How To Dehydrate Ground Beef (That Doesn't Taste Like Gravel) 

If you do not have a dehydrator you can bake it for an hour at 260* after frying and get the same results. Season it too. This is a Boy Scout method that’s been around for 50 years or more. Salmon works well too.

Just an extra tip...After you're done cooking the beef and straining off the grease, throw it in a pot and cover with water. Bring it to an easy boil and all the remaining grease will float to the top. I set mine in the sink afterwards and slowly run hot water into the pot until it overflows and the grease will wash over the side and down the drain. Works great!

You can reduce fat even more by: Boiling the beef before cooking After you cook it pour even more boiling water over it through a colander. Kevin Outdoors has great food dehydration videos.

My dad got a deer this fall, so trying this tonight with 3lbs of ground venison!

Awesome. Thanks! Saw an article about this a while back and it sounded like it would NOT reconstitute beyond grape nuts consistency. Your method makes sense. I'm considering using this method for sailing passages up to a month or two in duration. I've had good luck with using a wide mouth thermos for dehydrating meals. Add dry contents to thermos, pour in boiling water, seal immediately, set aside for 3 or 4 hrs. Hot lunch or dinner. Meat added to these rice or pasta and veggie meals would be sweet! Take care and happy trails. Sailor Steve.

Using an old fashioned potato masher to break up the meat while cooking it works awesome.

I'm new to hiking and loving it. Thank you for the tips on food preparation.

Great tip. Also, you can add different seasonings to add some variety. For example, I added curry to one batch, chili powder and cumin to another. Between the 1/2 cup dehydrated ground meat, a half pack of ramen noodles (no seasoning pack) and some dehydrated vegetables, I had a nice tasty meal that beat the Knorr's, tuna packs, or fancy commercial meals. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge, it is all appreciated.

Thank you for the tips and that you using the same music as Cowboy Kent Rollins, the finest cast iron cook on RU-vid. If you enjoy outdoor cookin’ you will love him. I noticed you got a bit simpler on subsequent thru hikes. You are a strong, beautiful woman. Keep your foot on the gas !!

I know you said the PCT is on the back-burner for the time being, but I really hope you get the chance to get out there and DO IT! I love watching your videos on the AT! Your how-to's on your pack, and gear and all that are really fantastic and taught me a few things Thanks!

I love watching some of your older videos. They are so personal and you make people feel like you're their bff! Would love to see more vlogging-type videos from your phone again!

Thanks Dixie! Videos like that are very helpful. I hope you do more.

I drop my cooked lean meat into a colander in the sink and pour boiling water over it immediately and let it drain momentarily before it goes in the drier. I will blitz the dried meat in a blender to reduce the volume for better packaging. I dry my sauces separately and blitz the leather as well. I make Mexican, Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian and Asian sauces using finely cut vegetables, herbs and spices, which I give a brief blitz. I add psillium husks or chia seeds as a thickener before ziplocking. Yes it is a little mushy like baby food but the meals are really flavoursome, quickly rehydrated and easily digested. I carry a bag of my meat and smaller individual bags of sauce and a plastic measuring spoon so I can select what I want on the day. Today I dehydrated a kilogram each of lamb, chicken and beef, which I bought on special for $20 AUD all up. That's about 30 meals, way cheaper than store bought.

little tip for getting meat out of those chubs. Take it out while it is frozen. with the chub frozen you quickly run it under hot water just enough to loosen the wrapper. Then you take a knife and make one long cut down the length of the chub. Then you make another cut all the way around the circumference at the middle. You can then peel the wrapper off with very very minimal loss of meat in the crimped ends. Once you have it out you can thaw it in a bowl or for crumbled beef you can just throw the frozen wrapperless chub in a covered skillet and crumble it as it cooks.

Love these. Making my own backpacking meals is a goal of mine. thanks

One bushcrafter takes her cooked ground chuck and rinses the whole thing in hot water. Don't know if that would work with the bread crumbs.... hmmm, why wouldn't it? Can't wait to try this trick. Thanks, Dixie.

I just tried it and it works great! Thanks Dixie!

when I saw the cast iron I definitely gave the thumbs up. awesome.

Very informative, thanks much for taking the time to share with everyone.....!

Like the bread crumb idea Daisy, thanks! Great video!

Thanks, Dixie!

I luvd it, hadn't thought to dehydrate. I quite often cook 4 oz of beef, elk, deer that way, season my way, mostly cayenne pepper,salt, scramble 2 eggs dump on top, continue to cook to desired doneness, and my breakfast is ready.

Wow, Im excited to try this out, thanks for the vid

can you please do a video on rehydrating the meat? no one ever seems to do that. i would like to see both.

If nobody has already said it, another good trick to making it last longer is running some water over the meat in a colander after cooking to rinse some more of the fat off.

I love your videos I think you do really good job and they’re very informative.

So I don't normally comment on RU-vid videos but I just wanted to say I watched and loved your videos and they have inspired me to hike the trail as well (with my husband who is somewhat of an indoor cat :P). As we both might need to quit and find new jobs when we come back, we're working on saving a years worth of expenses plus the funds needed to hike the trail. Our date - April 1st, 2019. It seems like a long time away but I can't wait and have a countdown going. I can't wait to read your book when it's available and I hope you get to hike the PCT soon, I would love to watch that as well. Lastly, I just wanted to say my heart broke for you when Sugar Belle passed. I know it's been a while but you have my sincerest condolences.

Hi, thoroughly enjoyed this video. One way of removing the fat is to cook the beef in water, when cooked let it cool and the fat rises to the top and goes hard. Then you just scoop it out and discard. Its funny as the more fat in the meat the easier it is to discard. This way you keep the beef stock

Great video. I only recently found out about you but I have seen all the AT videos now and you two did a fantastic job! Very engaging and well paced throughout even during the tough times. I'll be trying to make this in a couple of days for a 6 night hike in northern Michigan in about a month. I'll probably add some cayenne pepper as well.

very cool. Great info. Will definitely be trying that out. Never did it with the Breadcrumbs before and am definitely excited to try it. Thanks again for the great video.

Love it when you say might could 😍 ahhh the south. Thank you great video

"How to dehydrate ground beef that doesn't taste like gravel" Lol, that made me smile, because in the dehydrating backpacking and hiking world, that's exactly what they call it - gravel! However, thanks for your videos, as I watched both the AT and PCT series....took me all day, but once I started, I couldn't stop! I am an experienced hiker, and as I haven't been on the trails for a few years, I realised that by watching you and your adventures, I must get back into it. I can identify with what you've accomplished. So thanks again, Dixie. One day, if the gods are kind, I'd love to buy you a beer, and let you regale me with stories from the trails!

Came to this old video from a link in a new video. I so have to try this. Did try it once and it sucked. Hope the bread crumb infusion works. Also want to say you are just a cool woman. Like your spirit.

I might give this a try with ground turkey. Thanks! Love your vids

Thank you so much Dixie I was not even aware that you could dry ground beef do you hydrated thank you so much I just learned something CK

Always wondering about this. Purchasing dried meat can be expensive. Thank you for this video.

You are Awesome. Thank You . Ive been wondering. Love the cast iron . I use it for everything looks like the same one .

I'd imagine using turkey would work great too considering it's even leaner

Ty

Perfect timing Dixie. I'm getting ready to dehydrate some meals today to take backpacking tomorrow up in Georgia

Thanks for pointing me here. I'm going to apply this to sausage for gravy and biscuits. I've got freeze dried sausage but after 30 minutes of boiling they are still crunchy.

Bet it’s great on the trail. Excellent

Great advice! Thanks!

Great Video. I will definitely be dehydrating food, in particular ground beef.

I shall give this a try, Thank you Ma'am

A tip for cooking ground beef in an iron pan: allow the pan to get hot first, and add a little bit of oil, just so the pan isn't dry. It won't stick so bad, or leave that layer of meat stuck to the pan you can see in this video. Easier to clean, too. Just don't add the meat until a drop of water sizzles on the pan. Not too hot, maybe just above medium temperature, then let the pan heat up along with the layer of oil.

Hey Dixie. After 15 years of section hiking, I finally bought a dehydrator. It’s winter in CT, so I’ve got plenty of time to experiment. Made chili last night. How long will the ground beef last, sealed in a freezer bag? Thanks again, Chef :)

Thank you! Great video!

got to try it. Love my tacos

Thanks for all the great videos! I have never used bread crumbs in gravel, but I have heard/watched/read of this technique before. However, it seems like the bread crumbs would soak up some of the fat you are trying to remove, making the fat a permanent ingredient. I have seen people boil or fry it and then rinse the fat off as much as possible. It seems like boiling would remove more flavor as well. How long have you kept your gravel with bread crumbs in storage? Has it ever gone rancid?

Thank you so very much!!!!

I like doing dehydrated mushrooms too. They turn out a little chewy when recooked, but they add a lot of flavor to whatever you put them in. Plus, I can just do it in my oven, so it doesn't require a dehydrator.

will be trying this recipe . I am wondering how long this will stay safe and fresh in a bag using a food saver and oxygen absorber ? I am new to your video's and enjoyed this one . Glad I checked it out . Thanks L.

So good hearing your old theme tune 🙂

Great idea and video, the picture of you sitting on the cliff scares the ____ out of me though! I don't do heights like this, Grand Canyon was scary too in places! I would consider the CDT over the PCT, a lot better scenery!!!

Really enjoy the retro videos. Was looking for a video that demoed gr. meat for our bp trip! Thank you. Question- Anyone know if i need to store it special for a 6 day trip? Ie mylar or those packets? Thank you 🙏.

I suggest adding some type of natural preservative. Rosemary oil or even just the ground spice will add tocopherols (Vitamin E) and will add to the shelf life by preserving the fat from oxidation!

Hey Dixie - How long have you been able to keep your dehydrated ground beef? Will it keep unrefrigerated long enough for resupplying on a 60 day through hike?

I cool mine until I can handle it, spread it on a flower sack towel, roll that up and squeeze it dry.

Love the shirt!

@Homemade Wanderlust do you season the hamburger? Also is it safe to freeze it for longer storage? A hint for the fat, put the cooked burger in a strainer an rinse it with hot water.

Excellent.!

I like to cook in my kitchen, rather than on the trail. I buy lean meat, and grind (medium plate) it in the old Griswold meat grinder my Mom got for a wedding present 75 years ago. Then I loose fry the burger, then rinse it in a colander with very hot water for a minute. I mix in spices, then I dehydrate it. I store it in mason jars. Soon, I will get a food saver with a mason lid suction attachment, to take most of the air out of the jar. I repackage in ziplocks for the trail. I have a round dehydrator, with temperature control, and Amazon sells extra solid trays for fruit leather that work for liquids and fine solids. I have used a dehydrator with no temperature control, and it worked well. Also, I dehydrate very thin cut strips of raw chicken for doggy treats. I got curious, and tried them, and they make good trail food too, especially with some spices. i cook them for me to eat, but Doggy likes them just dehydrated. I have also dehydrated boiled potato cubes, cooked rice, sliced onions, sliced peppers, carrots, beef jerky, scrambled eggs, sweet potato chips, and best of all, boiled shrimp. The shrimp last very well, and retain delicious shrimp flavor. I buy them when they are running plentifully, right at the dock, for a very reasonable price. They can turn drab ramen, with some dried onions and shrimp, into a real treat, a taste of my Florida home when I am away from home. To eat the dry food, I start it soaking in a container of water about an hour before I want to eat. Warming on a stove is optional, but nice. I carry the different dry foods in separate bags, and make various combinations to vary my diet. Bon Apetite.

Another good video Ms Dixie! :-) I've got a round dehydrator and it's been a challenge figuring out how to put whatever I'm trying to dehydrate in the round trays. I'm seriously thinking about selling it and getting one like yours simply because the square trays are easier to load and you can use parchment paper instead of having to use the special trays or paper for the round ones. One question though, what is the music at the beginning of your videos?

I found this useful!

Thank you for reposting

Hey Dixie, what is the model of your dehydrator and where did you purchase it?

Great video

Vacuum sealing is pretty much a must. But I'd get the gravel as small as possible and freeze until it's needed. It'll be fresher and won't go off real fast.

Good info

Excellent! Will try this today! See you on Springer! (:))

Nice video like always but i have one question if you leave the grease for a short hiking 2-3-4 days you think it s ok? i never made meals like this so need some advice.Thanks!!!

Never get tired of Snickers on the trail. :P

Question do you think adding salt to your breadcrumb recipe would help in storage time kinda like salt pork I like your recipe but want to save it longer because I live in a stealth van and as you could imagine there's not a lot of space

Thank You

Would ground oatmeal work as well to incorporate in the ground beef? I have a problem digesting most white bread.

Hey, thanks a lot for the video.... Just wondering, would it be possible to spend a couple of days dehydrating enough to spread out over 6 months, and having it prepared to meet you at places along the trail? or is it just not worth it? You said it's not a good idea to store it for a year, but what about 3-4 months? I would love to do something like this on the trail...

Dixie, let's say you wanted some of this ground beef recipe mailed to you 4 months into an AT through hike, would the meat spoil at room temperature or should your family or friends store it in the freezer until you send for it? Or would you simply eliminate the bread crumbs from some of this recipe and eat gravel for that last month or two of the through hike?

Do you think I could vacuum seal and keep in deep frezze to make it last longer? Looking forward to your reply to a half decade old video...thanks

When I cook ground beef just before it is fully cooked I put it in a colander and rinse it off with hot water to wash off the fat and oil then put it back in the skillet and finish cooking where it evaporates the water and you don't have to blot it. It has always worked for me.

What kind of dehydrator do you have? I’m looking into buying one.

To Rehydrate Hamburger Rocks: Remove Hamburger Rocks from jar and place into a bowl.” Cover Hamburger Rocks with boiling beef broth or water. Cover bowl with a lid to retain steam. Allow Hamburger Rocks to sit until tender. Strain, season and use like cooked ground beef. Or, you can simply add the Hamburger Rocks to soups, stews, casseroles (with liquid), chili, sauces or broths and allow Hamburger Rocks to rehydrate while simmering. Enjoy!

Wondering about adding the bread crumbs. Can this meat be used for LONG TERM STORAGE??

Is this recipe good for long term storage ( say aprox 1-2 years) after vacuums sealing. Also what are your thoughts on oxygen absorbers?

This question may have been asked previously and if so i apologise but.....have u ever boiled the mince to get rid of the fat? Works down here, just an idea 👍

Nice common sense comes through on your videos....thank you

Have you tested how long the beef lasts? Thank youu

I have a question To dehydrate the meat 🍖🥓, do we need to cook first with seasoning salt?

Would ground nuts bet ok instead of bread crumbs? For example, walnuts , almond or pecans.

1/2 bread crumbs (panko) 1/2 'beef' TVP goes way further way cheaper ... I also add 1 tsp. 'Better than bullion' into each lb before mixing... vacuum seal and freeze until use...

doesn't the bread crumbs keep fat in the meat? does that affect long term storage for prepping purposes?

Do you hunt and fish or grew up with someone that did. These are tricks that I have only seen or heard of from outdoorsmen. I use the same tricks. Sometimes I'll marinade the meat over night before dehydrating to add more flavor.

I don't do wheat. I'm wondering if ground flax seed would work?

Great info, never tried dehydrating but just might have to. What else do you dehydrate and have you tried putting whole dehydrated meals together? (Hint:video idea, dehydrated meals) lol

You could marinate the beef in something acidic like worcestershire and/or soy sauce. That will boost the acidity which will help the beef store longer.

How long will it last in a vacuumed sealed bag?

What kind of dehydrator do you have? It seems to be quiet. My husband says my is two loud.

I am assuming you can do this with Buffalo meat? I t has a lower fat content. Good video, thanks. I will give it a try on our hike in the Sawtooths next month. Environmental devastation from cows?? I guess that's when they push on the fence and end up eating the garden? (that's happened...and we changed the name of the cow to T-bone and stopped the devastation)

How long does the ground beef last if vacuum sealed ?

Most useful...!