Homemade BackPacking Food Thread

Aron Snyder

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Hardstalk sent a PM about starting a thread for homemade backpacking food and I thought that was a great idea!

So post up whatever recipe you may have that would work for backpack/bivy type food!
 
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Great idea, I have a couple off the top of my head.

Trailmix....of course you can substitute or add most anything in here. I'm particular to cranberries for some reason.
1/2 cup unblanched whole almonds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup dried apple slices, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup Honey Nut Cheerios

Peanut butter and bacon tortilla sandwich
tortilla shell of choice, spread on peanut butter, and add 2-3 strips of precooked bacon.
I have had folks tell me they add honey, but personally never like the taste ymmv.


BBQ Chicken wraps
Pouch of precooked chicken breast, tortillas of choice, bbq sauce packet from McDonalds, Burger King, etc., pepper-jack cheese (optional). Unpack chicken, pour on bbq, wrap it all up and eat.

Bacon/Cheese Pasta
3oz pack ramen (any flavor)
1⁄4 cup shelf stable bacon
1⁄4 cup shelf stable parmesan cheese
1⁄2 teaspoon granulated dried garlic
1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil (1 packet)
1 1⁄2 cups water
Bring the water to a boil and pour in freezer bag with the pasta. Seal and let sit for 5-10 minutes (I put the freezer bag in an empty Mountain House bag). Drain off the water, mix in seasonings and eat.
 

Hardstalk

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I have always wanted to write a book called "jailhouse cookbook" I have heard stories from prison guards that say what the guys come up with behind bars will amaze you. Im sure this is the same concept. Minimalist. No space. Great flavor. Im excited to see what you guys have conjured up for the backcountry.
 

7mag.

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Buckley, Wa.
Great idea, I have a couple off the top of my head.

Trailmix....of course you can substitute or add most anything in here. I'm particular to cranberries for some reason.
1/2 cup unblanched whole almonds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup dried apple slices, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup Honey Nut Cheerios

Peanut butter and bacon tortilla sandwich
tortilla shell of choice, spread on peanut butter, and add 2-3 strips of precooked bacon.
I have had folks tell me they add honey, but personally never like the taste ymmv.


BBQ Chicken wraps
Pouch of precooked chicken breast, tortillas of choice, bbq sauce packet from McDonalds, Burger King, etc., pepper-jack cheese (optional). Unpack chicken, pour on bbq, wrap it all up and eat.

Bacon/Cheese Pasta
3oz pack ramen (any flavor)
1⁄4 cup shelf stable bacon
1⁄4 cup shelf stable parmesan cheese
1⁄2 teaspoon granulated dried garlic
1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil (1 packet)
1 1⁄2 cups water
Bring the water to a boil and pour in freezer bag with the pasta. Seal and let sit for 5-10 minutes (I put the freezer bag in an empty Mountain House bag). Drain off the water, mix in seasonings and eat.

I've done the peanut butter/bacon sandwich before, only I put it on toasted bagels. After a couple of days, they turn chewy. I will try the tortilla. That bacon/cheese pasta sounds good I will give that a try. I am looking forward to some more idea's I may get from this thread.
 

Lawnboi

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I made soup the other time i went out.

Dehydrated some cubed chicken, some corn, and added it to some quick cook soup mix. Boiled it for a few minutes and it was good to go.
 
OP
Aron Snyder

Aron Snyder

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Here's what I did for dinner my last couple trips.

1 pound elk burger

1 lb Italian sausage

Cook together in skillet/wok (added ms dash no sodium seasoning)

Stick all of that in a dehydrator (6 hours on 145 for me)

I then take Top Ramen out of the package and stick that and my desired amount of elk burger in a ziplock bag. I also throw out the seasoning packet that comes with the Ramen and use no/low sodium seasoning blend on my own.

You can also do the same type of thing with the burger and add it to Idahoan potatoes (that's Gmans idea), but tastes pretty dang good!

This is proably the best "poor boy" dinners you can find and if you throw out the seasoning packet and add your own protein, it's somewhat healthy!
 

Shrek

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Here's what I did for dinner my last couple trips.

1 pound elk burger

1 lb Italian sausage

Cook together in skillet/wok (added ms dash no sodium seasoning)

Stick all of that in a dehydrator (6 hours on 145 for me)

I then take Top Ramen out of the package and stick that and my desired amount of elk burger in a ziplock bag. I also throw out the seasoning packet that comes with the Ramen and use no/low sodium seasoning blend on my own.

You can also do the same type of thing with the burger and add it to Idahoan potatoes (that's Gmans idea), but tastes pretty dang good!

This is proably the best "poor boy" dinners you can find and if you throw out the seasoning packet and add your own protein, it's somewhat healthy!

Any idea how long it would last in a vacum sealed bag ? It sounds awsome !
 
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Aron Snyder

Aron Snyder

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A month or two I would think.

My dehydrated burger was good for 5 weeks before I ran out (I dehydrated 5 pounds at one time)
 

Slim Jim

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Do you guys use Tupperware or will ziplock work when adding boiled water? I have always used mountain house but would like to start making my own dinners
 
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Ziplock freezer bags work for the boiling water, the off brands not so much...don't ask how I know. I always save a cleaned Mountain House package to put the ziplock into. It gives it a bit of protection, and locks in the heat better for faster re-hydration times.
 

Shrek

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All this home made backpack food sounds great. Dehydrated meals and protein bars...it's all good to go until I start seeing members sporting untrimmed beards , tiedied shirts , and jesus sandals with socks !
 
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A couple of things to keep in mind from above...

1. When you do freezer bag cooking (FBC) you want to use the FREEZER ziplock bags, not the regular ones. You need the extra durablility/ruggedness of the freezer grade bags, the regular ones (as well as the other brands) might give you problems.

2. You don't have to have the water BOILING hot, if it is just before you get to boiling or if you let it cool down some before you put it in the ziplock you will be OK.


SlimJim, I do my rehydrating in the ziplock freezer bags, they work fine. I do however carry a three-cup rubbermaid plastic (not glass) container that I use as my "dinner table". I like to make different things in different pouches so I'm not restricted to a "one pot meal" menu, so I may have a protein/entree in one ziplock, some veggies or pasta in another one, and maybe some pudding for dessert in a third. The bags will fit into the three-cup container or I can put the contents in the container using it like a small plate. It's some extra weight but it adds some convenience and "civilization" to the backcountry. I store my breakfast stuff in it when it isn't being used so there isn't much space wasted.

Larry
 

Goober

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I have taken to just dehydrating my leftovers. Starting in about july, I cook about 2x as much dinner as we need, and throw the leftovers in the dehydrator overnight. Vaccum seal and then throw in the freezer. The lower the fat content the longer it will last, but by vaccum sealing and then freezing until I leave for my trip, I have found just about anything will last. Before dehydrating though, be sure to break the food up as small as possible. Not so much to speed the dehydrating, but to speed the re-hydrating. I dont usually cook in bags, I am a jetboil man. What works the best for me: Get into camp and the first thing I do is boil up water and dump in dinner and cover. Then I go about the rest of my camp chores and whatever. Come back 30 minutes (or more) later, heat up if needed, and eat. I find that to work out the best for re-hydrating, with no crunchies left in my dinner.
 
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Aron i am sure you already know about this, but the book freezer bag cooking is great. It's all about trail food made is simple and exactly what you are looking to do. I have the book and it is great.There a website on this by the author as well as tons of ideas.This lady is great breaks it all down to stuff you can buy at any store to make trail foods.
 

unm1136

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I made the BBQ Spaghetti from the Hungry Hammock Hanger. It was terrible, and I am a half way decent cook. It took way too long to dehydrate, so I am thinking my dehydrator is to blame, and might need to be replaced.

pat
 

unm1136

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Patrick's Game Cassarole is getting rave reviews on the Kifaru forum. I haven't made it yet, but it is on the list. I have tried recipes from backpackingchef.com, and hungryhammockhanger.com. While the BBQ Spaghetti was disappointing, the Mexican Beef and Rice with black beans rocked. I rarely use recipes when I cook, but it was a snap.

Open and drain a can of black beans and dehydrate them and bag them.

Brown and season a pound or two of ground beef. Don't use the commercial stuff, it seems to mold quckly. If you can't or don't want to make your own taco seasoning, then add the seasoning to the water you rehydrate the meat in. While the meat is browning mix in a quarter to a half a cup of bread crumbs. Dehydrate.

Sautee onion and garlic in a tablespoon or so of oil. Toss in some cumin and black pepper. I also like to add a tablespoon or so of Tumeric for its anti-inflamitory and anti-biotic properties. Put the rice in the pan and stir for a coupel or three minutes. Put a can or two of rotel tomatoes (I prefer the habañero to the green chili) on the rice and boil it, while stirring occasionally until the liquid is gone. Then add about twice as much water as rice to the pan and either simmer till the rice is done, or cover it and toss in a 350 degree oven for an hour or so. Dehydrate.

Take 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the dehydrated rice, a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dehydrated beans, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dehydrated beef and put them in a quart size freezer bag. If you are using commercial taco seasoning, put between a teaspoon and a tablespoon to your taste in the bag. If you want cheesy goodness add the powder packet from a box of macaroni and cheese. Rehydrate with an equal amount of boiling water and let sit for 20-30 minutes.

pat
 
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