DIY dehydrated meals

Brendan

WKR
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
3,871
Location
Massachusetts
I did two big crock pots of chili this year to use up a bunch of ground Elk/Venison, hoping they turn out well... I did drain all fat before drying and then tried to mash the dried burger as flat and small as possible before packing... For breakfast I did a buckwheat, chia seed, dried fruit, brown sugar mix.

Packaged in mylar bags found on Amazon, just like a mountain house. Put in an oxygen absorber and sealed with an Iron..

Basically I was able to buy a new dehydrator and make all my meals for less than it would have been to buy them for one hunt.
 

Ears

FNG
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Messages
57
Location
Minnesota
I did about 60 homemade dehydrated freezer bag meals for my upcoming Alaska hunt. I will try to do a little review on all of them and what/how I did it when I get back. I tried to come up with some creative ways to do it, so we'll see if they work!
 

joshh

FNG
Joined
Dec 2, 2018
Messages
19
Mountain pho:
Hot water
Instant bone broth
Packaged Pho spices
Beef jerky
Jalapeño
Soy sauce packets from the Chinese restaurant


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Cng

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 9, 2019
Messages
238
Location
KY
I’m curious about your all’s rehydration process. When I dehydrate my own meals, certain things like beans and chicken don’t seem to rehydrate as well.

Are you guys soaking in water first? If so, how long? Are you cooking in your pot or pouring boiling water on like a freezer bag meal? Are you simmering for a long time? What’s your secret to consistent rehydration throughout all the ingredients?
 

Ears

FNG
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Messages
57
Location
Minnesota
I’m curious about your all’s rehydration process. When I dehydrate my own meals, certain things like beans and chicken don’t seem to rehydrate as well.

Are you guys soaking in water first? If so, how long? Are you cooking in your pot or pouring boiling water on like a freezer bag meal? Are you simmering for a long time? What’s your secret to consistent rehydration throughout all the ingredients?


For me, a lot depends on how it was dehydrated. I make sure to cut everything up into very small pieces. No big chunks or anything like that. Soaking for a bit can help in those circumstances.

I typically boil the water, dump in, and seal in a cozy for at least 15-25 minutes depending on the items.

I know I did some lasagna a few years ago for a mule deer hunt and it was pretty chewy/crunchy still when I cooked it regular. This kind of taught me to cut it up smaller. I ended up putting it in my pot with water before I went on my evening hike and when I came back it was much more rehydrated and much better. If only I'd tried that on day 1 instead of day 6. Haha.
 
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BradG

FNG
Joined
Jun 25, 2018
Messages
26
My wife makes this chicken with salsa and taco seasoning in the crock pot yummy.For the last 3 years ive been stealing the left overs and dehydrating. .5 lbs dehydrats to 2.5 -3 oz. Mix witha bag of ramen spicy and its golden.
 
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