That sounds good. I copied the recipe. Is a cup and a half about right for a wet serving?
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What's your best dehydrated meal?
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Kathleen says that she doesn't really know. She doesn't actually measure. She adds enough water to rehydrate. She might check during the day, and add more water if needed. Then, when it's time to heat the soup up, she adds more water to achieve the amount of soup she wants.
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Dehydrated Pork & Beans
Rehydrated and add smokies.
Besides Backpack Gourmet, Linda Yaffe had a book published prior to that called, "High Trail Cookery". Same concept, different recipes.
Ground pork
dehydrated onion
dehydrated garlic scapes
1 beef bouillon cube
1 c water
dried cherries
Port Have not been able to dehydrate that
sour cream powder
over noodles
This is one of those meals where the dried ingredients
come together in two pots though you could use 1
Or orzo as that is more compact
dehydrated onion
dehydrated garlic scapes
1 beef bouillon cube
1 c water
dried cherries
Port Have not been able to dehydrate that
sour cream powder
over noodles
This is one of those meals where the dried ingredients
come together in two pots though you could use 1
Or orzo as that is more compact
Purée some beans (protein) into a pasta sauce (carbs) to make it healthier and thicker. Thanks Yknpdlr. I'll try that!
Baked beans. Oh yeah. A classic Sunday afternoon meal for my wife growing up was beans on toast. Thank her British parents. That is one of her fond memory meals she tells me. I'd never had them on toast until we were dating (last century) and she wanted to impress me with her culinary skills. She needn't have bothered. She could've served me a pondweed sandwich, I would've been mad crazy about it. And for some strange reason I've been fond of baked beans on toast ever since. No idea why. For camping we rehydrate the beans (no pork) before adding a drizzle of maple syrup and some diced ham. Sadly no toast.
Note: The dehydrated chicken was a lesson learned the hard way (no pun intended). My first attempt ended badly. I'd finely chopped and dehydrated the cooked chicken. In camp my wife simmered and simmered the pebbly poultry asking "Are you sure there's just chicken in here?!" Yup. She gave up and added it to whatever and hoped for the best. She over cooked the meal but the gritty chicken remained unchanged like we'd added a spoonful of pellets to the pot. Might have just been my imagination but I swear after dinner I could hear rattling whenever we walked around in camp. It was a memorable meal, for all the wrong reasons. I borrowed the shredding advice from online somewhere and have been thankful ever since. We use more chicken than pork or beef because we find it easier lighter to digest.
Baked beans. Oh yeah. A classic Sunday afternoon meal for my wife growing up was beans on toast. Thank her British parents. That is one of her fond memory meals she tells me. I'd never had them on toast until we were dating (last century) and she wanted to impress me with her culinary skills. She needn't have bothered. She could've served me a pondweed sandwich, I would've been mad crazy about it. And for some strange reason I've been fond of baked beans on toast ever since. No idea why. For camping we rehydrate the beans (no pork) before adding a drizzle of maple syrup and some diced ham. Sadly no toast.
Note: The dehydrated chicken was a lesson learned the hard way (no pun intended). My first attempt ended badly. I'd finely chopped and dehydrated the cooked chicken. In camp my wife simmered and simmered the pebbly poultry asking "Are you sure there's just chicken in here?!" Yup. She gave up and added it to whatever and hoped for the best. She over cooked the meal but the gritty chicken remained unchanged like we'd added a spoonful of pellets to the pot. Might have just been my imagination but I swear after dinner I could hear rattling whenever we walked around in camp. It was a memorable meal, for all the wrong reasons. I borrowed the shredding advice from online somewhere and have been thankful ever since. We use more chicken than pork or beef because we find it easier lighter to digest.
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I've never had issues re-hydrating chicken but I must have stumbled upon the solution entirely by accident.
I can venison every Fall and started canning pork loin & chicken (usually 80% boneless, skinless thighs, 20% boneless, skinless breasts) when they're on sale so I can make quick meals whenever needed. Either pork or chicken shreds easily after the pressure canner and, honestly, is often unrecognizable as meat chunks if cooked in the crock pot to make soup. The upside, when dehydrating, is that it seems to withstand the process well & re-hydrates at least as well as ground meat.
I mix it with a little powdered bullion, spices & dried veggies in a zip-lock bag, simmer for 15-20 minutes in camp & add instant rice. By the time the rice is done, you're good to go.
I can venison every Fall and started canning pork loin & chicken (usually 80% boneless, skinless thighs, 20% boneless, skinless breasts) when they're on sale so I can make quick meals whenever needed. Either pork or chicken shreds easily after the pressure canner and, honestly, is often unrecognizable as meat chunks if cooked in the crock pot to make soup. The upside, when dehydrating, is that it seems to withstand the process well & re-hydrates at least as well as ground meat.
I mix it with a little powdered bullion, spices & dried veggies in a zip-lock bag, simmer for 15-20 minutes in camp & add instant rice. By the time the rice is done, you're good to go.
you guys are way more hard core than me. I find the uncle bens ready rice and a foil pack of tuna or salmon convenient and delicious as is or tweaked a bit with olive or coconut oil and spices. There are at least 6 different blends of rice with or without beans, vegetables etc and they only require a very small amount of water to prepare. Supplement rice with some kind of packaged meat or catch and kill along the way and I'm good.
There isn't anywhere I paddle that fresh fish isn't easily obtainable, if not a big part of why I'm on the water to begin with. Gigging frogs in the evening is a fun way to extend some time on the water and when successful is practically a gourmet option. If the conventional fishing during the day was not particularly good, I can, and usually do, set lines out at night for catfish and turtles in fresh water or small sharks or other edible bottom dwellers around the estuaries too. Paddling during hunting season usually means I'm paddling to get to a from a place to hunt. So small game, ducks and coots etc are readily available when the deer and hogs are harder to come by.
For me anyway, the paddling is part of enjoying the outdoors and the bounty available for consumption. If I could hunt and kill granola that's the way I would prefer to do it...
There isn't anywhere I paddle that fresh fish isn't easily obtainable, if not a big part of why I'm on the water to begin with. Gigging frogs in the evening is a fun way to extend some time on the water and when successful is practically a gourmet option. If the conventional fishing during the day was not particularly good, I can, and usually do, set lines out at night for catfish and turtles in fresh water or small sharks or other edible bottom dwellers around the estuaries too. Paddling during hunting season usually means I'm paddling to get to a from a place to hunt. So small game, ducks and coots etc are readily available when the deer and hogs are harder to come by.
For me anyway, the paddling is part of enjoying the outdoors and the bounty available for consumption. If I could hunt and kill granola that's the way I would prefer to do it...
I do not do any special recipes anymore. I just dehydrate leftovers. Almost any casserole or "chili" type dish works.
I ididn't see this tidbit of info in any of the posts, so i will add it here.
When adding meat to almost any recipe, ground is the easiest form, prior to precooking, mix in some bread crumbs (mix meat and crumbs well) .... then fry and pat dry per the normal procedure and continue on to dehydrate.
A lot of meats form a protective shell once cooked and dehydrated, making rehydration more difficult ... the bread crumbs tend to be incorporate into the little chunks allowing water to penetrate and help with rehydration. It seems to work, most of my meat dishes chilimac, sheperds pie etc all rehydrate pretty well using this technique.
With ham & beans, I cut thin sliced ham into chunks instead of grinding (just can't bring myself to grind ham) and it still stays a bit firm after dehydration ... but any of the ground meats with bread crumbs rehydrate well.
Brian
When adding meat to almost any recipe, ground is the easiest form, prior to precooking, mix in some bread crumbs (mix meat and crumbs well) .... then fry and pat dry per the normal procedure and continue on to dehydrate.
A lot of meats form a protective shell once cooked and dehydrated, making rehydration more difficult ... the bread crumbs tend to be incorporate into the little chunks allowing water to penetrate and help with rehydration. It seems to work, most of my meat dishes chilimac, sheperds pie etc all rehydrate pretty well using this technique.
With ham & beans, I cut thin sliced ham into chunks instead of grinding (just can't bring myself to grind ham) and it still stays a bit firm after dehydration ... but any of the ground meats with bread crumbs rehydrate well.
Brian
You are right, of course. I did not mention it earlier, but I have long followed the "master mix" recipe when dehydrating ground meat that I found as a tip a long time ago. As it (ground beef or turkey) is browning at home I add a couple of tablespoons of flour and a few Italian herbs with salt & pepper. I then spread it out in a single layer on a sheet pan with paper towels top and bottom. Press hard with another identical sheet pan on top to squeeze out any excess fat before dehydrating. Dehydrate the result to little nuggets. I have tried to crunch the nuggets smaller with a quick spin in a food processor, but I don't think the result changes things much. I think the flour does much the same as your bread crumb trick and hydration occurs much easier.
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We also take shortcuts. The multinational aisle is full of the possibilities. We love some of the East Indian curry options containing at most 2 packets. We'll make up a small pot of rice or legumes to add to the mix. These tend to be vegetarian with a mindful balance of protein, carbs and heavy on the flavour.
Besides the Heinz canned baked beans (we dehydrate) we also love Habitant canned split pea soup (we dehydrate). We rehydrate and add chunks of precooked ham, which is kept cool in the food container.
Besides the Heinz canned baked beans (we dehydrate) we also love Habitant canned split pea soup (we dehydrate). We rehydrate and add chunks of precooked ham, which is kept cool in the food container.
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Yknpdlr .... the idea with the bread crumbs, is they are mixed in (1cp/lb ratio) before any cooking occurs. this ensures they are incorporated right into the meat structure before cooking.
Well, the four is spread in during the cooking process, before the meat is finished cooking,while the meat is still soft so it does have a chance to be incorporated before cooking is complete. But I will try the bread crumb method one day.
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Lots of good ideas. I will try the flour in the dehydrated meat . I like a shepherds pie with mixed dehydrated veggies and instant mashed potatoes ( roasted garlic) or polenta which is done on the spot.. With instant brown gravy
I like ramen too with mixed dehydrated veggies and an egg and shrimp ( dehydrated at Asian stores though we carry cans of shrimp if not prohibited or portaging)
I like ramen too with mixed dehydrated veggies and an egg and shrimp ( dehydrated at Asian stores though we carry cans of shrimp if not prohibited or portaging)
Now we make our own instant brown gravy, but once upon a time I thought I was a real smarty pants, and would buy the readymade packets. On one trip I thought I'd grabbed the right one from off the shelf, until 3 days into the trip she discovered my error. SWISS CHALET DIPPING SAUCE. I was willing to go ahead and try it on our Shepherd's pie but she was being all fussy "NO Brad, Swiss Chalet dipping sauce would just be weird."
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You can do a pretty mean beef stew with spuds, carrots, and peas. Toss in one brown gravy packet and she is rib stickin good. Bannock if you are up for it. I have foound that frozen peas de and re hydrate really nicely. I usually take a potato with me cuz I hate mushy potatoes but that is me.
Chili is a winner all the time for sure. I like the Shepherds pie option, I will add that one.
I will admit to taking a lot of canned foods. It drives Karin nuts as it is rather heavy, but her objections disappear at meal time.
There is the" cheesedogs for supper "incident on summit lake to remember too.
Christy
Chili is a winner all the time for sure. I like the Shepherds pie option, I will add that one.
I will admit to taking a lot of canned foods. It drives Karin nuts as it is rather heavy, but her objections disappear at meal time.
There is the" cheesedogs for supper "incident on summit lake to remember too.
Christy
I've started my "test" kitchen for an upcoming BWCA trip this summer. My meals don't suffer when I'm camping or boat tripping. I cook ahead, what I think will dehydrate well, and try it at home first. I keep track of how much water comes out, and start by putting the same amount back in, plus a little bit that is lost during the cooking process. I label each vac pac with the meal & water needed.
So far, I've made tacos, sausage gumbo, and a chili-hashbrown concoction. They all dehydrate well, and rehydrate the same. I like fish, and am only taking along 2-3 back-up meals for a 7 day trip.
There's a German deli that I go to that has lots of dry pack sauces and potato concoctions that the only added ingredient is water. They're intended for the home-sick German, so not exactly "backpacking" food. So far, they've all been excellent. Dried ground meat, vegetables, noodles/rice, and one of these packets, and delicious stew.
I've also heard "farm fresh" eggs that haven't been washed can stay at room temperature for quite a while. I'm going to find a way to pack them, because a good fish fry needs them.
So far, I've made tacos, sausage gumbo, and a chili-hashbrown concoction. They all dehydrate well, and rehydrate the same. I like fish, and am only taking along 2-3 back-up meals for a 7 day trip.
There's a German deli that I go to that has lots of dry pack sauces and potato concoctions that the only added ingredient is water. They're intended for the home-sick German, so not exactly "backpacking" food. So far, they've all been excellent. Dried ground meat, vegetables, noodles/rice, and one of these packets, and delicious stew.
I've also heard "farm fresh" eggs that haven't been washed can stay at room temperature for quite a while. I'm going to find a way to pack them, because a good fish fry needs them.
