How to Dehydrate Ground Beef
Learn how you can dehydrate your own ground/mince beef to take along on your hiking trips. Dehydrating ground beef is a great way to understand how to use a dehydrator. You'll feel pretty special whipping out your own concoction at camp rather then buying it from the store. This recipe is intended as a base for you to include into your own recipes. Remember, the dehydrator works best when we limit the amount of fats and dairy.
Creates 4 servings
Ingredients:
500g of lean minced beef (less fat the better, aim for at least 95% meat, 5% fat)
Method:
Step 1:
We are not using any oil in the pan as we are trying to reduce the fat so make sure you use a non-stock pan. Heat up your pan, then place in the minced beef. Use a spatula to break down any large chunks. Once fully cooked, remove from heat.
Step 2:
Place your cooked meat into a strainer, and pour over boiling water from the kettle to rinse off any excess fat or grease. Now you can turn the tap on warm and sift through the meat with your hands to break down any more chunks so that it can effectively dehydrate later on. You can move onto the next step when you can see that your hand is no longer greasy.
Step 3:
Cut small strips of aluminium foil and lay them flat on each tray of your dehydrator - this will help catch all pieces of Beef. Evenly spread out your mincemeat onto each tray and set your dehydrator to its highest setting. Check back every few hours to rotate trays, ensuring that no larger clumps have stuck together. This process usually takes 8 - 12 hours.
Step 4:
Once done you are ready for storage! Place your mince into zip lock bags or vacuum seal them. You can place your bags in the fridge or freezer until your next hike!
To rehydrate:
As stated earlier this recipe is intended as a base for you to include into your own recipes. To rehydrate, boil enough water so that the water line will just cover the top of your food. Once the water has boiled, put the food into your cooking pot and let it sit covered for around 10 minutes.