# A Really reliable method for dehydrating & storing Ground beef?



## pawpaw (Dec 21, 2011)

I know there's probably posts on this, but I can't find them. Googling it gets you a real hodge-podge of questionable ideas.
I don't currently have a pressure cooker, so I was hoping to hear from someone with definitive knowledge of either oven-drying or dehydrating hamburger or even sausage. The latter doesn't sound safe to me- that's why I'm posting....
Many thanks in advance.


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## Salekdarling (Aug 15, 2010)

I dehydrated ground beef, but kept it in baggies in my freezer. It can be stored in a mason jar but make sure you use oxygen absorbers. Pick the leanest beef you can afford, and after it is cooked, rinse the beef with water. Pat it dry with a paper towel and proceed with dehydrating. You don't want any fat on the beef or it will go rancid.

http://plainolfood.blogspot.com/2008/12/dehydrating-ground-beef-who-knows-you.html?m=1


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Salekdarling said:


> You don't want any fat on the beef or it will go rancid.
> 
> http://plainolfood.blogspot.com/2008/12/dehydrating-ground-beef-who-knows-you.html?m=1


I was just going to mention that the high fat content in ground beef makes it not such a good candidate for dehydrating, but you beat me to it.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

When I dehydrate beef, this is what I do: 

get super lean beef (I get the stuff on super sale the day before it's due to expire)
brown in a skillet and break into little pieces, drain and rinse (and rinse well - don't want any fat on it)
spread out on dehydrator trays and dehydrate (get it really dry, hard as rocks)
store in a mason jar using a vacuum sealer and oxy absorber

We keep ours in half pint jars - that's a good size for using with two boxes of hamburger helper. We also use it with spaghetti sauce and tacos. I used to let it rehydrate in the sauce, but find that it's best to make an extra step and let the beef rehydrate in hot water (boiled hot) for several minutes and then add it to whatever we're cooking.

As of this point, the oldest dehydrated beef we've used is a year old with no problems. I have no idea about the total shelf life - but I'm not likely to use something older than a year anyway...


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Oh, forgot about the sausage. I don't dehydrate that due to fat content. Beef is good if it's lean (tried dehydrating moderate fat beef before and won't do that again, only 94 or 96% lean beef).

You can also dehydrate ground chicken and ground turkey the same way - they tend to be lean, but still look for the leanest possible. I've also dehydrated ground pork (in lieu of sausage) for use in lasagna. It works, too - but it is fattier, and I wouldn't store it very long.


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## Riverdale (Oct 31, 2009)

Google "hamburger rocks" Alot of folks will say they are not safe, but that is your call. Also, they are not dehydrated in a dehydrator, but in an oven.

As for sausage, (not dehydrated) dried sausages requires certain chemicals (saltpeter) to aid in the storage. Cold smoking also helps the curing process.

There is a an excellent thread on frugal's (yeah, I know  ) about drying beef (imagine chipped beef) with canning salt and baking soda. I don't like doing links, so if you want the addy, PM me.


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

Here is a good site that tells how to make the hamburger rocks (link given to me by Riverdale):

http://www.endtimesreport.com/hamburger_rocks.html


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## Moose33 (Jan 1, 2011)

pawpaw,
I've successfully dehydrated ground beef in my Excalibur. As others have said, get the leanest meat you can find. Cook it until it's really done, rinse it until you think you've rinsed it well and then rinse it once more. I put mine on parchment paper and left it in the dehydrator at about 125 until it was rock solid and then left it another couple of hours. I make all the pieces smaller than a pencil eraser. I keep it in a mason jar in my pantry. I didn't use o2 absorbers. It doesn't stick around long enough to worry about age. I'm doing another batch this afternoon. Can't speak to sausage, I've never done that.
Take care,
Moose


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## Beaniemaster2 (May 22, 2012)

Although many of my books gives directions for drying meats, I tend to stay away from them, if you notice, most survival food sites that sell dehydrated meats are actually Freeze Dried... Totally different method...

A good site for drying food and other methods of preserving is the National Center for Home Preservation http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry.html


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I looked at what ground beef costs and what it would cost to can. I think it's simpler to just buy it. I bought 3 cans of this stuff for $4.95 each. We have to try it and see if we like it.

http://www.campingsurvival.com/kecabe14ozca1.html


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## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)

I have dehydrated many many quarts of hamburger. Someone on here suggested throwing the lean burger into pot of boiling water. One reason is because that also helped to get rid of the fat. Then pour into colander and rinse good, pat with papertowel and dry. Works like a champ.......I then seal in mason jars, Have used it for over a year now, hamburger rocks!


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