Made some pemmican from beef jerky

That's great i. Was the consistency smooth? You mentioned before that the
jerky was quite dry. I used very dry jerky in my experiments with pemmican.
The first batch was like sand mixed with fat. The second batch was fine when
I used a meat grinder instead of the blender. The articles that I have read
state that if it's too dry, the resulting product would have a gritty
consistency. Did you run the blender until the jerky was like powder? I
believe that my failed pemmican was due to the sharp edges left by the quick
chopping. The natives used stones to pound the jerky which would sort of
shred the jerky rather than chop it. Perhaps I didn't run the blender long
enough. What do you think?
Tom
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Ignoramus2121" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

using my jerky (powdered in a blender), dry cherries, sunflower seeds
and pumpkin seeds, and beef tallow. The result is surprisingly tasty.

I made about 1 lb of pemmican.

i

In article 6LsOc.137335$Mr4.29887@pd7tw1no said:

That's great i. Was the consistency smooth?

It was not smooth, in part because of berried and seeds that I added,
but it ws not sandy or gritty. Many people find my taste odd, but I
like the result very much. It does not taste like an average of jerky
and beef tallow taste, it has a taste of its own.

Quoted message said:

You mentioned before that the jerky was quite dry. I used very dry
jerky in my experiments with pemmican. The first batch was like
sand mixed with fat. The second batch was fine when I used a meat
grinder instead of the blender. The articles that I have read state
that if it's too dry, the resulting product would have a gritty
consistency. Did you run the blender until the jerky was like
powder? I believe that my failed pemmican was due to the sharp edges
left by the quick chopping.

You see, I used mechanical and chemical meat tenderizer before drying
the jerky, so even though it is dry and brittle, it is not hard.

Quoted message said:

The natives used stones to pound the
jerky which would sort of shred the jerky rather than chop
it. Perhaps I didn't run the blender long enough. What do you think?

I think that if not for tenderizer, it would be gritty and sandy. As
it stands, it is not. But I am known to eat odd foods, so perhaps my
taste is not an indication of success if the food was tried by general
public.

I used seeds instead of nuts because my son is allergic to nuts, and I
wanted to make food that would be safe for him to eat.

i

Ignoramus2121 wrote:
:: using my jerky (powdered in a blender), dry cherries, sunflower seeds
:: and pumpkin seeds, and beef tallow. The result is surprisingly tasty.
::
:: I made about 1 lb of pemmican.

I can't wait to make some of this....what is beef tallow? If that beef fat?
Do you buy it or trim/skim it off of something

Quoted message said:

It was not smooth, in part because of berried and seeds that I added,
but it ws not sandy or gritty. Many people find my taste odd, but I
like the result very much. It does not taste like an average of jerky
and beef tallow taste, it has a taste of its own.

Yes, it does have it's own flavour. Quite tasty really. The gritty
consistancy is a turn off though.

Quoted message said:

You see, I used mechanical and chemical meat tenderizer before drying
the jerky, so even though it is dry and brittle, it is not hard.

Maybe I'll try and see if I can use some other mechanical means to
tenderize the meat. I'll check into the chemical stuff as well, but I'd
rather not go that route as I like to make my own jerky and hopefully
pemmican to avoid the chemicals.

Quoted message said:

I think that if not for tenderizer, it would be gritty and sandy. As
it stands, it is not. But I am known to eat odd foods, so perhaps my
taste is not an indication of success if the food was tried by general
public.

I quite like the taste and would like to improve it as much as possible.
My wife and daughter have already told me not to make any for them because
even if I get rid of the gritty taste, they're still not going to eat it. I
like the fact that it is compact, doesn't require refridgeration and no
cooking. A very handy snack, I think.

Quoted message said:

I used seeds instead of nuts because my son is allergic to nuts, and I
wanted to make food that would be safe for him to eat.

i

I used a handful of dried cranberries. I don't know if the seeds or nuts
would be okay for the shelf life, unless they were somehow dried right out
as well. But would be great for flavor and nutrition.
Tom

In article said:

Ignoramus2121 wrote:
:: using my jerky (powdered in a blender), dry cherries, sunflower seeds
:: and pumpkin seeds, and beef tallow. The result is surprisingly tasty.
::
:: I made about 1 lb of pemmican.

I can't wait to make some of this....what is beef tallow? If that beef fat?
Do you buy it or trim/skim it off of something

Beef tallow is rendered beef fat from the abdominal area. It is
rendered from "beef suet" or "kidney fat". It is the sort of fat that
stays relatively hard to room temperature.

I bought some beef suet at the local butcher for $0.98 per lb, and
rendered it (melted fat from the connective tissue) myself. The
connective tissue went to the chickens.

The fat is hard, harder than butter.

recipe enclosed.

i
To make Pemmican:

1. Dehydrate strips of raw red meat. I usually use 5lbs. of eye of round
beef for my weekly batch. Have the butcher slice it for you as thin as
possible. Make sure it is completely dry but not cooked. If it cooks, it
will taste gritty like sand in the final product.

2. Powder these dehydrated strips. The Indians pounded them with rocks,
but I recommend a food processor. Spices can be added at this time. All
I use for spice is about one handfull of chopped dried cherries.

3. Prepare tallow by rendering animal fat. I melt strips of beef fat
(free from the butcher counter) in a cast iron skillet on a low heat
until the rinds float to the surface. I continue to heat the resulting
tallow until all moisture is removed. It is very important to remove
all water from the fat to prevent it going rancid. Proper tallow can be
made from beef fat (suet is best) or lamb fat but not from pork fat as it
doesn't set hard enough when cool. Tallow when cooled resembles candle
wax in color and consistency.

4. When the resulting tallow is cool enough to touch but still liquid,
add it slowly to the meat powder until all of it is just saturated. By
weight this is about a 60/40 meat/tallow ratio.

5. Mold the finished product into pie tins or cupcake forms. When it
hardens you're done.

6. Store in a dry place. I keep mine in a bowl on top of the
refrigerator.

Ray Audette, author "NeanderThin: A Caveman's Guide to Nutrition"
http://www.sofdesign.com/neander

=============================================================================

Pemmican
Yield: 1 batch

1 lb Jerky
2 tb Brown sugar
2 oz Raisins
2 oz Cranberries
5 oz Suet

Run the dry jerky through a food grinder a few times.
In a loaf pan add the cranberries, raisins and brown sugar.
Mix ingredients together.
When the mixture is well blended, melt the suet and stir it in.
Let the suet cool and harden.
This approximates the old style pemmican made to preserve meat without
refrigeration and to add some vitamin C values.

======================================================================
Marinade recipe:
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1/4 cup saki
2 tblsp Mirin
1 tblsp white sugar

In article dwtOc.137641$Mr4.56544@pd7tw1no said:

Quoted message said:

It was not smooth, in part because of berried and seeds that I added,
but it ws not sandy or gritty. Many people find my taste odd, but I
like the result very much. It does not taste like an average of jerky
and beef tallow taste, it has a taste of its own.

Yes, it does have it's own flavour. Quite tasty really. The gritty
consistancy is a turn off though.

Understandable.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You see, I used mechanical and chemical meat tenderizer before drying
the jerky, so even though it is dry and brittle, it is not hard.

Maybe I'll try and see if I can use some other mechanical means to
tenderize the meat. I'll check into the chemical stuff as well, but I'd
rather not go that route as I like to make my own jerky and hopefully
pemmican to avoid the chemicals.

These chemicals are enzymes similar to what works inside your stomach.

I don't think that mechanical tenderizing would get you where you want
to be. Perhaps, consider marinading that meat in some acid (like
vinegar). Read up on tenderizing and marinating, maybe you can find
something out. I find use of chemical tenderizer acceptable, but I
understand your logic.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I think that if not for tenderizer, it would be gritty and sandy. As
it stands, it is not. But I am known to eat odd foods, so perhaps my
taste is not an indication of success if the food was tried by general
public.

I quite like the taste and would like to improve it as much as possible.
My wife and daughter have already told me not to make any for them because
even if I get rid of the gritty taste, they're still not going to
eat it. I

What do they eat, Oreos?

Quoted message said:

like the fact that it is compact, doesn't require refridgeration and no
cooking. A very handy snack, I think.

Yeppers.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I used seeds instead of nuts because my son is allergic to nuts, and I
wanted to make food that would be safe for him to eat.

i

I used a handful of dried cranberries. I don't know if the seeds or nuts
would be okay for the shelf life, unless they were somehow dried right out
as well. But would be great for flavor and nutrition.

I figure, if they are enclosed in hard fat, they would not go rancid.

I plan on storing my pemmican in the fridge, for the time being.

i

Quoted message said:

These chemicals are enzymes similar to what works inside your stomach.

I didn't know that

Quoted message said:

I don't think that mechanical tenderizing would get you where you want
to be. Perhaps, consider marinading that meat in some acid (like
vinegar). Read up on tenderizing and marinating, maybe you can find
something out. I find use of chemical tenderizer acceptable, but I
understand your logic.

Right. I've definately got some studying to do about tenderizing.

Quoted message said:

What do they eat, Oreos?

Haha. No, but some of their snacks, like granola bars, are too sweet for
me. They like my beef jerky, but pemmican is too unusual for their taste
buds.

Quoted message said:

I figure, if they are enclosed in hard fat, they would not go rancid.

Probably true and would still have a decent shelf life for my purposes.

Quoted message said:

I plan on storing my pemmican in the fridge, for the time being.

I will as well, but will still leave some wrapped up at room temperature
to see how long it will last. The gritty batch that I made in march still
tastes like the day I made it and shows no signs of spoiling whatsoever.
Amazing really, when they say that it will last for 4 or 5 years and
possibly for over 100 if done properly. I wonder if anyone has found a stash
of it left over from the days of the Voyagers that is still edible?
Tom

In article wYuOc.144194$ek5.104670@pd7tw2no said:

Quoted message said:

These chemicals are enzymes similar to what works inside your stomach.

I didn't know that

That's true. Most tenderizers sold at grocery stores (in the spices
section) are based on papain, which is simply a natural ingredient of
papaya. It dissolves collagen.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What do they eat, Oreos?

Haha. No, but some of their snacks, like granola bars, are too sweet
for me. They like my beef jerky, but pemmican is too unusual for
their taste buds.

I understand, I do not even bother suggesting pemmican to my wife.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I plan on storing my pemmican in the fridge, for the time being.

by the way, it won't last very long🙂

Quoted message said:

I will as well, but will still leave some wrapped up at room temperature
to see how long it will last. The gritty batch that I made in march still
tastes like the day I made it and shows no signs of spoiling whatsoever.
Amazing really, when they say that it will last for 4 or 5 years and
possibly for over 100 if done properly. I wonder if anyone has found a stash
of it left over from the days of the Voyagers that is still edible?

Amazing, almost unbelievable, maybe I will try very hard to preserve
one piece to see if it spoils.

i

Quoted message said:

That's true. Most tenderizers sold at grocery stores (in the spices
section) are based on papain, which is simply a natural ingredient of
papaya. It dissolves collagen.

I'll definately read up and experiment with it.

Quoted message said:

by the way, it won't last very long🙂

Haha. I have trouble keeping enough jerky around for my persuits in
making pemmican.

Quoted message said:

Amazing, almost unbelievable, maybe I will try very hard to preserve
one piece to see if it spoils.

The only reason that my march batch has lasted this long is because it
didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. If my next experiments turns out,
I'll have the same problem as the jerky. Thanks for all the tips i. I'll let
you know what my results are either way.
Tom

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Ignoramus2121 wrote:
:: using my jerky (powdered in a blender), dry cherries, sunflower seeds
:: and pumpkin seeds, and beef tallow. The result is surprisingly tasty.
::
:: I made about 1 lb of pemmican.

I can't wait to make some of this....what is beef tallow? If that beef fat?
Do you buy it or trim/skim it off of something

Pork fat is lard, beef fat is tallow. Just trim the fat off and cook
it out on a moderate heat. It is called rendering.

TC

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Ignoramus2121 wrote:
:: using my jerky (powdered in a blender), dry cherries, sunflower seeds
:: and pumpkin seeds, and beef tallow. The result is surprisingly tasty.
::
:: I made about 1 lb of pemmican.

I can't wait to make some of this....what is beef tallow? If that beef fat?
Do you buy it or trim/skim it off of something

Salut Roger

http://www.metisresourcecentre.mb.ca/history/hunt.htm

Pemmican

Approx. 8 ounces home made moose, bison or beef jerky
1 cup dried Saskatoon berries (or blueberries)
1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds or crushed nuts of any kind
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 cup natural peanut or almond butter
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1. This recipe uses nut butter. The Metis hunters used bison fat.
2. Pound meat to desired texture with mortar and pestle--not too fine.
3. Add the dried berries and seeds or nuts. Mash.
4. Heat honey, nut butter & cayenne in bowl over hot water until softened.
5. Mix all together and turn into a pan.
6. When cool cut into bars and store well wrapped in plastic.

Portable Pemmican
http://www.greatcanadianrivers.com/rivers/quapple/quapple-home.html

Modern-day out-trippers who rely on specialty freeze-dried camp meals
may be surprised to learn that 18th and 19th century voyageurs carried
their own lightweight, calorie-packed convenience food. Thousands of
years before the invention of commercial food preservation methods,
aboriginal Americans were skillfully preparing a highly-nourishing,
long-lasting and easily portable food known as pemmican.

Vacuum-Packed: Derived from a Cree word that originally described the
preparation of bone marrow grease, the dietary staple of the fur
trader was an ingenious combination of dried lean meat (primarily
bison, but also moose, elk or deer), wild berries (such as Saskatoon
berries) and suet or bone marrow grease. Originally preserved in
animal bladders or intestines, pemmican prepared for European traders
was stored in bison-skin bags called "parfleches" that were sealed
with melted tallow. As the skin bags dried and shrank, they compressed
the pemmican mixture and created a vacuum seal, rendering the contents
virtually un-spoilable.

A Well-Balanced Meal: Highly-concentrated pemmican lightened the load
of voyageur canoes, with only 1 kilogram providing the nutritional
equivalent of up to 5 kilograms of fresh meat. In addition to the
protein and fat contained in the mixture, vitamins supplied by the
berry component helped to prevent scurvy. Greens, roots and
flavourings such as wild onions could be added to enhance the
pemmican, when it was made into a soup or stew.
Pemmican Gourmet: At the height of the western fur trade, pemmican
production was an important First Nations industry. The Hudson's Bay
Company paid a premium price for the highest quality "sweet pemmican,"
made exclusively from the leanest red meat of bison cows and young
bulls.

Zee

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ignoramus6756 wrote:

[snip]

|| recipe enclosed.
||
|| i
|| To make Pemmican:

Thanks, Ig.

Zee wrote:
|| "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
|| news:<[email hidden]>...
||| Ignoramus2121 wrote:
||||| using my jerky (powdered in a blender), dry cherries, sunflower
||||| seeds
||||| and pumpkin seeds, and beef tallow. The result is surprisingly
||||| tasty.
|||||
||||| I made about 1 lb of pemmican.
|||
||| I can't wait to make some of this....what is beef tallow? If that
||| beef fat?
||| Do you buy it or trim/skim it off of something
||
||
||
|| Salut Roger
||
||
|| http://www.metisresourcecentre.mb.ca/history/hunt.htm
||
|| Pemmican

Thanks, Zee.

In article said:

Ignoramus6756 wrote:

[snip]

|| recipe enclosed.
||
|| i
|| To make Pemmican:

Thanks, Ig.

disclosure, I used pumpkin and sunflower seeds instead of nuts, to
make pemmican edible for my little son. The result is an awesome
energy snack, taste of which I like a lot. That said, obviously you
know that I sometimes have odd tastes.

Once I have jerky and beef tallow, making pemmican as such is very
easy, takes about 8 minutes. Crush jerky in the blender, heat up beef
tallow, mix in berries and seeds, pour in beef tallow, cast into empty
plastic sour cream containers. (pemmican easily pops out of there
after being frozen in the freezer)

i