Dehydrated Hamburg

[Kayak Jack]

I've posted this before, but it is an easy one and worth repeating. I use low fat ground beef, 10%. Fry it up fairly brown, put the fried meat into a wire strainer, and run water from the hot water faucet over it to wash off any excess fat. Lay it on either a paper towel, or a smooth cloth towel - not terry cloth. Put in in dehydrator.

When it is dry, it looks like dark, brown Grape Nuts cereal. A pound of hamburg becomes a heaping handful when dry. Even though it stores well as is, I extend shelf life by eons by storing it in the freezer. I store it in half pound equivalent parcels.

In camp, rehydrate with water, beer, or wine. Add to dishes like chili, spaghetti sauce, pasta & cheeses, etc.

 

[islandpiper]

Great idea. I'll bring some dehydrated beer and we'll make ......um......brown grape nuts.

Seriously, when you rinse this off, you do take the fat that will go rancid, but are you taking all the food value too when you wash off the meat juices?

piper

 

[Kayak Jack]

Some of it, yes, not all. But, you retain more than if you had none of it. Adds character, bulk, and flavor to chili & spaghetti-type meals.

 

[graybeard]

Great idea. I'll bring some dehydrated beer and we'll make ......um......brown grape nuts.

Seriously, when you rinse this off, you do take the fat that will go rancid, but are you taking all the food value too when you wash off the meat juices?

piper

I dunno, but when I brown hamburger, I remove the juices with a turkey baster. I put them into a pyrex measuring cup and allow the fat to float. Then I add the watery, meaty part of the liquid back to the beef. Use the turkey baster to "reach through" the fat and suck up the juice. It removes most of the fat without removing the flavor or drying it out. I also buy 96 - 92% lean beef, usually Laura's lean. The hounds get a teaspoon of grease with the next meal.

I'll cook up 3 lbs on Sunday and freeze two. Then I have the start for 3 easy meals during the week - tacos, chili, sloppy joes, etc. Nice when you walk in the door from work and have two hungry teenagers.

 

[Kayak Jack]

I never had cooked hamburg or ground beef ahead for home. I dry it for camp because dehydration is an easy task and provides me a lot of food at light weight and no refrigeration. Freeze drying is good if you have the equipment, but not worth it for my home uses.

Even then, some things I don't bother to remove from a can to dry. Tomato paste is almost as light as dried tomato leather, and a heck of a lot easier. Same with a can of refried beans if they are not watery. Thick, solid packed refried beans are easy to carry in a can. And, it lightens your load (a few hours later) when you eat them!

I've taken freeze dried shrimp; rehydrated them with beer. Dried cabbage is good in soups.