Pemmican is a go-to survival food among preppers and homesteaders due to its delicious taste and long shelf life. Not only that, but it can be stored for extended periods of time as well.
Making pemmican requires drying a meat or fish that contains natural fat. This could include beef tallow, moose fat, rabbit or duck lard or any other solid animal fat that solidifies at room temperature.
1. Dry the meat and berries
Pemmican has been a food of Indigenous people for centuries. It has become an essential component of wilderness travel in North America and remains popular with explorers to this day.
Lean meat and animal fat, sometimes combined with dried berries that have been crushed to a powder, make up this concentrated source of energy which can be stored at room temperature for months or years.
Making pemmican is easy: start by cutting lean meat (such as elk, bison or moose) into thin strips and drying it in the sun, dehydrator or on racks a few feet above a fire. The strips should be about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick and dry slowly to ensure they are completely dried out.
Next, chop the dried meat into bite-sized pieces that fit into a blender or food processor. Once you have an even powdered mixture, add dried berries (such as Saskatoons or cranberries) and blend thoroughly. You may also stir in some raisins for extra flavor.
Once the meat and fruit have been thoroughly combined, you can add the rendered fat. Traditional pemmican is made with beef tallow; however, any animal fat such as saved bacon drippings, rendered chicken fat or homemade suet will do just fine.
When mixing meat and berries with rendered fat, be sure everything is warm first as the fat needs time to absorb into other components for optimal effectiveness. Stirring too quickly can break down the mixture if done too soon.
2. Render the fat into tallow
Pemmican, originally made with rendered animal fat and dried meat from Native tribes throughout North America, was a staple food for explorers and hunters who needed to pack light but still eat well on the go. It boasts high caloric contents with plenty of protein as well as having an extended shelf life.
Making pemmican requires using tallow, an extremely versatile and healthy animal fat. Tallow can be used in cooking or baking as well as being spread like butter.
Beef tallow makes an excellent pemmican ingredient, as it’s packed with essential nutrients and healthy fats. Furthermore, beef tallow has shelf-stability – meaning you can store it safely for extended use if stored in a cool, dry location.
Once the fat has been rendered, you can mix it with dried meat and berries to make pemmican. While this process takes several hours, you can do so in a slow cooker on low heat for quick results.
Once the mixture has finished cooking, it will be soft and malleable, similar to dough. You can shape it into squares or balls for storage purposes.
Bison hide can be packed tightly into bags for travel, which will keep it fresh for months or even years when stored properly.
Food dehydrators make this dish super easy to make, while oven roasting it at medium-low heat for several hours will also save you some cash!
Pemmican is a high-protein, low carb snack perfect for anyone on a ketogenic, paleo or carnivore diet. Additionally, it can be an ideal option for people with diabetes and obesity since it contains no inflammatory elements.
3. Mix the meat and berries
Pemmican is a nutritious and delicious emergency food. It’s high protein, low carb, and delicious; perfect for backpacking, camping, survival situations and homesteading projects alike. Plus it’s an economical and nutritious way to preserve meat for future generations.
Pemmican was traditionally made with ground wild game meat and leftover animal fat, and served as a staple food to both early settlers and fur traders who traveled in remote corners of the globe.
Making protein-rich survival food that’s easy to store for months in a cool place requires only minimal ingredients and time. To get maximum nutritional benefit from each serving, be sure to thoroughly mix together meat and fat before adding dried fruit – make sure it’s dried thoroughly afterwards!
To make pemmican, begin by cutting your meat into thin strips. You can do this either by hand or with a knife. Next, arrange the strips on a baking sheet and dry them in your oven over low heat for several hours.
Once the meat has dried, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool. At this point, you can cut it into bars. For an even tastier treat, you can add dried berries or other fruits to the mixture for extra flavor.
Once pemmican has cooled completely, you can store it in a freezer or other cool location for months. It makes an excellent emergency survival food that will provide energy without weighing you down.
Mix pemmican with water to make a stew or thick soup that provides warmth and nourishment on cold autumn evenings. It makes an excellent base soup for other foods like cornbread or fried potatoes and onions.
4. Add the rendered fat
Pemmican is an essential survival food made with any meat and plenty of good fat. It can be stored for years without spoiling, making it a breeze to make at home.
Protein and good fats from meat provide long-lasting energy. Leaner cuts of meat such as venison or beef work best, while grass-fed beef offers more nutritional value compared to grain-fed varieties.
Native American tribes were the first to develop this recipe as a survival food. It proved ideal for long hikes or expeditions into the wilderness.
Pemmican is made with meat and berries, as well as some additional dry ingredients. Before beginning to prepare the other components, ensure the meat and berries have been thoroughly dried.
A food dehydrator is ideal, but you can also spread the meat and berries out on a baking sheet and dry them in your oven. Leave the items in the oven for around 15 hours or until they’re crispy and dry.
Once the meat and berries have been thoroughly dried, they should be ground into a powder. This can be accomplished using either a mortar and pestle or blender.
Next, it is time to add fat. Traditional recipes call for buffalo tallow but other animal fats such as beef, lamb or butter can also be used.
Once the rendered fat has been added, mix in the meat powder and berries with all other ingredients. You may want to add the tallow a bit at a time until your mixture holds together when squeezed between your fingers.
5. Add the other ingredients
Pemmican is an ancient and highly nutritious food used by Indigenous tribes across North America. It’s a survival food packed with protein, fat and berries that continues to be enjoyed today by many people.
High-energy trail food was long used by trappers and hunters to stay fit while traveling light. Polar explorers such as Roald Amundsen also relied on it before embarking on long-distance expeditions.
Traditional pemmican recipes call for ground meat mixed with dried berries and fat, which is then compressed together to form a protein bar. Some versions add honey or dehydrated berries for an even sweeter taste.
Making homemade pemmican is as easy as cutting thin strips of meat from larger game such as beef, elk, moose or other large game meats that naturally contain fat. Once those pieces of meat have been cut into strips, place them into your food processor or blender and process until smooth and even.
Once the meat has been cut, you can dry it by hanging over a fire or in a dehydrator. You could also use an oven set at its lowest possible temperature; however, remember that this process takes around 12 hours in total to dry completely.
Once the meat has dried, you can season it with salt, pepper and other spices for flavor and texture. Additionally, adding dried berries will boost your pemmican’s energy content.
When making homemade pemmican, it’s essential to thoroughly mix the meat and berries with melted fat. Start by mixing half of the fat first so that everything is covered in a thin layer of fat. Then you can add the rest of the melted fat along with other ingredients until everything is well combined. Form into squares or balls then store in airtight containers for long-term storage.
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