Freeze Dried Meat: Beef, Turkey, Chicken and More

People debate the usefulness of freeze dried meat and freeze dried food in general as commercially prepared freeze-dried foods are expensive and require a plentiful supply of water. It is estimated that it costs $10 to $15 per day to feed each person in your group and if you are purifying your water supply, you may want to save it for drinking rather than meal preparation.

Short-term emergencies and stocking your bug out bags, however, is a great use of freeze-dried provisions. It is lightweight, retains most of its flavor and nutrients and you can add the meat to other foods, such as soup, to increase the protein, provide variety and contribute to a balanced diet. Saratoga Farms, Provident Pantry and Mountain House all freeze dry quality meats to add to your supplies.

Chicken and Turkey

The very versatile chicken is readily available as a freeze dried meat, and a good thing to have in your stockpile. Mountain House has a #10 can of cooked white meat chicken which reviewers highly rate its flavor and usefulness. With freeze dried products a certain amount of dust occurs but you can add the chicken dust to soups and stews.

Saratoga Farms sells a #10 can of freeze-dried turkey that is all white meat and is delicious. One recipe for using this turkey for a sweet potato stew, that along with your freeze-dried turkey you add:

• Cubed sweet potatoes
• Chicken broth
• Onions
• Cubed white potatoes
• Green beans

Simply mix and cook the ingredients in a crock-pot, in a pot over a campfire or whatever heat source you have available.

Sausage and Ham

Provident Pantry freeze-dried sausage crumbles and freeze-dried ham in #10 cans are another versatile product that you can use now and in a variety of dishes. Add them to your eggs, as pizza toppings or throw them in with your tomato sauce for a delicious meat sauce. Available in a #10 can, reviewers rate highly the flavor of these protein sources.

Emergency Essentials offers a recipe using the freeze-dried ham recipe in the Cheesy Corn Bake using:

• 2 Tablespoons of butter
• 4 Tablespoons of flour
• 1/8 Teaspoon of garlic powder
• 3/4 Cup of dehydrated fat-free milk
• 3/4 Cup of freeze dried cheddar cheese
• 3 Ounces of Cream Cheese
• 3 1/2 Cups of freeze dried corn
• 1/2 Cup of freeze dried ham

You melt the butter, add the flour and garlic to it and then the rest of the ingredients. When the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, pour into a 2-quart casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Beef

Provident Pantry freeze-dried ground beef and roast beef are two sources of tasty freeze dried meat. The ground beef is best when you use it in tacos, casseroles and recipes with a lot of seasoning. Reviewers indicate it does not hold together for hamburger patties or meat loaf, but if you use it as a crumble with enough spices it is quite good. In fact, as an ingredient in such things as tacos, you will have difficulty determining it is a freeze dried meat.

Emergency Essentials offers the Roast Beef Potato Platter recipe for a delicious use of the roast beef:

• 2 Cups of roast beef
• 3/4 Cup of freeze dried onion
• 2 Cups of freeze dried potato dices
• 1/2 Cup of dehydrated carrot
• 1 Cup of water
• 1/2 Cup of dehydrated tomato powder
• 1/4 Cup of freeze dried green pepper
• 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Teaspoons of beef bouillon 

Mix the tomato powder with water to make a tomato sauce. In a 1-quart casserole dish add potatoes and onion. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl and pour over the potatoes and onion. Cover and bake for 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Uses for Freeze Dried Meat

Besides stockpiling cans of freeze dried meat for emergencies and catastrophic events, you can use the meats in your day-to-day cooking. You can add the meats to:

• Soup
• Beans and rice
• Mix in with fresh meats to make both go further
• Pizza toppings
• Taco
• Enchiladas

Freeze dried meat might not be practical as a plan for a life time supply of meat in a catastrophic event but it certainly is a plan for short term emergencies. As with all preparation for the real event, you will benefit from using these products now so that you know your preferences and how to best use your supplies.

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