Meat options?

[WalkGirl84]

Hey guys, love this forum btw! Learning so much and it's giving me the confidence to take some longer hikes lately so thank you!
I have a small problem that I'm allergic to seafood. So taking tuna or salmon is not an option for me. I've searched high and low for 'meat' options to make my own meals (I'm stingy and a chef so I can't bring myself to buy them). I cannot find anything other than jerky. Am I going to have to dry my own meat? Does anyone do that? And tips if I do attempt that?

Also powdered eggs seem to be getting deleted from most stores. But I live in Sydney so that may explain why. Are they worth making your own?

Thanks in advance everyone!

[Nuts]

'Settlers' make beef mince, you can buy it from them or in pre-packaged meals (I believe Strive use something similar).. but I'm not a fan, freeze drying seems to be a poor second best to dehydrating (so the best option will probably involve DIY).

Iv'e not tried drying eggs and not found one that tastes much like real egg. 'OvaEasy is dehydrated', again a fair bit better than freeze dried but a bit difficult to source (a US product, sometimes they can be found on ebay but iv'e had customs dramas buying direct). Let's know how you go if you do dry egg?

Hope this helps.

[WalkGirl84]

Thank you so much Nuts! I've found a recipe for drying eggs... seems very involved tbh and I'm not sure it's worth the effort combined with cooking eggs on longer hikes. Perhaps I'll stick to fresh eggs for shorter trips!

Going to check out this meat now I've had a chat with a few butchers and they are creative but not very helpful with other options than jerky lol

[WalkGirl84]

So... I just found this
https://www.strivefood.com.au/meal-complements
Minced beef that doesn't come in one tonne bulk orders and dried veg. I think this could be the winner!

[Eremophila]

You can also buy dried TVP mince, it can be a bit average though.

Backcountry Cuisine do scrambled egg: http://backcountrycuisine.co.nz/bcc/ind ... chives/223

It's not bad and one pack goes a loooong way.

[LandSailor]

Salami is another option. I tend to go for the individually wrapped salami sticks which hopefully keep a little better and dont need a knife.

striker_salami.jpg (84.64 KiB) Viewed 27815 times

[gayet]

If you are considering dehydrating your own ingredients, then cook your preferred suitable meals (suitable in terms of ability to dehydrate), dehydrate, pack into appropriate amounts and you know exactly what you are getting and what it should taste like. Spag Bog is a popular DIY meal, lots of options on here - the search options will help. I shred and dry smoked chicken and then add that to whatever else I might have with me - different meal each night then.

[WalkGirl84]

I've found a brand of salami that should keep for a few days in not extreme heat :/ but salami sticks are possibly my best option at this point.
I wish the spam and bacon came in a mini pouch! I'm a very small girl and most prepacked meals are just way too much for me and I end up with left overs that I have to carry home (eww!)

I think I'll try dehydrating bacon in the oven. I know you can keep it about a week out of the fridge and not die from eating it FYI don't order the ceaser salad lol

Smoked chicken and bacon should cover plenty of meals and add in salami.
You guys are amazing! Thank you so much!

[MeanderingFlyFisher]

Salamis that are not heat treated should all keep for quite a few days.Especially the ones hanging in any decent deli.
Do a search of "salami" on this forum and there is heaps of info.

[DanShell]

I dry my own chicken and beef.

On both occasions I cook the meat and drain all the fat. I actually rinse the beef mince under hot water. My tip is to add some bread crumbs with it, I think it helps the 'gravel' rehydrate. All my meat has rehydrated fine.

[WalkGirl84]

I'll have to invest in a dehydrator soonish I think thanks so much for the replies!

[walk2wineries]

Yes, lots of recipes on the forum if you search. Someone has also suggested chinese spiced sausage - Lup Chong etc - which is sold vacumn packed at room temperature & has a long half-life. Needs to be cooked.

[WalkGirl84]

I actually saw the sausage today but wasn't sure if it was any good. Should go grab some and try it out.

[walk2wineries]

Advice on the forum is that it releases some fat when fried which can be used to add flavour & calories to rice etc. I've had it as a starter in an Asian restaurant, not bad but I think it is better mixed with things.

[DaleF]

The Chinese saussage is a bit sweet in comparison to a salami

[WalkGirl84]

I've been gone for a while but very productive on the food front. A lot of research and trial and error has discovered drying my own meat is going to be the best option. So I got myself a dehydrator and started on various kinds of chicken. Salami sticks are still my favourite but I'm going to trial everything and see what I can use because I need better food to hike on haha.

[Moondog55]

As a cook and chef myself I tend to be very boring when selecting foods for walking and I tend to use small cans of Plumrose leg ham.
I've made my own jerky/pemmican but these days cannot be bothered although that may change. For short walks I bring as much fresh food as I can, even steaks etc
A well frozen prime cut wrapped in dry newspaper will keep for up to 3 days in high summer before turning green if kept in the centre of a pack so I'd put a vacuum bagging machine on your shopping list too as well as a small insulated lunch box of the folding/collapsible type.
I suggest making up a stew base using just meat, [ well with some aromatics of course but not much salt or other seasonings ] packing that in portions and ringing the changes with sauces and spice mixes as you go.

[WalkGirl84]

I have acquired a vacuum sealer and I am in love with it! Haha. One major issue I have is with tin food. I cannot eat the average size cans on my own in one meal. And I hate carting them in/out. I'm hoping splitting the tins in vacuum packs will extend the life enough for a 4/5 day trip. Not sure if any one has tried this?

My end goal is to do some 7-14 day trails so fresh meat won't work. Though on shorter trips I've certainly taken frozen food in an esky bag or in my thermos including chicken, bacon, kransky, chipolatas etc.

[Moondog55]

Average size can? Is there such a thing these days? The tins I refer to hold 120 to 140 grams of meatish stuff, I do not eat Spam but all tinned meats contain some other ingredients not including the salt

[WalkGirl84]

Haha I mean regular canned meals etc. I'm about 5'3. The size of an average 15yo. So I can't eat the whole can of a meal. The half size bean tins are more my style!

[Moondog55]

I do miss those 90g foil pouches of chicken meat myself.
So assuming you are ~average in height to weight ration and needing 1g of protein to every kilo of lean body mass and assuming eating most of the protein at the evening meal then you are looking for a meat portion of about about 50 to 60 grams dry mass ?

[WalkGirl84]

That does sound about right for me. Which isn't a lot. But working out how to get it into hiking food is hard. I'll be trialing some meat in the next month or so just at home to see how I feel about it.