How to make Pemmican (in pictures)

[jacob karhu]

Hi i searched on your forum, you had any tuto on pemmican cooking. And i just test a new way of making this Indian rations.

All began when i cooked a ground beef on the frying-pan. The meat looked very fin and dispatched. Ideal for drying i thought.

So i bought 300gr of ground beef to test my idea.
I cut the meat into little pieces and place it on the oven. It's a modern one witch allowed get down low temperatures. Until 30°C. But i selected 50°C, ideal for drying food.
Before putting the grid on the oven, you can add hot spices, salt or everything like you want.



I used a grid to let the air getting all around the meat.

After 5h it's seems to work. The meat looks darker and dryer.


7hours later, i mix all the meat with a robot and continue to dry it on the oven for one extra hour.


Now the beef is very dark, crispy, and light. Sort of big powder.

To complete my mixture i crushed almonds and took some berries.


I ever had some chicken fat on my fridge. Finally decided tu use it instead of real beef fat.
Here there are all my ingredient :

[jacob karhu]

(too bad we can attached only 5 pictures. Well, i continue my post by answering me)

Where was I ?

Oh, yeah, I was exactly weighing my meat. How heavy is it now ?


120gr only ? Well, it's nearly 2 times less than the original weight, good job

Now to make pemmican i have to add the same weigh of fat than the weigh of the meat. That is to say : 120gr.

Then, i add nuts and berries into my preparation and mix all of that. This is the result :


Unfortunately, the chicken fat is not as much solid to let it on ambient temperature. (On the fridge it was perfect lol)

Any solution ? oh yeah, i know, why not adding instant mashed potato ? The powder will agglomerate a little more my preparation and complete it by starches.

Cut my pemmican into 3 parts.


1 portion = 1 meal.


For only 115gr hehehe this ration provides you proteins, fat, vitamins, and starches.


How eating this ? As it is if you are in a hurry. Doesn't taste so delicious okay, i recognize. Nevertheless it's all what you body needs for a long effort !
I haven't precisely calculate the calories rate, but it's should be around 600kcal/100gr ... Very heavy on a so little volume.

[jacob karhu]

However, my preferable way of eating pemmican is by adding boiling water.
If you are carefully you can make some puree. Taste really better because meat tend to rehydrated and recover it's taste. Not crispy but smooth.


Or if you add much more water, it looks like a thick porridge !


Preferable when the weather is cold and rainy.


=> Is it really effective ? How to be sure it'll feed you completely for a meal ?
To be certain, i ate one ration this midday. By the 3 ways (as it is, puree and porridge). Result ? I didn't want of a dessert, too full ............ x)
However in the woods, i think you should complete your pemmican ration by wild plants. Even just nettles in order to bring fresh vitamins.



Finally finished, pfiou, what a long post ... I hope i didn't make too much mistakes in my sentences Tell-me if there is something wrong.

Or even if you have remarks on the preparation, questions or advices

[Thumbcrusher]

Nice experiment mate! Thanks for sharing.

[OakAshandThorn]

Oh yeah! Primitive Native American energy bars

[rik_uk3]

An interesting use of 'hamburger rocks'.