|
SURVIVAL MEAT
PRESERVING - PART
1, PEMMICAN
Preserving meat requires energy to be expended.
Very simple concept. It is the method of using that energy that
is of interest to us. The use of electrical energy via freezing
is the most common form of meat preservation today -- and the most
fragile, as we can expect the electrical grid to go down at some
point in the near future. So, what else can we do to preserve meat?
All other methods of preserving meat also require
the use of energy -- principally yours! Some methods are easier
than others, but make up for that by using another energy source
than electricity. Canning meats requires jars and lids and a heat
source. Those are medium-technology items, however, and may not
be available deep into a crisis.
The most primitive method of meat preservation
-- and the most dependable -- requires a lot of human energy. These
would be smoking, making jerky, and making pemmican.
PEMMICAN
Pemmican is the classic survival ration. It is
really a paste of powdered jerky mixed with dried berries, nuts,
and meted suet rolled up into balls. To make pemmican you must first
make jerky and locate a source of fat for the suet. Beef or pork
fat can be used, as other animals often do not have enough fat to
use with their meat. Other fats, such as from vegetable sources,
generally do not harden and are not recommended for use in pemmican.
The jerky for pemmican is made in the usual manner
(that part will follow someday), but in thinner strips. The meat
source used should be the best cuts available, stripped to be about
one inch by 1/4 inch, and as long as possible. When properly prepared
for pemmican, the jerky strips should be *very hard and brittle*,
more brittle than needed for regular jerky. The strips are than
pounded (clean rocks, a cleaned anvil and single jack, whatever)
to powder the meat fibers, leaving the tendons, nerve fibers, etc,
to feed to your animals.
The fat (or suet) used for pemmican is rendered
(melted slowly without overheating) in a large kettle. The kettle
is then taken from heat and allowed to cool. Then the fat is examined,
and only the hardest, purest fat is put aside for use in the pemmican.
The very soft fat can be fed to animals that are working, and/or
used with wood ashes (preferably hardwood) to make soap.
Everything is then ready to make pemmican. You
will need to make fist sized balls composed of 50% powdered meat
(with a touch of salt added, if available, to stop salt craving),
and 50% suet with a small amount of dry, powdered berries and/or
nuts. The components are then thoroughly mixed (the suet can be
softened with heat) and formed into fist-sized balls.
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 dipping
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.
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 (because of the high fat content), 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!
BACK
------------------
|
