drying hamburger?

[Birdman]

ok was thinking on getting some of this 90% lean burger and doing it up simaler to the jerky I make, figured if I break it up alot as it dries it will come out as tiny nuggets that could be added to soups, stews etc or just noshed on as a snack when the hungries hit, yea I know its not all that PC/HC but since the radiation treatments took me chompers I have been looking around for substitutes for different foods n such. Kind of hard to gnaw on Jerky with no chompers( hate the sunday go to meeten teeth)but still need the protien when out n about. Anybody tried this? or have any thoughts?

 

[Claude Mathis]

I think it would work fine. I've used ground meat in those "jerky shooters" and it was okay. Very easy to eat.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cab...ts&Ntt=jerky&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products

 

[awcanis]

Do it often, scramble it in a pan till cooked, then dehydrate. Tastes great when re-hydrated. It and re-hydrated diced potatoes scrambled together makes a good easy meal.

 

[Claude Mathis]

Do it often, scramble it in a pan till cooked, then dehydrate. Tastes great when re-hydrated. It and re-hydrated diced potatoes scrambled together makes a good easy meal.

Drying meat (jerking) and cooking meat is completely different.

Meat is dried to preserve it, and it can last a long time. Cooked meat will rot in a short time if not refrigerated.

 

[awcanis]

I guess I need to clarify what I said. I did say to dehydrate the burger after scrambling it. I have had better luck dehyradating after scrambling the burger. I have had the dehydrated burger keep in jars for over a year with no ill effects. The cooking part was when you rehydrate the burger.

 

[Birdman]

haha well I sure didn't see what happened coming, bought some 85% fat free burger, dumped about 2 pounds in a bowl to marinate same as I do useing beef that been chunked or cut in strips, thought it would break apart into the small grains ya see when its raw, LOL nope din't happen, sorta turned into one big ball of mush so to speak, added more soy sauce n it sucked that up too, added a bit of liquid smoke n herbs n just mixed them all in, been setting in the fridge over night n will put in the dehydrator this evening, after that time will tell if this experiment turns out good or bad. May have to just break it all up after it dries in small pieces but thats no biggie as long as it tastes ok n stores well

 

[awcanis]

Let me know how that works out for you. Similar experience years back led me to the way I do it now. Found by scrambling it first I was able to get it to a fine texture, which in turn dehydrated quite fast. I suppose as long as you get your pieces dry enough you can crunch them however fine you want anyway. Either way good luck.

 

[Claude Mathis]

I guess I need to clarify what I said. I did say to dehydrate the burger after scrambling it.
”¦

The cooking part was when you rehydrate the burger.

I guess I got confused, because I thought "scrambling" meant cooking and you don't preserve meat by cooking it. Cooking is pretty much the opposite of preserving.

If whatever you're doing works for you, so be it.

 

[Bear Rider]

I have taken to cutting up beef as if for jerky, then boiling it one pound lots for eight minutes. I put the strips between two layers of paper towels and use a rolling pin to squeeze as much water out of them and then dry it as if were jerky. Since it's not seasoned, it can go into any soup or chile.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Folks as long as the moisture content is sufficiently reduced, cooked or raw, the meat will not "spoil", and adding salt or altering the pH to high acid level, also preserves the meat, as well as other stuff. So, cooking then drying, or pickling, will work. Boiled meat will not last as long as meat boiled in vinegar. The cooking then drying reminds me of the dried, cooked, pork patty of the first generation MRE.

LD

 

[Birdman]

well I spread the meat out in the dehydrator last night n let it run for several hours, turned it off until this afternoon as no one would be home to watch it n in this old place I don't really trust the elec completely. It is drying very nice and should be done before bed time, cracked a few pieces n they seem very tender so to speak, so it may be a way for a now toothless ol bugger like me to still enjoy jerky again(hate them store bought teeth) hahaha, also seems as if it ought to break up easy to use in whatever I feel like cooking on the trail. Actually got another batch marinadeing as I type, going in about 2 pound(raw) units so I can keep track of what I have weight wise after drying. May try a plain drying after this batch just to see the flavor difference n usefulness of it that way. always enjoy a new experiment that sort of follows historical paths. Hope the out come ends up as good as it seems so far.

 

[Bear Rider]

I just made my second bowl of soup today, playing with dehydrated vegetables and dried, boiled beef. I've had to give up salt, so everything is a new challenge.

My first soup was beef and mixed vegetable, the second beef and corn. Both were soaked in hot water for about fifteen minutes to rehydrate, and came out very well. I still have to work on the seasonings, but that's a different story. The beef pieces were tasty and tender.

 

[greggholmes]

Check into freeze-dried ground beef. It has a 25 year shelf life. I can't recomend any brands.

 

[Bugflipper]

If it has to much fat in it, it will go rancid if not stored in a cool place. I think I use 80-20. The 96% you have to blot pretty regular to soak up the melted fat off of it. I just either grind my own from the roast or buy the lean stuff, mix it and press it into little thin patties and dry them. If the meat gets freezer burnt I will boil it and then dry and give to the dogs for treats. Cooked dried meat will last as long as non cooked dried meat.

 

Cooked dried meat will last as long as non cooked dried meat.

I would suggest that the members use the advice given on the forum at their own risk. Just because someone hasn't landed in the hospital yet, doesn't mean they know what they're doing.

The following is not the only source out there...

The shelf life of dried, cooked meats is 2 to 3 weeks at room temperature. Store in refrigerator or freezer to maintain the best quality until ready for use; backpacking; or camping. They will stay fresh and tasty for up to 6 months in freezer.

 

Here's another new-age person without a clue. Sure you have to "keep the meat in the refrigerator". That's because they didn't make jerky. They made cooked meat. :wink:

It's recommended that you first cook the meat you're going to dehydrate to 160 F before you begin to dehydrate it. This will kill the bacteria in the meat that can make you sick, such as salmonella and E coli. Also make sure to keep the meat in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.

 

[whiskey]

I have been drying hamburger for 20 years to use when backpacking. I get the leanest burger, cook it in a skillet. Occaissionaly tilt the skillet and spoon out any grease or liquid. When meat is cooked I usually dump it on paper towells to pat away any grease that may be on it. Then it goes into dehydrater. I don;t do it in patties, so when it is dry it is like gravel. it rehydrates faster than patties would. It is great for soups stews even with dried spagetti sauce.
I have never stored it in fridge and have never had any problem. I usually dry in winter and stock up for summer. I goes a long time with no refridgeration. I go through a lot of this meat every year. Remember to get the leanest meat available. It is the fat, which melts into grease that will turn rancid and spoil your batch.

 

[Bear Rider]

Here's another new-age person without a clue. Sure you have to "keep the meat in the refrigerator". That's because they didn't make jerky. They made cooked meat. :wink:

The last time that I looked, a dehydrator gets up to about 145 degrees -- the same temperature as medium rare roast beef. After several hours in that dryer, your "jerky" is actually cooked meat. The only way to make uncooked jerky is to either air dry it or smoke it.

I put my stuff in the freezer so that I won't be tempted to snack on it. It's hard enough to chew when it's thawed. :shocked2:

 

[Billnpatti]

While I have never done it, I'd think that one could season the burger the way you want it and then put it between two pieces of waxed paper and use a rolling pin to roll it into a flat piece sort of like pie dough. Then use a pizza cutter to cut it into strips. Allow the strips to dry in the air a bit so that they can be handled and then put them into a dehydrator. You should end up with jerky-like strips that are easily broken up or chewed. Since I have never done it, but they make devices to extrude burger strips, I'd think it would work.

 

[Birdman]

well gents I tried it with 90/10 burger, seasoned it up some like usual n placed in the dehydrator, each tray had a bit of a difference in how I dried it, some made into small pattys ,one tray just a big ol flat pizza shape n some all crumbled up already, seems to have dried well , the crumbled up stuff as I thought dried the quickest but I left it all in until the whole shebang was done, the pattys are holding together decently n the slab I broke up into bite size pieces, the crumbled stuff showed the least little touch of greaseyness but the rest is all just dry n dull looking. Most put in the freezer after cooling just to be on the safe side n a little of each of the others into small canvas bags to watch n see how they age, no mold or fuzzy stuff on any of it yet n its been a few weeks, happy with the results so far.