dehydrating chicken...

[Sara]

Next year AdaCKr and I will begin the AT. This summer our mission is to experiment with as much of our own dehydrated food as possible. Generally we have very good luck. Last night however we grilled boneless-skinless chicken breasts (totally free of any hint of fat) and then shredded it into tiny strips. We used our dehydrator, but for much too long. We awoke this morning to nearly incinerated chicken! Has anybody every had any luck with dehydrating chicken?? Any advice to pass on?

 

[Rick]

Sara,
I have dehydrated quite a variety of foods over the years, but I have never really had great luck with chicken, it never really comes out well when rehydrated. It always seems tough or chewy.

I found it much easier to get a bulk package of freeze dried chicken easch year and use it over the course of a season. Carry what you need and leave the rest sealed in your freezer. For thruhikes, a bulk package weighs very little and takes up very little backpack space as well .
I used to get it from:Mountain House
Click on Product list and down near the bottom is diced Chicken in bulk.

There is also the Sweet Sue chicken that is packaged in foil with no water, but it might be a little heavier than what you'd want for thruhiking.

 

[percious]

I have had GREAT luck with dehydrated chicken. The trick is to cook it (grilling is the best!) then put it through a cheese grater. If you have a food processor, this helps speed the process up.

Then, you dehydrate it overnight at like 150*F and you will have a "popcorn" textured result. The chicken gratings tend to fall through the grates, so remember to put separators between different things you dont want chicken in.

For rehydration, it will take a while. Your best bet is to put it in a plastic baggie with some water about 2 hours before you cook it. This will save A TON of fuel. Make sure the baggie is bigger than the amount of chicken you put in there as it will expand considerably.

Dehydrated chicken opens up a whole bunch of menu options. I have made fajitas and Ti food with it. Both are excellent. PM me if you want more info.

-percious

 

[Nessmuk]

Next year AdaCKr and I will begin the AT. This summer our mission is to experiment with as much of our own dehydrated food as possible. Generally we have very good luck. Last night however we grilled boneless-skinless chicken breasts (totally free of any hint of fat) and then shredded it into tiny strips. We used our dehydrator, but for much too long. We awoke this morning to nearly incinerated chicken! Has anybody every had any luck with dehydrating chicken?? Any advice to pass on?

Chicken is tricky. I've never tried just plain chicken, it's always part of a larger combined dish. I find I have to chop/shred the cooked chicken into very tiny pieces, and be sure to let it rehydrate for at least 20 minutes in hot water. You might find it easier to go with TVP. You can get plain or chicken flavored in bulk for very little money. Just google online and you'll find a number of sources.

 

[peakbagger]

If you need a good commercial source, Adventure Foods in North Carolina sells a lot of bulk freeze dried and dehydrated ingredients that I havent found elsewhere. Their chicken is freeze dried and rehydrates quickly but it can loose its texture and turn to powder if treated roughly. Its still great to add to a meal, but if you want chunks of chicken, you may want to switch to the retort pouch chicken that is easy to get down south (I thinks its Sue Bee brand).

BTW, Adventure Foods prices are far lower than the name brands but they predominately service large customers so their delivery takes a bit of time. They have a website.

 

[Mr. X]

I found some buffalo style chicken jerky at the local convenience store. I was skeptical when I found out that the meat comes from Japan and China though. I have not tried it.

-X

 

[Sara]

Then, you dehydrate it overnight at like 150*F and you will have a "popcorn" textured result. The chicken gratings tend to fall through the grates, so remember to put separators between different things you dont want chicken in.

A "popcorn like texture" ours was not!! More of a brown twig and stick texture! I think we dehydrated it for too long (155 degrees for @9 hours). Tonight we'll try the rest of the chicken at a lower setting a shorter amount of time and check it periodically.

I know that it might be easier to order from various companies, but for us part of the satisfaction comes from "doing it ourselves". Also, this way we have more control over the added ingredients.

There is nothing more satisfying than a home cooked, rehydrated meal on the trail.

 

[Chip]

Skip the chicken, everything else tastes like it anyway, right ?

To borrow a piece of this thread; May I ask:
The only thing I'd really like to dehydrate for the trail is a vegatarian chili I make.
Is there any way to dehydrate something that soupy ?

 

[Rick]

The only thing I'd really like to dehydrate for the trail is a vegatarian chili I make.
Is there any way to dehydrate something that soupy ?

I've done this with both chili and spaghetti sauce:

Boil it down so that it becomes very thick or for chili, add flour (corn or wheat) as a thickener and then spoon it onto solid plastic trays (you might have to order them for your dehydrator) or regular trays lined with saran wrap.
Spread the mixture out thin and let it dry into a thin rubber-like consistency, (when it stops becoming tacky, it is usually done) and roll it up like a fruit roll-up in the saran wrap and refridgerate.
You might have to do this 5-6 times to dry a decent-size pot of chili, but I find it rehydrates well once you add water.

 

[Chip]

Thanks. Sealed, what's the shelf life of something like that ?

 

[Nessmuk]

Other veggies seemed to turn out on the "chewy" side when rehydrated--carrots, celery, peppers,etc. Numbfoot also did watermelon, cantalope, & honeydew. Interesting results but must've taken forever to dehydrate.

I like to dehydrate shredded fresh raw carrots, either from a cheese shredder or processor. I think the dry texture and taste is a lot like coconut, and is very sweet tasting. Eat dry as is for a snack or add to something else for dinner. Melons dry wonderfully well, dry thin slices until dry but still pliable - which may take much of a full 24 hours. Watermelon turns into a very sweet (almost too sweet) candy with explosive flavor. For something different try saurkraut or sliced pickles and a million other things you never thought of.

 

[woodstrider]

Well- I have tried dehydrating turkey (white meat). I use my oven on the lowest setting and crack the door to vent moisture. This has worked better then my dehydrator. The meat should not be cooked as much as dehydrated so use the lowest setting. Every oven is different so some experimentation may be in order. The first batch was ok and the second batch even better. Store the meat in plactic and remove the air as much as possible.

Also, check out the that website of Wingfoot's- Trailplace.com. There are many threads on food, recipes and the AT.

 

[Rick]

Chip - The Chili roll-up will last at least a couple of months in the fridge, sealed in tupperware or a ziplock with the air squeezed out - You could freeze it for longer storage.. I wouldn't want to tryit any longer than that.
When we moved in 2000, I had to go through my various bags of dehydrated veggies & fruits, that I had been stockpiling in the fridge since 1991 (I tend to label with dates and descriptions). The fruits were kinda shot, but the veggies came back even 8-9 years later, though they didn't tast as good as when they are freshly dehydrated. (This became a joke with a group of my hiking friends - You don't want me digging in the fridge for anything a few days before a trip)

 

[Dugan]

For soup/stew roll-ups, like the chili roll-up described above - how long will it last without refrigeration, i.e. would it last for a week long summer hike?

 

[hikerbrian]

My wife and I spent all of last summer backpacking, and various dishes with dehydrated chicken were a staple. We made chicken salads for lunch, a variety of chicken soups, and chicken with couscous or chicken curry or whatever for dinners. Anyway, we used the canned chicken for dehydrating because it is poached and flakes very easily. I can't remember which brand we liked the best, but that did make a difference. We would just flake it with our fingers to break up the chunks and then spread it on our dehydrator sheets. It only took about 4 hours at 155 degrees though. Overnight is WAY too long. It should still be tan, but dry. Our dehydrator is a cheapo bought from WAlmart for $40 or something, but it does have a circulating fan which helps. Don't give up! Chicken is a great source of protein on the trail, and I must say ours really rehydrated well. We just stuck it in a tupperware container with the right amount of water for about an hour before we were ready to cook and we always had great results. Very good texture.

 

[Rick]

For soup/stew roll-ups, like the chili roll-up described above - how long will it last without refrigeration, i.e. would it last for a week long summer hike?

Dugan,
It should last a week in warm weather without any problems. Just check to make sure there aren't any thick spots that are holding more moisture. Too much will cause the food to grow moldy or grow fungus during warm periods. But otherwise if it is dehydrated thoroughly, it would be fine for a week.

I typically, try to bury my food in the middle of my pack during the summer, to keep as cool as possible during the hottest part of the day.

Here is a link to some stuff I wrote for my old ADK chapter a while back, there is also good info from others, as well:

Backcounty Recipes and Nutrition

 

[cmr_hiker]

06 thru hiker

i posted this on the 06 planning group. im just pasting it here. im using ration planning vs meal planning. i want nutrition more than convenience. im not eating liptons for 3/4 of my dinners. ill be on the trail cooking better foods than i will find in some resturants! decided to give waltonfeed a test run. slow on shipping, about 2 weeks. 50 lbs of food cost about $130. this can easily become less expensive. ill be mailing some things and buying at the grocery. im not relying on any places to have quinoa, tvp, yerba mate, or emergencee.






i used to use a dehydrator. then i found these stores.

www.waltonfeed.com
www.suttonsbaytrading.com
www.beprepared.com

i urge all thru hikers to check these sites out.

what i thought about was:
1. how long would it take me to dehydrate all/many/most of my meals?
2. how much will fresh produce cost?
3. what is the nutritional value of the foods i want to eat?

so in thinking about all these things i decided to scrap the idea of
dehydrating everything on my own. especially once i found the above
listed sites. upon further inquiry to the value of goods i decided
it was well more valuable to purchase staple foods full of nutrition
rather than purchasing poorly processed foods by guess and hope
while hiking.

if we just look at veggies:
would you seriously take 5 days of fresh vegetables with you? when
you have the food dehydrated it is of near equal nutrition as the
fresh equivalent plus it weighs much much less since the water has
been taken out. fresh/canned(water packed)/frozen veggies cost a ton
but the dehydrated veggies cost considerably less. there is high
demand for the former and a low demand for the latter.

of course you could go insane by trying to meal pack everything. its
a matter of switching gears and ration packing. ration packing gives
you even greater flexibility when you are out there. It also Saves
Weight by using less packaging. Think of it as creating a
backcountry pantry vs ordering from a predetermined menu.

the companies that dehydrate food are pros! it would be horrible to
have spent months prepping your food, get out on the trail and find
a maildrop a la moldy. let the pros dehydrate, you ration pack. turn
your attention to what you want to make, stir fry is uber easy and
yummeroo!

planning in advance gives you flexibility later. purchase your
staples ahead of time and while you are on the trail be prepared to
purchase the perishable food stuffs. sure go into town and grab the
fresh cheese and bagels!

some of the things i Know i will want:
Yerba Mate- tea
Quinoa- like rice sized spaghetti but packs a nutritional punch
emergencee- powder drink mix
TVP- texturized vegetable protein
dehydrated fruits and veggies- hell ya!
braggs soy sauce- contains amino acids to create complete proteins

just be careful remember what we put into our bodies directly
relates to our physical and mental health. people can not survive on
ramen alone. i know, ive seen some college folks try while saving
money...

well i just wanted to share some things ive been thinking about.

stay healthy,
chris

 

[Sara]

Wow! Fantastic sites! I especially like the SuttonBay site. That opens up many options for food on the trail. Thanks for the links.