I have been dehydrating my own hamburger now for six years and I did something different this year that I read online and I'll be doing it all the time from now on.

I mixed 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, the really fine ones into the one pound 93% hamburger before I cooked it. You really have to mix it with your hands and work it into the meat. I then cooked the meat and used a fork to keep it all broke small. I do not pour it under hot or boiling water, just blot it with paper towel in a strainer then put it on the trays and dehydrate.

I could not believe how much better the "gravel" re hydrated.

It also stretches the hamburger and I ended up doing one less pound than I normally would do. I put about 3/4 of of a pound into each package instead of 1 pound per bag.

Thanks for the tip. I plan to give it a try.

Did that for a few seasons, Kevin. Added Worcestershire sauce for extra flavor, worked well.
Went back to straight lean ground beef or hand chopped venison to save space/weight and just use smaller portions.

butthead

"Did that for a few seasons, Kevin. Added Worcestershire sauce for extra flavor, worked well. "

May have to give that one a try as well. Thanks Ken

What about dehydrating all that fat? Even if the bread crumbs soak it up it is still there. I would worry about it spoiling.

This has always worked for me, it rehydrates much better with the addition of the bread crumbs. I weigh the meat before and after to calculate the water requirements. I also use insulation to keep it hot before use.
I also always freeze them after it is dehydrated. It gives me piece of mind and it also kills some microbes that are sensitive to extreme temperature changes. I keep them frozen until the trip. I also seal in a vacuum package oxygen barrier bag. All of this is more than is needed, but I feel the flavor is better and I have less concerns over the product.

I have also used this for taco meat (premixed)and Breakfast sausage.

It is great having a good tasting meat product 7 days into a trip.

Can't thank you enough for posting this review on your experience. I have been reading similar articles and have been toying around with doing the exact same thing. Glad to know it works great. I am taking it another step...I am going to grind chipotle flavored panko into smaller crumbs and add to my beef for our chili Mac recipe. This weekend the push starts to get things together for the dehydrator.

quote jeroldharter: "What about dehydrating all that fat?"

I've found that the 93% (or better yet, 97%)fat free hamburger really doesn't have much fat to worry about.

Like the OP, I apply a paper towel to the burger after cooking, but there doesn't seem to be much fat to collect. Low-fat hamburger dehydrated this way has lasted me several weeks without refrigeration.

quote OBX2Kayak: "

quote jeroldharter: "What about dehydrating all that fat?"

I've found that the 93% (or better yet, 97%)fat free hamburger really doesn't have much fat to worry about.


Like the OP, I apply a paper towel to the burger after cooking, but there doesn't seem to be much fat to collect. Low-fat hamburger dehydrated this way has lasted me several weeks without refrigeration."

+1

quote Frenchy19: "

quote OBX2Kayak: "

quote jeroldharter: "What about dehydrating all that fat?"

I've found that the 93% (or better yet, 97%)fat free hamburger really doesn't have much fat to worry about.



Like the OP, I apply a paper towel to the burger after cooking, but there doesn't seem to be much fat to collect. Low-fat hamburger dehydrated this way has lasted me several weeks without refrigeration."

+1"

I have never had any issues either. Normally I vacuum seal everything and put it into freezer. This last trip I put it into ziplocks and froze it until I was walking out the door and it was fine as the vacuum sealed packages.

I've been adding the bread crumbs as well. The burger does rehydrate very well though the bread crumbs do add a bit of bready texture. Of course this is a small price to pay.

I tried something else this year; I browned the hamburger until it was cooked through, and then ran it through my little meat grinder I use for processing venison. It was an easy way to get it into small pieces for even dehydrating.

I believe this idea came from Glenn McAllister. I bought his book "Recipes for Adventure". Lots of good ideas in there.

Thanks for the tip Kevin I will try that.

Thanks Kevin and others! I did what I mentioned earlier and added chipotle panko to my ground beef. Cooked & dehydrated it with no problems. The cooked beef comes out almost fluffy with the added crumbs before dehydrating and it was full of flavor from the added spice. It's teriffic to learn a new process that makes things easier in the long run.