SnowPics.Ca! » Will it Dry?

I’ve been asked this question many times. “How do you dry your ground beef?”

It’s a pretty simple process really that just takes time, like anything in a dehydrator.

Collect your ground meat, I use moose, venison and beef, and I have even done beefalo. Make sure this is as lean as you can find – leaner the better. Fat will go rancid faster as it doesn’t dry.

Cook your ground meet as normal in a frying pan, preferably non-stick to avoid using oils. Once done, remove from the pan and drain on a few sheets of paper towel. I put my towels on a drying rack over a cookie sheet to make sure all of the fat is separated.

Add this to your dehydrator. I use the ‘Clean-a-screen’ for my dehydrator to help with the cleanup, but regular trays work fine. The amount of time to dehydrate this will vary like all things dried, but about 10-12 hours should do. Just make sure you don’t over do this, as it will burn slightly if over-dried. The end result should be somewhat crispy like bacon bits.

I vacuum seal this in 1lb sizes (Before Drying!) and label and put in the freezer. This will last at least one year in the freezer or more (Mine never lasts that long) and will travel un-refridgerated if kept sealed for weeks!

I just grab my meat, and a meal, and mix on the site. For example if I feel like Beef Spaghetti then I grab a pack of dried spaghetti, and a bag of beef, and away I go. Or I can grab some moose chili just as quick!

Re hydrating this is the usual process of adding water. I like to put my pot near a warm bed of coals or mid-day fire to let the heat help the hydration process, but throwing this in your nalgene with the water at breakfast time during portaging allows the meal to re-hydrate and get ready to eat as soon as you reach camp.

These bad boys are awesome! I made it into a pepper grinding it in the blender and made what we call ‘Super Stupid Pepper’. This is nice stuff but a little potent. Use it sparingly. I also made sure to cover the top of my blender with saran or glad wrap before giving it a spin. This kept the dust down and kept it out of my eyes. I bought a couple dollar store seasoning shakers and these worked well to house it in. I use about 1/4 tea spoon for a batch of chili or spaghetti when cooking. I also use about 10-15 grains on a slice of pizza.

Shake in hand before putting this stuff on your food. You would hate to ruin something because of an overshake, and trust me. You can over do this pepper.

I was in the grocery store today keeping in mind my dehyrdrater needed a workout soon. With Canoe trips coming, and vegetables starting to become more local in the upcoming monthes. I was in the produce department when my eye caught something of interest! I found some Scotch Bonnet Peppers. Ooooooh… Those aughta dry nice.

Took a look and selected the right package and age of peppers and decided to pick them up. I started to do some research on drying these little buggers and found that just slicing them in half (with gloves of course) and removing the seeds and plecenta was more than enough preparation. So I quartered these guys up and layed them over one of the screens in the tray and fired it up.

What am I going to do with these little dried peppers? Make pepper of course! I will eventually grind these little dried bonnets in the blender and pulverise them into powder.

So – The question is will they dry? Ill fill you in after the process is all done and I try it on some of my favourite pasta.