Hello my friend y welcome back! Today we have a guest post from Roy Ayers at MyHuntingGear.com . He has a great website you might want to check it out when you have a chance. The post is on preserving meat without a refrigerator and Ii hope you enjoy it. Now grab a cup of coffee my friend and have a seat while we visit.
Important Tips for Preserving Meats without Refrigeration
When it comes to preserving meats without refrigeration, there are chances that you get to meet various methods. Learn more about which to choose here.
Is it possible to preserve your meats without refrigeration? That is a common question among many people who often think that it is only refrigeration that can help with preserving meats. Well, you are quite wrong if you think that there are no other methods for the process.
A number of methods are available today that you could use for preserving your meats each day. Most of the time they would combine heat with the use of nitrates to keep your meat fresh and edible for longer. So, what are these methods people are using for preserving meats? We get to check them out below.
Drying meat using hot air and smoking
For thousands of years, the idea of drying meat as a way of preservation is something that many people have embraced. It is highly unlikely that it would stop anytime soon. One way of drying the meat would be having a heat source mostly from hardwood fire. The smoke is important for adding flavor and prevent the growth of bacteria in the meat while it is being stored.
Another way of preserving the meats with heat would be using dehydrators. The dehydrators are common today with many people looking to use them to make jerked meats. The dehydrators are inexpensive so that you have no reason why your meats are getting spoiled with time. The best part is that you can have your meats dried on the kitchen counter in the comfort of your home. The work of the dehydrator would be to remove all the moisture so that the bacteria cannot survive.
The best part is that this dried meat would not need a refrigerator to stay fit for human consumption. You need to store the dried meat in places with low moisture content and it would last for months without any problem. When it comes to drying, you want to choose the meats with minimal fatty tissues.
Air/Sun Drying Meats
You will be surprised how air or sun drying of the meats is popular in some countries. As much as it works, its efficiency is not as good as that of drying with heat. The insects and birds with the blown debris by the winds often can cause contamination as the meat is drying. It is the reason you would get most people using a cheesecloth and salt solution for curing the meat as a way of repelling the insects and keep them away from the meat.
For air-drying to be effective, the meat would be cut into several thin strips and then suspended on a rack so that the air and the sun can reach each side. Unless you have experience with air-drying, this type of method might not always be the best choice from the other many available. You will even have to remove the meat outdoors at night so as to prevent theft from predators and contamination. You will then have to put it back in the morning so that the process can continue. As you can see, it can be quite tedious for most people.
Salt Curing the Meats
Salt curing is another popular method that is effective for preserving meats easily. The compound salt comes with a high concentration important for drawing moisture from the meats with ease. The bacteria that might end up destroying the meat would survive well in places with water. It is the reason you have to use salt to remove as much water as possible from the meat to make the environment inhabitable. You would have to get yourself the curing salts that come nitrates important for curing the ham or if you have to make bacon.
It is advisable that you have to get the right type of curing salt so that you can avoid issues such as botulism. Botulism is when you get the preserved meat being contaminated due to poor curing by the botulinum organism. The curing salts bought from a retailer would be great as they contain nitrate important for destroying the bacteria during the process of salt curing.
Another drawback of salt-curing meat is that it can take a lot of time. It can go on for weeks or even months in some cases. You have to make sure it is done properly or else you will end up with contaminated meat. Follow the curing instructions as given on the curing salts to get it done properly.
Canning the Meats
Well, another impressive way of preserving your meat would be through canning. If you thought that the normal boiling point of water would be enough to kill all the organisms, then you are wrong. The worst can be botulism, which would need more heat to get destroyed. If you are hoping to get to enjoy your meat later after canning, then you need the meat processed when the temperatures reach 250 degrees F.
One way of canning includes hot pack canning. In this method, the meat is first cubed so that it can fit in the quart glass canning jars. The meat will be pre-cooked until rare through roasting or you can fry in a pan using a small amount of cooking oil. You have to add a teaspoon of salt to the quart canning jar. Proceed to pack the meats in the jar making sure leave a space of an inch at the top.
As cold packing, you will have to pack the meat with 2 teaspoons of salt in the jar. This time, no need for precooking the meat before packing. You simply get to pack the raw cubed meat in the jar and still leave a one-inch space at the top.
Follow the instructions on the pressure cooker to make sure that the meat is preserved correctly.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are various ways you could use when it comes to preserving meats without refrigeration. With each method, make sure to understand the different steps involved so that you have to keep the meat safe from issues of contamination in the end. You do not have to use a method, especially where you are not sure.
Author Bio
Roy, Hunter and Survivalist
Thanks for stopping by to learn more about hunting and surviving in the wilderness. I am a dedicated and a full time survival author, editor and blog writer on hunting. Keep on reading my articles and blogs to get the useful tips and guides important for outdoor survival and hunting. Come back more often to my website to update yourself on the best new hunting and survival tips.
That’s it for today and thanks for dropping by for coffee. Until next time, my friend, stay safe,stay strong and stay prepared. God Bless America!
-Sarge-
The food saver works great! I have been using it for years and have eaten the 1 year old jerky.
Great article.
One question I have regarding dehydrating (as I only just started this process to make jerky within the last year) is what is the best way to store after dehydrating process is complete? I have used mason jars, zip lock bags- but these tend to allow the meat to start to develop mold after a week.
Perhaps I’m not leave the meat in the dehydrator long enough… or maybe I should store in small servings within a food saver sealed bag. Thoughts?
If you don’t remove all of the moisture out of it, it will form mold. You also need to store it in a cool dry place where the air is moving. Try putting it in a cotton bag and hanging it in a closet or something.
I would recommend using an appliance like a “Food Saver” that you can use to vacuum seal cuts of thoroughly dried meat in whatever quantity you find appropriate. Zip lock bags will not protect food for extended periods. If you have the ability to store these bags in a freezer or even a fridge, they will remain safe for use for at least a couple of years. As part of the prepper thought process, I have a backup fridge/freezer and another large capacity freezer dedicated to long term storage of perishable foods. Keeping dried meats in a stable cool/cold environment certainly prolongs their life. As per what Sarge said, it sounds like you may not be getting all of the moisture out of the meat. An alternative to the dehydrator is to cook the meat (very low heat) using a barbeque grill. Remember, totally dried meat can be reconstituted with water, just like dehydrated onion soup!