty much a must. But I'd get the gravel as small as possible and freeze until it's needed. It'll be fresher and won't go off real fast.
I know you said the PCT is on the back-burner for the time being, but I really hope you get the chance to get out there and DO IT! I love watching your videos on the AT! Your how-to's on your pack, and gear and all that are really fantastic and taught me a few things Thanks!
I love watching some of your older videos. They are so personal and you make people feel like you're their bff! Would love to see more vlogging-type videos from your phone again!
Hey Dixie. After 15 years of section hiking, I finally bought a dehydrator. It’s winter in CT, so I’ve got plenty of time to experiment. Made chili last night. How long will the ground beef last, sealed in a freezer bag? Thanks again, Chef :)
"How to dehydrate ground beef that doesn't taste like gravel" Lol, that made me smile, because in the dehydrating backpacking and hiking world, that's exactly what they call it - gravel! However, thanks for your videos, as I watched both the AT and PCT series....took me all day, but once I started, I couldn't stop! I am an experienced hiker, and as I haven't been on the trails for a few years, I realised that by watching you and your adventures, I must get back into it. I can identify with what you've accomplished. So thanks again, Dixie. One day, if the gods are kind, I'd love to buy you a beer, and let you regale me with stories from the trails!
As others have said, the best way to dehydrate ground beef is to boil it and rinse it with hot water. This will remove the fat and it will last a long time. The second step I have not seen is to add fat back to the meat when it is re-hydrated. Ground beef with no fat will not taste right. I bring a small amount of avocado oil to add back to the beef. Any fat will work, olive oil is another option.
I suggest adding some type of natural preservative. Rosemary oil or even just the ground spice will add tocopherols (Vitamin E) and will add to the shelf life by preserving the fat from oxidation!
1/2 bread crumbs (panko) 1/2 'beef' TVP goes way further way cheaper ... I also add 1 tsp. 'Better than bullion' into each lb before mixing... vacuum seal and freeze until use...
When I cook ground beef just before it is fully cooked I put it in a colander and rinse it off with hot water to wash off the fat and oil then put it back in the skillet and finish cooking where it evaporates the water and you don't have to blot it. It has always worked for me.
So I don't normally comment on TH-cam videos but I just wanted to say I watched and loved your videos and they have inspired me to hike the trail as well (with my husband who is somewhat of an indoor cat :P). As we both might need to quit and find new jobs when we come back, we're working on saving a years worth of expenses plus the funds needed to hike the trail. Our date - April 1st, 2019. It seems like a long time away but I can't wait and have a countdown going. I can't wait to read your book when it's available and I hope you get to hike the PCT soon, I would love to watch that as well. Lastly, I just wanted to say my heart broke for you when Sugar Belle passed. I know it's been a while but you have my sincerest condolences.
Came to this old video from a link in a new video. I so have to try this. Did try it once and it sucked. Hope the bread crumb infusion works. Also want to say you are just a cool woman. Like your spirit.
Great idea and video, the picture of you sitting on the cliff scares the ____ out of me though! I don't do heights like this, Grand Canyon was scary too in places! I would consider the CDT over the PCT, a lot better scenery!!!
I never thought about adding bread crumbs. That makes sense. I think there is something to be said for taking a meal that you would normally have at your dinner table out on the trail. The familiarity of a home cooked meal while away from family is a good mental boost.
To Rehydrate Hamburger Rocks: Remove Hamburger Rocks from jar and place into a bowl.” Cover Hamburger Rocks with boiling beef broth or water. Cover bowl with a lid to retain steam. Allow Hamburger Rocks to sit until tender. Strain, season and use like cooked ground beef. Or, you can simply add the Hamburger Rocks to soups, stews, casseroles (with liquid), chili, sauces or broths and allow Hamburger Rocks to rehydrate while simmering. Enjoy!
@@somebodycomelistentothispo7217 Thank you Nava, Can you tell me why oxygen absorbers could cause botulism using in ground beef? I would like to know the science or reason behind that?-Thanks again for your reply.
Most ovens don't have proper air circulation or and consistent, accurate temperature, especially at the low setting. Temp is very important for health safety.
Thanks for all the great videos! I have never used bread crumbs in gravel, but I have heard/watched/read of this technique before. However, it seems like the bread crumbs would soak up some of the fat you are trying to remove, making the fat a permanent ingredient. I have seen people boil or fry it and then rinse the fat off as much as possible. It seems like boiling would remove more flavor as well. How long have you kept your gravel with bread crumbs in storage? Has it ever gone rancid?
It would seem better to cook and drain the oil from the ground beef before adding the breadcrumbs which would soak in grease. I dehydrated ground turkey by frying it, draining the grease then adding water as it continued to cook to get more grease out of it.
will be trying this recipe . I am wondering how long this will stay safe and fresh in a bag using a food saver and oxygen absorber ? I am new to your video's and enjoyed this one . Glad I checked it out . Thanks L.
Great video. I only recently found out about you but I have seen all the AT videos now and you two did a fantastic job! Very engaging and well paced throughout even during the tough times. I'll be trying to make this in a couple of days for a 6 night hike in northern Michigan in about a month. I'll probably add some cayenne pepper as well.
I made the ground beef, got some dehydrated veggies and cous cous and measured out a meal for dinner tonight in my my camp pot. It worked out pretty well. I was originally going to do a mostly Mountain House diet but I think I'll bring some vacuum packed packets of these.
Hey Dixie - How long have you been able to keep your dehydrated ground beef? Will it keep unrefrigerated long enough for resupplying on a 60 day through hike?
It is not recommended to vacuum pack dried beef. The danger of botulism is too high. Dried beef (jerky, ground beef, etc.) should be packed in containers with enough air to rattle around. So you can use your vacuum-packer to seal it, just don't vacuum. For good tips on preserving meat, search for information from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Because of the amount of wild game consumed in Alaska, they are pretty much the experts to emulate.
very cool. Great info. Will definitely be trying that out. Never did it with the Breadcrumbs before and am definitely excited to try it. Thanks again for the great video.
No Thank You. I love all your videos. Keep them coming. I have watched every video you ever posted and I loved them all. I always look forward to the next one. So Thank You Dixie.
Do you hunt and fish or grew up with someone that did. These are tricks that I have only seen or heard of from outdoorsmen. I use the same tricks. Sometimes I'll marinade the meat over night before dehydrating to add more flavor.
I'd imagine some kind of press would streamline this process. But I'm here to learn how to dehydrate ground beef. My dehydrater is plug in and go, btw.
The odd idea I had was to prepare such meat with “fine ground oatmeal” with the goal of food that would keep “longer” both refrigerated and when the power goes out (as well as being suitable for travel with chronic health problems, i.e. when most commonplace food has either too much fat, or significant amounts of *gluten.* )
Dear, why is it that pemmican (dried bison meat plus bison fat) didn't spoil for years if fat hurts the recipe? I really need fat for calories. Trying to figure out how to make ground beef bars without using gluten.
Fat becomes liquid at around 200F, but typically meat is browned at much higher temps. Would it be easier to "poach" the ground beef just long enough to render and pour off the fat, then return the beef to a hot pan to brown?
Dixie, let's say you wanted some of this ground beef recipe mailed to you 4 months into an AT through hike, would the meat spoil at room temperature or should your family or friends store it in the freezer until you send for it? Or would you simply eliminate the bread crumbs from some of this recipe and eat gravel for that last month or two of the through hike?
I am assuming you can do this with Buffalo meat? I t has a lower fat content. Good video, thanks. I will give it a try on our hike in the Sawtooths next month. Environmental devastation from cows?? I guess that's when they push on the fence and end up eating the garden? (that's happened...and we changed the name of the cow to T-bone and stopped the devastation)
OMG! A pretty southern girl cooking with cast iron skillets and wearing a "Don't Tread on Me" t-shirt? Perfect! Thanks for the video. I'm definitely going to try this!
Calvin omg, a man who dreams of pretty woman who will stay at home, cook for him, have his baby, submit to his whims, and be discriminatory against “those people” together? So hard to find!
@Homemade Wanderlust do you season the hamburger? Also is it safe to freeze it for longer storage? A hint for the fat, put the cooked burger in a strainer an rinse it with hot water.
Really enjoy the retro videos. Was looking for a video that demoed gr. meat for our bp trip! Thank you. Question- Anyone know if i need to store it special for a 6 day trip? Ie mylar or those packets? Thank you 🙏.
McAfee Knob in Catawba, VA. It is about a 4 mile trail walk from the designated route 311 parking area. Mile marker 702 on the Appalacian trail northbound from the start at Springer Mountain in Georgia. Mile marker 1488 on the Appalacian Trail southbound from mount Katahdin in Maine. 312 miles south of Harpers Ferry, WV. for the flip-flop hiking crowd.
This question may have been asked previously and if so i apologise but.....have u ever boiled the mince to get rid of the fat? Works down here, just an idea 👍
Hey, thanks a lot for the video.... Just wondering, would it be possible to spend a couple of days dehydrating enough to spread out over 6 months, and having it prepared to meet you at places along the trail? or is it just not worth it? You said it's not a good idea to store it for a year, but what about 3-4 months? I would love to do something like this on the trail...
You could, but the logistics of always having to stop at a certain place at a certain time just kills the freedom/lack of schedule you have on trail, honestly. I would recommend having someone send you some occasionally, but to each his own!
On the VikingPreparedness channel he talks about making hamburger Rocks, what he called them. He used no seasonings at all, dehydrated, and said it would last forever BECAUSE of no seasonings. For shorter terms, like prepping for an upcoming backpacking trip, I could see adding seasoning to raw meat. But you could bring seasonings and add what you need when cooking it.
If you steam the hamburger you won’t need to blot it. The steaming process melts the fat out into the water pan below. I have been steaming my hamburger for over 30 years. It works great. The secret is not rush the process. I have never gone back to frying. If you give it a try, I’m guessing you won’t either.
If you do not have a dehydrator you can bake it for an hour at 260* after frying and get the same results. Season it too.
This is a Boy Scout method that’s been around for 50 years or more. Salmon works well too.
How would you do salmon?
Just an extra tip...After you're done cooking the beef and straining off the grease, throw it in a pot and cover with water. Bring it to an easy boil and all the remaining grease will float to the top. I set mine in the sink afterwards and slowly run hot water into the pot until it overflows and the grease will wash over the side and down the drain. Works great!
Good way to plug up your pipes
awesome idea. ty
You can reduce fat even more by:
Boiling the beef before cooking
After you cook it pour even more boiling water over it through a colander.
Kevin Outdoors has great food dehydration videos.
do you use any spice or salt when you´re cooking the beef?
That's what I did. Poured boiling water over the beef through a sieve after it was cooked then added spices before dehydrating. (salt, pepper, onion, garlic and chili powder, paprika)
I do not like the idea of pouring water over my beef.
I think that the taste will be bad.
What is your experience?
@@veraopdebeek9183 It might remove some of the flavor (fat) but I use spices to make up for that. You can't risk leaving fat in, it will go rancid.
@@jtiso2395 thank you for your answer.
What I did was, I grounded lean beef myself. I even cut off where I saw fat.
No fat in my pan...
So I gave it a try...
Awesome. Thanks! Saw an article about this a while back and it sounded like it would NOT reconstitute beyond grape nuts consistency. Your method makes sense. I'm considering using this method for sailing passages up to a month or two in duration. I've had good luck with using a wide mouth thermos for dehydrating meals. Add dry contents to thermos, pour in boiling water, seal immediately, set aside for 3 or 4 hrs. Hot lunch or dinner. Meat added to these rice or pasta and veggie meals would be sweet! Take care and happy trails. Sailor Steve.
If your in hot weather I'd put in freezer or fridge.
can you please do a video on rehydrating the meat? no one ever seems to do that. i would like to see both.
Good point!
@Richard Ensey For how long?
@Richard Ensey Hi Richard, can you give a rough estimate of how much water per how much beef you would put ? (the weight of the beef before it was cooked obviously)
Thanks in advance for your answer
yes, it bears explanation. will boiled water poured into a freezer bag properly rehydrate? i can say from experience that even tiny pieces of dehydrated chicken will stay almost rock hard unless pre-chopped almost into dust
KEVIN OUTDOORS is the channel y'all need to check out!! He has by far the best backpacking cook system, guy is eating gourmet looking meals deep in the backcountry.
Great tip. Also, you can add different seasonings to add some variety. For example, I added curry to one batch, chili powder and cumin to another. Between the 1/2 cup dehydrated ground meat, a half pack of ramen noodles (no seasoning pack) and some dehydrated vegetables, I had a nice tasty meal that beat the Knorr's, tuna packs, or fancy commercial meals.
Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge, it is all appreciated.
+Vincent Miceli Nice! I might make a video of some of the meals I made. The Knorr's are convenient but definitely less appealing than homemade. Curry and chili powder sounds gooood :)
Oh, and some Cajun Spice stuff. It gives a good flavor.
My dad got a deer this fall, so trying this tonight with 3lbs of ground venison!
If nobody has already said it, another good trick to making it last longer is running some water over the meat in a colander after cooking to rinse some more of the fat off.
This might be a problem, since bread crumbs have been mixed with the hamburger. They'll absorb the water. Will make it take longer to dehydrate. Suspect it will change the texture. Possibly void the reason for adding the crumbs in the first place. Vacuum sealing prolongs the shelf life, as does freezing.
@@oldtimerlee8820 Maybe rinse the ground meat before adding the breadcrumbs?
@@Kayenne54 Yep! That's a possibility, but I suspect it won't work the same way as adding breadcrumbs to raw meat. However, since I haven't tried it, I could be wrong.
Could one add pulverized TVP in lieu of the breadcrumbs?
One bushcrafter takes her cooked ground chuck and rinses the whole thing in hot water. Don't know if that would work with the bread crumbs.... hmmm, why wouldn't it? Can't wait to try this trick. Thanks, Dixie.
little tip for getting meat out of those chubs. Take it out while it is frozen. with the chub frozen you quickly run it under hot water just enough to loosen the wrapper. Then you take a knife and make one long cut down the length of the chub. Then you make another cut all the way around the circumference at the middle. You can then peel the wrapper off with very very minimal loss of meat in the crimped ends. Once you have it out you can thaw it in a bowl or for crumbled beef you can just throw the frozen wrapperless chub in a covered skillet and crumble it as it cooks.
Nice! Thanks for sharing that tip :)
I'd imagine using turkey would work great too considering it's even leaner
Venison is super lean too, and tastes great
I like to cook in my kitchen, rather than on the trail. I buy lean meat, and grind (medium plate) it in the old Griswold meat grinder my Mom got for a wedding present 75 years ago. Then I loose fry the burger, then rinse it in a colander with very hot water for a minute. I mix in spices, then I dehydrate it. I store it in mason jars. Soon, I will get a food saver with a mason lid suction attachment, to take most of the air out of the jar. I repackage in ziplocks for the trail.
I have a round dehydrator, with temperature control, and Amazon sells extra solid trays for fruit leather that work for liquids and fine solids. I have used a dehydrator with no temperature control, and it worked well. Also, I dehydrate very thin cut strips of raw chicken for doggy treats. I got curious, and tried them, and they make good trail food too, especially with some spices. i cook them for me to eat, but Doggy likes them just dehydrated.
I have also dehydrated boiled potato cubes, cooked rice, sliced onions, sliced peppers, carrots, beef jerky, scrambled eggs, sweet potato chips, and best of all, boiled shrimp. The shrimp last very well, and retain delicious shrimp flavor. I buy them when they are running plentifully, right at the dock, for a very reasonable price. They can turn drab ramen, with some dried onions and shrimp, into a real treat, a taste of my Florida home when I am away from home.
To eat the dry food, I start it soaking in a container of water about an hour before I want to eat. Warming on a stove is optional, but nice. I carry the different dry foods in separate bags, and make various combinations to vary my diet. Bon Apetite.
I drop my cooked lean meat into a colander in the sink and pour boiling water over it immediately and let it drain momentarily before it goes in the drier. I will blitz the dried meat in a blender to reduce the volume for better packaging. I dry my sauces separately and blitz the leather as well. I make Mexican, Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian and Asian sauces using finely cut vegetables, herbs and spices, which I give a brief blitz. I add psillium husks or chia seeds as a thickener before ziplocking. Yes it is a little mushy like baby food but the meals are really flavoursome, quickly rehydrated and easily digested. I carry a bag of my meat and smaller individual bags of sauce and a plastic measuring spoon so I can select what I want on the day. Today I dehydrated a kilogram each of lamb, chicken and beef, which I bought on special for $20 AUD all up. That's about 30 meals, way cheaper than store bought.
Using an old fashioned potato masher to break up the meat while cooking it works awesome.
I cool mine until I can handle it, spread it on a flower sack towel, roll that up and squeeze it dry.
A tip for cooking ground beef in an iron pan: allow the pan to get hot first, and add a little bit of oil, just so the pan isn't dry. It won't stick so bad, or leave that layer of meat stuck to the pan you can see in this video. Easier to clean, too. Just don't add the meat until a drop of water sizzles on the pan. Not too hot, maybe just above medium temperature, then let the pan heat up along with the layer of oil.
Thank you for the tips and that you using the same music as Cowboy Kent Rollins, the finest cast iron cook on TH-cam. If you enjoy outdoor cookin’ you will love him.
I noticed you got a bit simpler on subsequent thru hikes. You are a strong, beautiful woman. Keep your foot on the gas !!
Thanks for pointing me here. I'm going to apply this to sausage for gravy and biscuits. I've got freeze dried sausage but after 30 minutes of boiling they are still crunchy.
I luvd it, hadn't thought to dehydrate. I quite often cook 4 oz of beef, elk, deer that way, season my way, mostly cayenne pepper,salt, scramble 2 eggs dump on top, continue to cook to desired doneness, and my breakfast is ready.
Hi, thoroughly enjoyed this video. One way of removing the fat is to cook the beef in water, when cooked let it cool and the fat rises to the top and goes hard. Then you just scoop it out and discard. Its funny as the more fat in the meat the easier it is to discard. This way you keep the beef stock
I like doing dehydrated mushrooms too. They turn out a little chewy when recooked, but they add a lot of flavor to whatever you put them in. Plus, I can just do it in my oven, so it doesn't require a dehydrator.
You could marinate the beef in something acidic like worcestershire and/or soy sauce. That will boost the acidity which will help the beef store longer.
All the salt in soy sauce, would really help for sure, great idea! Even just adding salt would make a huge difference.....
@@GreyBeatle Another channel said for long term storage, like prepping when you want it to last years and years, that it was best not to use any seasonings while cooking because salt especially retains moisture, may hold on to the grease, and cause it to go rancid. So I guess depending on how long you want it to last, either add flavorings for backpacking, or leave plain for prepping. Just add your flavorings when you rehydrate it.
@@recoveringsoul755 Salt has forever been used as a preservative. All those old mason jars that grandma would store soup and corned moose meat, was always heavily salted. I wouldn't trust a prepper that says it wouldn't store long term. I can contest to it's 40-60 years of storage. I'm sure I still have some of their stuff in my basement that I'd still eat to this day, and they died when I was in my early teens. Salt preserves food. So much so that in the early biblical days salt was used as currency. Just for the simple fact of food preservation was one of the most important parts of life. Every culture uses it. Religions specifically have their own blessed salt as well. That stems from way back traditions. I don't know if they were saying that possibly because it could effect the plastic that most preppers are using these days. But if your storing in jars, I'd for sure recommend salt.
@@GreyBeatle It's all about the amount of salt used, in a situation, as to whether it has preserving qualities. I grew up on a farm and learned to salt cure pork hams, shoulders and sides. It took 6 weeks of resting inside a bed of salt. I've, also, canned meats and vegetables all my adult life. The salt added to those jars was/is for flavor only. A number of years ago I stopped adding salt to foodstuffs that I canned, due to health issues.
Properly canned & stored food is safe to eat as long as the seal isn't broken. The nutritional value will decrease over time. There may be color and favor changes. Neither affects the safety. There are guidelines on what to look when the seal has been breached. There are a number of good canning (food preservation) sites that can give specifics on these points and more.
In brining, it depends on the concentration of salt, as to whether the brined foodstuff will keep without further processing - (freezing, canning, dehydrating). Ever heard the expression "salty as brine"? Thinking of pickled eggs, for example. Generally, foods that are salt cured/brined for preservation are too salty to eat more than a small portion, without soaking out some of the salt.
From Google Search: "Salt is not necessary for safe processing of canned or frozen fruits and vegetables. It is necessary for the preservation of most pickles and cured or smoked foods."
Just 2-cents for whatever it may be worth. Don't take my word for it. I encourage everyone to research, in depth, for themselves.
Vacuum sealing is pretty much a must.
But I'd get the gravel as small as possible and freeze until it's needed. It'll be fresher and won't go off real fast.
I know you said the PCT is on the back-burner for the time being, but I really hope you get the chance to get out there and DO IT! I love watching your videos on the AT! Your how-to's on your pack, and gear and all that are really fantastic and taught me a few things Thanks!
I love watching some of your older videos. They are so personal and you make people feel like you're their bff! Would love to see more vlogging-type videos from your phone again!
Hey Dixie. After 15 years of section hiking, I finally bought a dehydrator. It’s winter in CT, so I’ve got plenty of time to experiment. Made chili last night. How long will the ground beef last, sealed in a freezer bag?
Thanks again,
Chef :)
when I saw the cast iron I definitely gave the thumbs up. awesome.
"How to dehydrate ground beef that doesn't taste like gravel" Lol, that made me smile, because in the dehydrating backpacking and hiking world, that's exactly what they call it - gravel! However, thanks for your videos, as I watched both the AT and PCT series....took me all day, but once I started, I couldn't stop! I am an experienced hiker, and as I haven't been on the trails for a few years, I realised that by watching you and your adventures, I must get back into it. I can identify with what you've accomplished. So thanks again, Dixie. One day, if the gods are kind, I'd love to buy you a beer, and let you regale me with stories from the trails!
I'm new to hiking and loving it. Thank you for the tips on food preparation.
As others have said, the best way to dehydrate ground beef is to boil it and rinse it with hot water. This will remove the fat and it will last a long time. The second step I have not seen is to add fat back to the meat when it is re-hydrated. Ground beef with no fat will not taste right. I bring a small amount of avocado oil to add back to the beef. Any fat will work, olive oil is another option.
Love it when you say might could 😍 ahhh the south. Thank you great video
Reminded me of a Jeff Foxworthy bit
How long will it last in a vacuumed sealed bag?
My question too!
I suggest adding some type of natural preservative. Rosemary oil or even just the ground spice will add tocopherols (Vitamin E) and will add to the shelf life by preserving the fat from oxidation!
Thanks Dixie! Videos like that are very helpful. I hope you do more.
1/2 bread crumbs (panko) 1/2 'beef' TVP goes way further way cheaper ... I also add 1 tsp. 'Better than bullion' into each lb before mixing... vacuum seal and freeze until use...
When I cook ground beef just before it is fully cooked I put it in a colander and rinse it off with hot water to wash off the fat and oil then put it back in the skillet and finish cooking where it evaporates the water and you don't have to blot it. It has always worked for me.
Always wondering about this. Purchasing dried meat can be expensive. Thank you for this video.
So I don't normally comment on TH-cam videos but I just wanted to say I watched and loved your videos and they have inspired me to hike the trail as well (with my husband who is somewhat of an indoor cat :P). As we both might need to quit and find new jobs when we come back, we're working on saving a years worth of expenses plus the funds needed to hike the trail. Our date - April 1st, 2019. It seems like a long time away but I can't wait and have a countdown going. I can't wait to read your book when it's available and I hope you get to hike the PCT soon, I would love to watch that as well.
Lastly, I just wanted to say my heart broke for you when Sugar Belle passed. I know it's been a while but you have my sincerest condolences.
Tammy, I checked and didn't see any videos on your channel. This is the middle of October 2019. Did your plans work out?
Came to this old video from a link in a new video. I so have to try this. Did try it once and it sucked. Hope the bread crumb infusion works. Also want to say you are just a cool woman. Like your spirit.
Very informative, thanks much for taking the time to share with everyone.....!
+tippersteffi1 No problem! Thanks for your feedback :)
Love these. Making my own backpacking meals is a goal of mine. thanks
Great idea and video, the picture of you sitting on the cliff scares the ____ out of me though! I don't do heights like this, Grand Canyon was scary too in places!
I would consider the CDT over the PCT, a lot better scenery!!!
Haha, I was a bit nervous, but I had to do it! You only live once :)
Perfect timing Dixie. I'm getting ready to dehydrate some meals today to take backpacking tomorrow up in Georgia
+Roaming Gnome Awesome! Glad I could help. Let me know how it works for you.
I never thought about adding bread crumbs. That makes sense. I think there is something to be said for taking a meal that you would normally have at your dinner table out on the trail. The familiarity of a home cooked meal while away from family is a good mental boost.
+Roaming Gnome I couldn't agree more!
To Rehydrate Hamburger Rocks:
Remove Hamburger Rocks from jar and place into a bowl.”
Cover Hamburger Rocks with boiling beef broth or water.
Cover bowl with a lid to retain steam.
Allow Hamburger Rocks to sit until tender. Strain, season and use like cooked ground beef.
Or, you can simply add the Hamburger Rocks to soups, stews, casseroles (with liquid), chili, sauces or broths and allow Hamburger Rocks to rehydrate while simmering.
Enjoy!
Would ground oatmeal work as well to incorporate in the ground beef? I have a problem digesting most white bread.
That's a great idea and definitely worth a try!
Is this recipe good for long term storage ( say aprox 1-2 years) after vacuums sealing. Also what are your thoughts on oxygen absorbers?
Don’t use them in ground beef. Could cause botulism
@@somebodycomelistentothispo7217 Thank you Nava, Can you tell me why oxygen absorbers could cause botulism using in ground beef? I would like to know the science or reason behind that?-Thanks again for your reply.
Like the bread crumb idea Daisy, thanks! Great video!
If you don’t have a dehydrator can you use the oven on lowest setting? I make beef jerky in oven
Colleen kennedy Flippinmama no
Most ovens don't have proper air circulation or and consistent, accurate temperature, especially at the low setting. Temp is very important for health safety.
Great Video. I will definitely be dehydrating food, in particular ground beef.
Thanks for all the great videos! I have never used bread crumbs in gravel, but I have heard/watched/read of this technique before. However, it seems like the bread crumbs would soak up some of the fat you are trying to remove, making the fat a permanent ingredient. I have seen people boil or fry it and then rinse the fat off as much as possible. It seems like boiling would remove more flavor as well. How long have you kept your gravel with bread crumbs in storage? Has it ever gone rancid?
Thank you so much Dixie I was not even aware that you could dry ground beef do you hydrated thank you so much I just learned something CK
It would seem better to cook and drain the oil from the ground beef before adding the breadcrumbs which would soak in grease.
I dehydrated ground turkey by frying it, draining the grease then adding water as it continued to cook to get more grease out of it.
will be trying this recipe . I am wondering how long this will stay safe and fresh in a bag using a food saver and oxygen absorber ? I am new to your video's and enjoyed this one . Glad I checked it out . Thanks L.
Bet it’s great on the trail. Excellent
I just tried it and it works great! Thanks Dixie!
Great video. I only recently found out about you but I have seen all the AT videos now and you two did a fantastic job! Very engaging and well paced throughout even during the tough times. I'll be trying to make this in a couple of days for a 6 night hike in northern Michigan in about a month. I'll probably add some cayenne pepper as well.
Jay! That's awesome. I hope you have fun! Please let me know how it goes and if you have any questions as you prepare :)
I made the ground beef, got some dehydrated veggies and cous cous and measured out a meal for dinner tonight in my my camp pot. It worked out pretty well. I was originally going to do a mostly Mountain House diet but I think I'll bring some vacuum packed packets of these.
Hey Dixie - How long have you been able to keep your dehydrated ground beef? Will it keep unrefrigerated long enough for resupplying on a 60 day through hike?
It is not recommended to vacuum pack dried beef. The danger of botulism is too high. Dried beef (jerky, ground beef, etc.) should be packed in containers with enough air to rattle around. So you can use your vacuum-packer to seal it, just don't vacuum.
For good tips on preserving meat, search for information from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Because of the amount of wild game consumed in Alaska, they are pretty much the experts to emulate.
very cool. Great info. Will definitely be trying that out. Never did it with the Breadcrumbs before and am definitely excited to try it. Thanks again for the great video.
Awesome! Thank you!
No Thank You. I love all your videos. Keep them coming. I have watched every video you ever posted and I loved them all. I always look forward to the next one. So Thank You Dixie.
If you boil the ground beef first you can get allot of the grease out before frying.
Do you hunt and fish or grew up with someone that did. These are tricks that I have only seen or heard of from outdoorsmen. I use the same tricks. Sometimes I'll marinade the meat over night before dehydrating to add more flavor.
So good hearing your old theme tune 🙂
I'd imagine some kind of press would streamline this process. But I'm here to learn how to dehydrate ground beef. My dehydrater is plug in and go, btw.
Excellent! Will try this today! See you on Springer! (:))
Wow, Im excited to try this out, thanks for the vid
Use a cheese cloth to separate out the rendered tallow.
Hmm, I may give this a try using deer meat.
Protip for small pieces of ground beef: Cook it in a bigger pot and keep stirring .. That way you don't get big pieces of ground beef :)
I use my potato masher while its cooking to get small even pieces, works great.
I shall give this a try, Thank you Ma'am
I might give this a try with ground turkey. Thanks! Love your vids
The odd idea I had was to prepare such meat with “fine ground oatmeal” with the goal of food that would keep “longer” both refrigerated and when the power goes out (as well as being suitable for travel with chronic health problems, i.e. when most commonplace food has either too much fat, or significant amounts of *gluten.* )
Dear, why is it that pemmican (dried bison meat plus bison fat) didn't spoil for years if fat hurts the recipe? I really need fat for calories. Trying to figure out how to make ground beef bars without using gluten.
Would ground nuts bet ok instead of bread crumbs? For example, walnuts , almond or pecans.
If you’re vacuum sealing it the fat won’t go rancid for years at room temperature.
I love your videos I think you do really good job and they’re very informative.
Fat becomes liquid at around 200F, but typically meat is browned at much higher temps. Would it be easier to "poach" the ground beef just long enough to render and pour off the fat, then return the beef to a hot pan to brown?
Thanks, Dixie!
got to try it. Love my tacos
Dixie, let's say you wanted some of this ground beef recipe mailed to you 4 months into an AT through hike, would the meat spoil at room temperature or should your family or friends store it in the freezer until you send for it? Or would you simply eliminate the bread crumbs from some of this recipe and eat gravel for that last month or two of the through hike?
I am assuming you can do this with Buffalo meat? I t has a lower fat content. Good video, thanks. I will give it a try on our hike in the Sawtooths next month. Environmental devastation from cows?? I guess that's when they push on the fence and end up eating the garden? (that's happened...and we changed the name of the cow to T-bone and stopped the devastation)
+Denise Kruesi That's a great idea, I don't see why you couldn't. Less blotting with a paper towel!
My brother dehydrates ground venison while he's making deer jerky. Deer is very lean, so perfect to do when ground up!
Nice common sense comes through on your videos....thank you
Thank you!
An oxygen absorber in the vacuum pack will increase shelf life.
How long does it last when it's vacuum sealed?
doesn't the bread crumbs keep fat in the meat? does that affect long term storage for prepping purposes?
Another trick is to pour boiling water the beef while it's in a strainer, it'll help get rid of the fat
Do you have to cook it if you dehydrate it?
Do you think I could vacuum seal and keep in deep frezze to make it last longer? Looking forward to your reply to a half decade old video...thanks
Got to love a women who uses cast iron to cook in!
Haha, it is the best!
I knew a guy that carried a cast iron skillet and a lawn chair up the Priest on the AT here in VA! Not an easy climb!
Never get tired of Snickers on the trail. :P
OMG! A pretty southern girl cooking with cast iron skillets and wearing a "Don't Tread on Me" t-shirt? Perfect! Thanks for the video. I'm definitely going to try this!
Calvin omg, a man who dreams of pretty woman who will stay at home, cook for him, have his baby, submit to his whims, and be discriminatory against “those people” together? So hard to find!
oh lol rebellious scorpian
You are Awesome. Thank You . Ive been wondering. Love the cast iron . I use it for everything looks like the same one .
@Homemade Wanderlust do you season the hamburger? Also is it safe to freeze it for longer storage? A hint for the fat, put the cooked burger in a strainer an rinse it with hot water.
Really enjoy the retro videos. Was looking for a video that demoed gr. meat for our bp trip! Thank you. Question- Anyone know if i need to store it special for a 6 day trip? Ie mylar or those packets? Thank you 🙏.
where's that cliff at the end?
McAfee Knob in Catawba, VA.
It is about a 4 mile trail walk from the designated route 311 parking area.
Mile marker 702 on the Appalacian trail northbound from the start at Springer Mountain in Georgia.
Mile marker 1488 on the Appalacian Trail southbound from mount Katahdin in Maine.
312 miles south of Harpers Ferry, WV. for the flip-flop hiking crowd.
This question may have been asked previously and if so i apologise but.....have u ever boiled the mince to get rid of the fat? Works down here, just an idea 👍
I don't do wheat. I'm wondering if ground flax seed would work?
Wondering about adding the bread crumbs. Can this meat be used for LONG TERM STORAGE??
Can you dehydrate the tuna and chicken packets to make them lighter.
Hey, thanks a lot for the video.... Just wondering, would it be possible to spend a couple of days dehydrating enough to spread out over 6 months, and having it prepared to meet you at places along the trail? or is it just not worth it? You said it's not a good idea to store it for a year, but what about 3-4 months? I would love to do something like this on the trail...
You could, but the logistics of always having to stop at a certain place at a certain time just kills the freedom/lack of schedule you have on trail, honestly. I would recommend having someone send you some occasionally, but to each his own!
On the VikingPreparedness channel he talks about making hamburger Rocks, what he called them. He used no seasonings at all, dehydrated, and said it would last forever BECAUSE of no seasonings. For shorter terms, like prepping for an upcoming backpacking trip, I could see adding seasoning to raw meat. But you could bring seasonings and add what you need when cooking it.
If you steam the hamburger you won’t need to blot it. The steaming process melts the fat out into the water pan below. I have been steaming my hamburger for over 30 years. It works great. The secret is not rush the process. I have never gone back to frying. If you give it a try, I’m guessing you won’t either.