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pemmican pieces on cutting board

Basic Pemmican Recipe

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Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb no-fat red meat beef, venison, elk, moose, bison, fish
  • ⅓ lbs beef, or lamb fat at a 1:1 dried meat to fat ratio
  • ½ cup blueberries
  • 1 tsp salt optional
  • ¼ tsp honey

Equipment

  • 1 food processor, or blender, or mortar and pestle
  • 1 dehydrator or oven
  • 1 large pot or double boiler for melting the fat
  • 1 large bowl
  • 1 casserole dish one that's freezer-safe

Method
 

Dry the Meat and berries
  1. Remove any remaining fat from the meat with a knife.
    removing fat from meat
  2. Slice the meat as thinly as you can (thinner than ¼ inches or 6 mm) and ensure all fat and connective tissue is removed.
    slicing meat thinly
  3. Add the berries in your dehydrator or oven at the lowest setting along with your meat (or separately if both can't fit together). It took us
    blueberries and meat ready for dehydration
  4. Dry the meat and berries in a dehydrator or oven for at least 12 hours at 170 °F or 75 °C. Open the oven door every now and then to release moisture.
    It took us 12 hours to dry the meat in the oven and 18 hours for the blueberries. Be sure to check both every hour or so after the 12-hour mark.
    dried meat and blueberries in trays
  5. If, when you bend the meat and it cracks, it's ready; if any parts remain rubbery, it’s not done yet.
    snapping meat piece in two
  6. Again, remove any fat from the meat if you spot any, because we want the meat to be as lean as possible.
    removing piece of fat from meat with hands
Melting the Fat
  1. Put the fat into a big pot on the stove at a low setting (using a spoon or even cut it into chunks if you have a large piece). Some folks use a double boiler at this step.
  2. Melt the fat stirring occasionally until it stops bubbling.
    melting fat
Make the Pemmican
  1. Grind the meat. Put all the dried meat pieces into your food processor or blender and grind it into a powder. In an outdoor or bug out scenario, you can mince the meat into small pieces and then crush with a stone, mortar and pestle, or other tool.
    grinding meat in food processor
  2. Crush berries, other fruit or nuts into a fine powder,
    crushed blueberries next to food processor
  3. Mix the meat and berries. Mix thoroughly with dried meat mixture in a bowl large enough to add the fat later. 
    mixing crushed berries with crushed meat
  4. Add the fat. The formula is one part dried meat mixture to one-part fat. While still hot, pour the fat evenly into the meat and berry mixture slowly, and stir thoroughly. Keep pouring until the mixture holds its shape.
    adding melted fat to mixture
  5. Add honey.
    adding honey to mixture
  6. Add a pinch of salt for taste if you like. Salt also acts as a preservative
    adding salt to the mix
  7. Keep stirring or kneading until everything is thoroughly mixed. There shouldn't be any lumps of fat or white spots. The end result should have the consistency of a dough.
    kneading pemmican mixture
  8. Spread into a casserole dish, let harden for a few hours in the fridge.
    pemmican mix in tray
  9. After it's cooled, cut the pemmican into bars or squares, or simply roll into small balls if you prefer.
    slicing pemmican

Notes

  • Don't worry if you're left with larger pieces of fruit in your pemmican. These will actually make it taste better! You do want the meat to be as finely ground as possible...