High Sierra Topix

I second the pulled pork for dehydrating. We have been having computer problems but I'm going to try to link my recipe for pulled pork. Fat does not dehydrate or keep well so the important thing is to use the leanest cuts you can and trim what fat you can away before dehydrating. I use boneless loin chops. I mix this pork with dehydrated refries 50/50. Add cheese and salsa for some darn good burritos. One correction to the recipe is too skim any fat from the top of the sauce before you return the shredded meat to the sauce. I know the recipe reads kind of strange but it's one that I got from friend and then added some notes of my own without thinking of anyone else reading them but I would know what I meant.

When rehydrating my shredded pork what I normally do is this. If I want a cups worth to make burritos with I put 1 cup of water in the pot and 1/2cp of the dehydrated pork and light the stove. Once the water and meat come to a boil I add my refries until I get the consistency I want and turn off the heat. Remembering that I can always add more refries if it's too thin.

That sounds great im gonna have to try that

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gary c. wrote:I second the pulled pork for dehydrating. We have been having computer problems but I'm going to try to link my recipe for pulled pork. Fat does not dehydrate or keep well so the important thing is to use the leanest cuts you can and trim what fat you can away before dehydrating. I use boneless loin chops. I mix this pork with dehydrated refries 50/50. Add cheese and salsa for some darn good burritos. One correction to the recipe is too skim any fat from the top of the sauce before you return the shredded meat to the sauce. I know the recipe reads kind of strange but it's one that I got from friend and then added some notes of my own without thinking of anyone else reading them but I would know what I meant.

I just printed up the recipe and will grab what I need next time I am at the store. Looks really good, and clearly, the slow cooker and the skimming of the fat off the top will make a big difference in how it will dry and rehydrate. I know my son will love this recipe. Will report back after first tests.

gary c. wrote:Fat does not dehydrate or keep well so the important thing is to use the leanest cuts you can and trim what fat you can away before dehydrating.

Fat is already dehydrated. In my experience vegetable fat keeps pretty well. Animal fat might be more of a problem.

I would love to try your recipe but I'm not much of a pork fan. I'd rather eat chicken, beef or lamb. Or fish. I didn't even know what "pulled pork" was, despite seeing that term for years. From what I just read it's traditionally a crappy cut of meat that's been slow cooked at low temperature in order to render it tender enough to eat without snapping your head back to swallow it.

I really prefer fish, high quality (fatty) salmon especially. I wonder if fish is harder to dehydrate in a way that is acceptable in terms of texture.

longri, I guess it would be better to say that fat does not dehydrate and remains greasy making it more likely to spoil. I have not had any problems but I have read that fat in dehydrated meals will not keep as long and can become rancid. Also one of the reasons that it is recommended to use vegetable oil to wipe down and preserve dutch ovens. In the past when I think a meal needs some fat or oil I add a package of olive oil during rehydrating. As for pulled pork being traditionally made with the cheapest cuts that is true. For my backcountry meals I use the better cuts in an attempt to get the best results I can.

so I made a batch of the pulled pork burrito recipe. 18 hours in the crock pot, simmered down to perfect consistency. Loved it fresh, then dehydrated 1000 grams of it. Ran the Excalibur overnight for 13 hours at 155F. The result was 275 grams of crunchy dry non-fat burrito filling. I will test how it reconstitutes soon, having some dehydrated refried beans as consistency filler handy. If this works well, we shall have burrito several times this summer. 2 months to get my logistics ducks in a row...

fishmonger, I'm pretty sure that you will like the results. I love the burritos but have found that it goes well with other stuff as well. I really like it mixed in with the better quality rice noodle packages. Not the regular Ramen noodles that most of us buy but the better ones that come with the red chili oil.

As for being so good fresh from the pot I couldn't agree more. After smelling it cook all day everyone in the house is chomping at the bit to get some. I have to make sure they don't clean me out so I have some left to dehydrate.

I just made some of the dehydrated pork. hot water, 20 mins soak in fake mountain cozy. 90 grams of burrito mix with 250ml of water plus some dehydrated refried beans to get it to the right consistency. Near perfect, no changes necessary. Packed the rest into a vacuum seal bag for a meal in the mountains. Making more as soon as I can buy the missing supplies. I already have the meat.

The idea to stretch dishes like ramen soup has been around - we used to just add freeze dried chicken and dried veggies, but this may work, too. Around here you can't find anything with "the red chili oil" in it - either $0.15 packs or the "fancy" $0.89 packs. Neither have anything more than a seasoning pack and a sprinkle of tiny dried veggies. No big deal, because our kicked-up $0.89 Ramen have been a staple on previous hikes and we plan on taking a few of those with us again. I'll have to try it with the pork.

I also have to try it with Rousong, also called Ching Yeh Pork Sung - a "cooked dried pork product" you can find in the Asian food isle - looks like super shredded finely stringed pork, almost like the consistency of cotton candy. Probably rehydrates super fast. It is rather high in sodium, but keeps nearly forever without refrigeration. I bought it a year ago but never used it. It appears spoiled when you open the container, which is probably why I never dared to eat it... but it is very nutritious and doesn't even cost very much, plus in a bind, you can eat it as is - it is a very popular snack in its dry form.

fishmonger,

Thanks for detailing your experience. I may have to develop a liking for pork.

It's funny, I was just looking at those packages of dried shredded pork in one of the local asian stores on Sunday and wondering if it could possibly be any good for backpacking.