Pemmican - Healthy Snack and Longlife Food

[nicklebleu]

Hi all,

Read the following article on Mike's Daily Apple about Pemmican. For those who don't know this website - Mike is a former top athlete who is a proponent of the diet called "Primal Blueprint", which is one variation of the paleolithic type diet - lots of animal fat and meat, veggies, but low in grains and carbs.

This reminded me of olden days, where I used to make Pemmican - basically a mixture of dried lean meat mixed together with beef or mutton suet (rendered fat), which used to be the food North American hunters and trappers used to carry on their trips. It is a very dense and nutritionally whole food, although its taste may be a bit odd, which is one of the reasons, why you might find recipes with dried berries thrown into the mix.

The interesting thing about Pemmican is, that it keeps almost indefinitely, if properly prepared. The trick is to separate the fat from the meat very carefully (important!), then to separately cook/ process the meat and the fat and at the end to put the two components back together. The other thing that is generally recommended is to increase the fat content the colder climate you live in, as your energy requirements are increased. The hunters from the north used to live from Pemmican for weeks on end - with no apparent problems.

And I quite like the taste as well - I make mine with dried kangaroo meat (but any jerky or biltong will do). It also makes the Pemmican more tasty if you season according to your tastes - I generally use turmeric/ paprika/ chilli etc - hot and spicy. You might even be able to dry and powder garlic if you like the taste - although I haven't tried that yet.

Here goes:

How to Make Pemmican

Vihljamur Stefansson, eminent anthropologist and arctic explorer, went on three expeditions into the Alaskan tundra during the first quarter of the 20th century. His discoveries – including the “blond” Inuit and previously uncharted Arctic lands – brought him renown on the world stage. People were fascinated by his approach to travel and exploration, the way he thrust himself fully into the native Inuit cultures he encountered. Stefansson studied their language, adopted their ways, and ate the same food they ate. In fact, it was the diet of the Inuit – fish, marine mammals, and other animals, with almost no vegetables or carbohydrates – that most intrigued him. He noted that, though their diet would be considered nutritionally bereft by most “experts” (hey, nothing’s changed in a hundred years!), the Inuit seemed to be in excellent health, with strong teeth, bones, and muscles. He was particularly interested in a food called pemmican.

Pemmican consists of lean, dried meat (usually beef nowadays, but bison, deer, and elk were common then) which is crushed to a powder and mixed with an equal amount of hot, rendered fat (usually beef tallow). Sometimes crushed, dried berries are added as well. A man could subsist entirely on pemmican, drawing on the fat for energy and the protein for strength (and glucose, when needed). The Inuit, Stefansson noted, spent weeks away from camp with nothing but pemmican to eat and snow to drink to no ill effect. Stefansson, a Canadian of Icelandic origin, often accompanied them on these treks and also lived off of pemmican quite happily, so its sustaining powers weren’t due to some specific genetic adaptation unique to the Inuit. In fact, when Stefansson returned home, he and colleague adopted a meat-only diet for a year, interested in its long-term effects. A controlled examination of their experience confirmed that both men remained healthy throughout.

So, pemmican has a reputation as a sort of superfood. While I’m usually leery of such claims, the fact that the stuff is essentially pure fat and protein (plus Stefansson’s accounts) made me think that maybe there was something to it. I set out to make my own batch.

I got about a pound and a half of lean, grass-fed shoulder roast, let it firm up in the freezer, then sliced it thin. After adding liberal amounts of salt and pepper, I set the oven to the lowest possible temperature (around 150 degrees) and laid out the strips of meat directly onto the rack. I cracked the oven door to prevent moisture buildup. At this point, I also put a handful of frozen wild blueberries on a small oven pan to dry out with the meat.

I let the meat dry out for about fifteen hours, or until it was crispy jerky that broke apart easily. I tossed the jerky in the food processor until it was powder. After the meat, in went the blueberries to process. Again, you want a powder.

Now I was ready to render some fat. I used grass-fed bison kidney fat, which was already diced into tiny pieces. I put about half a pound of that into a cast iron pan and cooked it slowly over super-low heat.

I made sure to stir the fat as it rendered out, and watched closely so that it wouldn’t burn. When the fat stops bubbling, the rendering is done.

Use a strainer to avoid all the crispy bits; you just want the pure, liquid fat.

Mix the meat and berry powder together, then slowly add the hot liquid fat. Pour just enough so that the fat soaks into the powder.

I think I poured too much too quickly, so I added a bit of almond meal to firm it up. Let it firm up, then cut it into squares or roll it into a ball. I went with a ball.

Pemmican will keep almost forever. Pure, dried protein and rendered (mostly saturated) fat are highly stable, so I wouldn’t worry about it going rancid. If it does, you’ll know.

Now, my pemmican wasn’t exactly delicious. In fact, it tasted a bit like bland dog food. Maybe I’ll jazz it up next time with some more salt and spices, but I don’t think pemmican is meant to be eaten for pleasure. This is utilitarian food, perfect for long treks through the wilderness. It gets the job done, and I’ll probably make it again. It definitely doesn’t taste bad; in fact, the taste grows on you after awhile.

My dog certainly enjoyed cleaning up the bowl.

For full text and pictures see: _http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-make-pemmican/

If vacuumed in bags, Pemmican together with Buckwheat shortbread would make good emergency food: dense, highly nutritious and with a long shelf life ...

Enjoy!

 

[Gimpy]

Thank you for this! Looks like another good experiment after my pie crust efforts. :D

 

[Mikey]

Thanks for sharing! Odyssey also posted about pemmican in the "Preparedness" thread.

I found some online instructions for a cheap jerky maker.

_http://www.traditionaltx.us/images/JerkyDrierInstructions.pdf

Also very detailed instructions on making pemmican once you dry your meat.

_http://www.traditionaltx.us/images/PEMMICAN.pdf

I've actually built this jerky drier and produced my own first batch of pemmican.

Now, my pemmican wasn’t exactly delicious. In fact, it tasted a bit like bland dog food. Maybe I’ll jazz it up next time with some more salt and spices, but I don’t think pemmican is meant to be eaten for pleasure. This is utilitarian food, perfect for long treks through the wilderness. It gets the job done, and I’ll probably make it again. It definitely doesn’t taste bad; in fact, the taste grows on you after awhile.

It's true. Pemmican tastes a bit like dog food (although I never tasted dog food! ;) ) But I quickly adapted to the taste of it and it became quite delicious, especially when you're hungry. Salt helps with the taste. I used ghee since I didn't know where to get cow fat from, and because ghee is quite solid and hard enough at room temperature. I think I need to find a better butcher for the cow fat.

 

[theos]

I made a batch of this last month. The taste left a lot to be desired. Next time I may add dried berries and some spices.

 

[Ollie]

I made a batch of this last month. The taste left a lot to be desired. Next time I may add dried berries and some spices.

That will certainly help a lot from my experience of making pemmican.

 

[RedFox]

I wonder if coconut oil would work? Or perhaps a ghee/coconut oil mix?

If stored properly (air tight) ghee and coconut oil can be stored at room temperature for years osit (a quick google suggest tallow can be too). So it would probably make an excellent emergency food.

 

[nicklebleu]

Thanks for sharing! Odyssey also posted about pemmican in the "Preparedness" thread.

Thanks Data ... I searched the index for "Pemmican" but drew a blank ... odd!

I wonder if coconut oil would work? Or perhaps a ghee/coconut oil mix?

If stored properly (air tight) ghee and coconut oil can be stored at room temperature for years osit (a quick google suggest tallow can be too). So it would probably make an excellent emergency food.

I think the difference between coconut oil and tallow is the hardness at room temperature. Coconut is basically a liquid, ghee a paste and tallow a hard substance at room temperature - of course it matters what temperature "room temperature" is at - in my case it's pretty hot ...

So the difference IMO lies more in the consistency than in the shelf life.

 

[Mr. Premise]

Coconut oil is actually pretty hard at room temperature. Unless your rook is pretty hot. :D

 

[anart]

Coconut oil is actually pretty hard at room temperature. Unless your rook is pretty hot. :D

It melts in the hand, though, so I imagine that would be a bit messy to eat if you had to hold it for more than a second or two.

 

[Skyfarmr]

I found my pemmican recipe which had been tucked away and it has similar ingredients. Will include the following section on the preservation of pemmican for those who are interested:

"The pemmican balls must then be preserved and protected against moisture. This can be accomplished in a number of ways.

1. Wrapping the pemmican in waxed paper and dipped in wax. This is the easiest way but may not be possible under primitive conditions.

2. Wrapping in cheesecloth, and dipping in suet. This is the "classical" method used by early expeditions to the west, the old U.S. Calvary, and mountain men.

3. Just dipping the balls of pemmican in melted suet. This is the least desirable method, but works. [for colder and/or shorter storage?]

4. Stuffing the pemmican into cleaned, washed intestinal material from the meat source animal, then dip in suet. This method works well, but is more time consuming than the others.

Using Pemmican
Pemmican prepared properly will last for many years and is a highly nutritious food source. It can be used in stews with tubers and corn meal added, cooked by itself, or eaten raw. If a mold forms on the pemmican ball, it is merely washed or scraped off, and the rest of the pemmican used. :/ By itself, pemmican will keep people fit on long hikes or in other strenuous activity, and if used in conjunction with corn meal provides almost all of the nutritional needs required for continuous living and working. Only fresh greens need to be added to make a complete, well rounded meal."


Sorry, but I didn't copy the link onto the recipe. I'll check to see if it's bookmarked on other computer.

 

[ElizabethDempsey]

There are places where you can purchase Pemmican Bars. They're rather expensive, but less so if you purchase them in quantity. They really are delicious.

_http://www.tankabar.com/cgi-bin/nanf/public/main.cvw

 

[Ollie]

I made my pemmican bars with melted suet and wrapped the cold bars in wax paper. It all worked rather well, apart from the fact that I find I'm sensitive to red meat! Next batch I'll make with whole leg of lamb (including the shank, fillet and chunk) and suet and see how it turns out. If That works, perhaps I'll combine it with bacon as I did before.

 

[3DStudent]

There are places where you can purchase Pemmican Bars. They're rather expensive, but less so if you purchase them in quantity. They really are delicious.

_http://www.tankabar.com/cgi-bin/nanf/public/main.cvw

I've seen those tanka bars. The ingredients say they have sugar and "starter culture" in them. I got a pail from here. It was pretty expensive for what seemed like only a quart of it in a tub. It is very bland . I put a lot of onion powder in it until it tasted sweet and it was reminiscent of some kind of barbecue paste.

I didn't know the shortbread can keep long too. I'm not a fan of cooking for long periods of time. Seeing how shortbread is very easy maybe I can make some and vacuum pack it. But I still think the protein of the meat is important.

 

[nicklebleu]

I reckon a batch of pemmican and a batch of shortbread, each vacuum packed and stored in a watertight container would be emergency food that could remain healthy and nutritious for a long time.

 

[HowToBe]

Thanks for sharing! Odyssey also posted about pemmican in the "Preparedness" thread.

I found some online instructions for a cheap jerky maker.

_http://www.traditionaltx.us/images/JerkyDrierInstructions.pdf

Also very detailed instructions on making pemmican once you dry your meat.

_http://www.traditionaltx.us/images/PEMMICAN.pdf

I've actually built this jerky drier and produced my own first batch of pemmican.

It sounds like a great thing to be able to do, and a fun project. I wonder about drying the meat at sub-cooking temperatures; I can definitely imagine how this would make the meat much more nutritious, but how risky is it, assuming one is using grass fed beef? Would it be a good idea to rub the slices with salt as a sanitation measure? What is the danger of Salmonella or E. Coli, and how healthy does a person need to be for that danger to be eliminated? Here is what I found through a quick search:

Here’s why probiotics are so important. Normal people generally have some cancer cells, Candida yeast, E. coli, staphylococcus, strep, and any number of other potentially bad organisms you can think of in their tract most of the time. But they don’t get any disease. Researchers know, for example, that 50% of men over age 75 actually have prostate cancer, found on autopsy, but only 2% die from it. Why? The body encapsulated the cancer: limited and controlled its growth, walled it off. The discoverer of the HIV virus himself, Dr. Luc Montagnier, said that HIV alone cannot cause AIDS. (The Coming Plague) Depressed immune environment is also necessary. Same with Candida or most other bacteria; normally they’ll be held in check by sufficient friendly bacteria. E. coli is actually a probiotic when held in check by normal friendly flora. It’s only when the friendly probiotic bacteria get killed off that the potentially bad organisms get a chance to get a foothold and take over. The bad bugs are then called opportunists.

At the moment I must get to bed. I appreciate help with this issue, as I really would like to try this project if I can determine that it is safe.