Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Dehydrating Food - Meat, Fruit, Veggies & Spices

Dehydrating food - meat, fruit, veggies and spices - is one way of preserving foods in abundance now for eating later in the year when they aren't as readily available.  While canning, freezing, pickling and jellying are all acceptable and great ways to put food up for the winter, some types just call out to you to dry them!  For example, beef jerky, banana chips, homemade fruit roll-ups or drying your home grown herbs all scream - dehydrator please !!!!

Basic Dehydrating Times and Settings
 HERBS - -
Drying time is approximately 3-6 hours for 
        Oregano, basil, etc.                                                         
Vent settings:   Upper vent setting 3
                       Lower vent setting 2

Drying time is approximately 6 hours for
         Bell peppers, banana peppers, etc.
Vent settings:  Upper vent setting 4
                      Lower vent setting 2

MEATS  - -
Drying time is approximately 8-10 hours for
        turkey jerky, pot roast, cooked meats, sausage
        and marinated meats
Vent settings:  Upper vent setting 4
                      Lower vent setting 3


VEGETABLES - -
Drying time is approximately 18 hours for
        tomatoes
Vent settings:  Upper vent setting 1
                      Lower vent setting 2


FRUIT ROLL-UPS - -
Drying time is approximately 3-6 hours
     Lift and peel when dry

Vent settings:  Upper vent setting 3
                      Lower vent setting 2



Meats
Most beef cuts are suitable for making beef jerky, including ground beef.  The most popular cuts which jerky is made from are the round, flank or rump as they are leaner cuts and preferable to rib or chuck.  Slice the meat to about 1/4" thick, sliced into 1" strips.  Be sure to cut across the grain.  Excess fat and gristle should be removed. 

Pork should be avoided and not dehydrated.  Chicken and turkey are safest and best if precooked before dehydration.    

There are numerous recipes for spices and marinades for meat that is to be dehydrated.  Drying times and settings for meat are included in the chart above.  Jerky recipes, spice mixes and marinate recipes follow the section on fruit.

Fruit
Remember to always pretreat fruit and vegetables before dehydration.  To pretreat, dissolve 1T ascorbic acid or citric acid powder into 1 qt. water.  Put sliced fruit into solution and after two minutes place on tray.  If no ascorbic acid or citric acid powder is available, mix 2T lemon juice or pineapple juice in 1 qt. water and then put sliced fruit into mixture for two minutes, then put on dehydrator tray.

Fruit drying times and settings vary according to the fruit. 

Fruits -
approx. drying time 24 hours for 
     apple, banana, cherries, grapes, pineapple, plum and rhubarb
Upper vent setting 2 and lower vent setting 2

approx. drying time 30-36 hours for
     apricot, nectarine, prune, and pears
Upper vent setting 1 and lower vent setting 2

approx. drying time 12 hours for
     strawberries, blackberries, and orange rind
Upper vent setting 2 and lower vent setting 1  

Fruit Roll-ups 
 Buy pureed fruit or puree your own.  Cut a piece of plastic wrap to fit the dehydrator tray you are going to use.  Cut a hole in the center.  Place the plastic wrap in the tray and pour a thin layer of pureed fruit on tray.  You can use any type of fruit puree to make these roll-ups.  Kids love them.  Drying time and settings are included in the chart above.


Jerky Recipes - - 
 A couple of years ago I experimented with making jerky from ground beef and ground deer rather than the strips of meat like I had always used in the past.  I patted my LEAN ground meat out about 1/4 inch thick and placed on plastic wrap as done for fruit roll-ups.  Getting older and still loved jerky but had a hard time eating it.  The results were wonderful!  The jerky turned out great, soft enough to eat and was definitely a hit with everyone who had the chance to try it.  It didn't last long - so the next time I made sure I made twice as much and I think it only lasted about 1/2 as long!!!! 

Whiskey Steak Jerky 
Mix over low heat until blended - 2 T butter
                                                        3 T orange juice
                                                        1 small red onion, sliced
                                                        1 T Worcestershire sauce
                                                        1 T Dijon mustard
                                                        1/2 tsp. grated orange peel
                                                        salt and pepper
Once blended, remove from heat, stir in 2-3 T whiskey.
Marinate meat strips or ground meat in the mixture overnight.  Drain thoroughly.  Dehydrate.

Southwest Jerky
1 tsp. pepper
3 T. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
2 T. onion flakes
2 tsp. cumin
2 lbs. meat sliced or ground for jerky
This is a dry rub marinate.  Cover meat with mixture, rub into grain, cover and marinate overnight.  Dehydrate.

Teriyaki Jerky
2 Bay leaves
12 peppercorns
1/3-1/2 C teriyaki marinade sauce
1/4 tsp. tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp. horseradish sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. worchestire sauce

This is a dry rub marinate.  Cover meat with mixture, rub into grain, cover and marinate overnight.  Dehydrate.
Enjoy!  And these recipes are some that I have used for many years.  I do not know for sure where I got them to start with, but I have made some changes and adaptations to them over the years to make them more to my tastes.  Hopefully you will enjoy them as much as I have and do.  And my thanks to whom ever it was that came up with the original recipes that I started out with!   

                                                    


 
  


 
















 
Just Me - Granny D