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Meats, Fish, and Poultry
Dehydration Tips
Dried meats are best when made for upcoming camping and backpacking trips.
When reconstituted, they yield a tasty meat, somewhat like fresh cooked.
IMPORTANTNOTE: Except for jerky, cooking of all
meats and fish before drying is required to ensure
safety. Do not store dried meat, fish, or poultry
longer than two months.
Use only very lean meats and cut away as much fat as possible. Meat should be
marinated before drying to add flavor and also to tenderize it. The marinade should
contain salt, which helps extract water from the meat and also helps preserve it, but it
should not have any oil. Most marinades contain some sort of acid (like tomato sauce or
vinegar) because the acid breaks down the fibers making the meat more tender.
Slicing meat while partially frozen will be easier, especially if you want very thin
slices. A food processor or a specialized meat slicer can do a great job. You can also
tell your butcher that you are making dried meat or jerky and they will be glad to thin
slice it for you.
When drying meat or game for stews, soups, etc., remember that these types
of meat must be cooked prior to drying. Cook, cut into small cubes and place in the
dehydrator. Dry until all moisture has been removed, approximately 2 to 8 hours.
When ready to use in your favorite stew, simply rehydrate by soaking in water
or broth for at least 1-½ hours, or until tender and about the size they were before
dehydrating.
BEEF
Choose lean cuts. Beef flank steak, round Or rump are better than chuck or rib.
POULTRY
All poultry MUST be cooked before drying. Steaming or roasting are the best
methods. Chicken breasts are leaner than dark meat.
FISH
A good idea is to steam the fish before dehydrating or, if you chose to bake it, pre-
heat your conventional oven to 200°F and bake for 20 minutes or until fish is flaky.
When drying fish, sole and flounder are good choices.
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