Meats and Sausages
Pemmican
American Indians refined the process of making jerky further and created the perfect snack called “Pemmican”. Pemmican is a naturally produced high energy meat bar that will last for years. Pemmican was made from thin slices of lean meat from large animals such as buffalo, deer, moose, and elk.
| Meats | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| dry beef jerky | 500 g | 1.10 lb. |
| beef suet | 500 g | 1.10 lb |
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
| raisins, dry cherries, blueberries, cranberries | 1 cup | 1 cup |
Instructions
- Chop jerky very finely with a knife or grind in a blender to a powder.
- Grind/chop other ingredients and mix with pulverized jerky.
- Mix jerky powder with powdered fruits.
- Cut the fat (suet, also known as tallow) into chunks and melt down over low heat, until it becomes a yellow-brown liquid. Continue to heat, stirring often, until more moisture is removed. Strain it through the filter to remove any impurities and allow to cool - it will become white.
- Reheat tallow over low heat and pour over jerky-fruit mixture. The tallow should be cool enough to touch but still liquid.
- Place warm pemmican into suitable molds to make blocks or bars. If pemmican solidifies too fast, you can warm it up again in a microwave.
- Wrap it up in wax paper or store in plastic bags.
Notes
To make pemmican from ground meat, double grind lean meat through a small plate. Spread it out thinly on a cookie sheet and dry (don't cook) at 180º F (82º C) overnight until crispy. Break it into powder in a blender. Another option is to have the butcher slice meat as thin as possible and then to dry it overnight. Then powder these dehydrated strips in a blender. A good combination is: 4 cups dried meat, 3 cups dried fruit (berries, apricots, apples, currents, 1 cups rendered beef fat. Unsalted nuts and honey are sometimes added.
