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.

Water Logged

This image was taken at Ken Reid Conservation Area near Lindsay, Ontario. You can make out a reflection of a new bridge above the water. This is an old pillar which used to support a bridge on a now abandoned rail line out of Lindsay.

To see all of my ‘Featured Photos’ check the category here or subscribe to the RSS feed.

Ever heard of Zatarain’s? This stuff is good jambalaya out of the box.

Saute some onions, peppers, and other veggies you want to add in a pan with some oil.

Prepare the Zatarain’s Jambalaya mix according to the instructions on the box.

Spice to taste and add veggies and fresh cooked trout, or any other meet combination you can think of.

Easy, Light, Great feed for those long tripping days.

I am trying to make amends by attempting to update this more frequently. So here are some updates.

Most of you probably know I work for GO Transit now. (aka Metrolinx)

Most of you probably know I am still on the ski patrol

Most of you don’t know I just built a new computer to help in these updates.

I loved watching the Canadian Olympic Team beat the pants off the US – Who didn’t? (Right – the US)

Union Station is going under severe renovations and I am helping design the new network infrastructure to support the new Union Station in Toronto!

I am going camping in March – well not so much camping – yurting at Killarney Provincial Park with Danielle and friend Rob P.

I will go into more details on each one of these as the week progresses. Hopefully I will have the time.

Update: (Yes, another update!)

I have changed the look, and spent some more time on the site. I won’t lie though, I can’t sleep and it’s about 23:00 on St. Patricks Day, and no I’m not out drinkin’ it up on a glorious day, just sitting in the basement trying to tire myself into sleep. Next Update – Photos! I need to work on photos. Many of you wonder what I do with all those images you see me snapping with the new camera – well until now they sit either on the card, or on a drive somewhere…

This Recipe will make enough for 6 people for dinner if you have something else like garlic bread or what we do on trips is add Kraft Tex Mex Cheese and tostitos nacho chips, then pour the chili over top. Something you can cook up under a tarp and throw in your bowl and eat with a spoon. This is also great at home too on a cold rainy day, or stuffed into a thermos for skiing.

I also dehydrate this chili for trips where light weight is key and you can see the instructions under ‘Will it Dry?” soon.

Ingredients:

*** As Many Chiles as you like!

Preparing the Meat:

I start with preparing my ground meat. This is entirely up to your taste. My favorite is venison – very lean and has a great flavour. But if you don’t have that – ground beef will do.

Brown / Cook 1 LB of your chosen meat on medium heat in a frying pan. Use a little oil to help the sticking. This is best done in a cast iron pan, but either will do.

Drain the meat using a strainer. Rinse the meat with hot water if you want to reduce the fat even more, and dry on paper towel.

At this point you can either decide to complete the chili, or dry the meat seperatly. If you are going to dehydrate your chili – keep the meat and chili separate. This will allow you to choose which meat, and also lets you keep the chili longer. More details in ‘Will it Dry?’ later.

Prepare the Chili:

Start with a large pot on your biggest burner and crank it up to medium-high heat. Add a few tbsp. of oil (veg / canola).

Dice the red onion and add it to the pan along with chopped celery, green onion and garlic. Sweat these veggies until the onion is slightly translucent. Add the peppers and continue cooking the vegetables. Don’t over cook the veggies at this point – you want them to continue cooking with the rest of the liquids and so on. Add to this the Tumeric, Cumin, paprika and your fresh chiles. I like to use the little red chiles and remove the seeds and dice fine. Add whatever other spices you like too. Just make sure you don’t over do it. You can always add more heat later.

Open your tins of beans, my favourite are the ‘Mr. Gouda’s’ 9 bean medley. This includes 9 different beans. I also add a can of the standard red kidney beans. This is up to you. Rinse the beans in the can until the liquid almost runs clear. You want a little bit of the starch on the beans to help thicken your chili. Add the two cans to the pot, now upping the temperature of your stove to high. As we add more liquids the temp will start to drop, and we want to keep this stuff cooking.

Open and pour in the tomato goods. Bring this up to a temperature where it is just starting to boil, and reduce – cover and simmer. If you have decided that you are not going to dehydrate this, then add your ground meat now as well. Continue cooking until the peppers and the veggies are done to your likeness. I like mine a little crunchy so you know it’s there.

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