For a hands-off way to dry meat or fish, put the prepared meat in a dehydrator and dry it for 8 to 12 hours. For pemmican that has the most nutritional value, choose grass-fed meat instead of grain-fed meat. Grass-fed cows ingest more nutrients that are passed on in the meat, such as omega-3s, vitamins B1 and B2, and vitamin E.
The berries will add a tangy flavor to the pemmican. If you don’t want the flavor, you can leave the berries out and double the amount of dried meat or fish.
Save excess meat, fish, or berries for another use.
It should only take 5 to 10 minutes to pound the meat since there aren’t tiny seeds.
If you used a food processor to grind the ingredients, you can skip this step.
Although you can use pork or lamb fat, they don’t contain the same nutritious fatty acids as grass-fed red meats have. If you want to render bacon grease, it’s important to heat it slowly over low heat until all of the water evaporates from the grease.
Most rendered fats that you purchase will be solid, but if you’re using homemade rendered fat that’s still warm you can skip this step.
It’s important to prevent the fat from reaching 150 °F (66 °C) because you’ll lose valuable nutrients if the fat gets too hot.
The pemmican mixture should look moist and crumbly, but you shouldn’t see any liquid or fat pooling in the bottom of the bowl.
If you don’t plan on storing the pemmican for more than 2 weeks, you can also experiment by adding ground dried mushrooms or herbs. If you’re using finely ground flavorings, add up to 1 tablespoon (6 g).
If you’d like to make thin, flat strips of pemmican instead of a round log, spread the pemmican flat across a piece of parchment paper. Then refrigerate it until it hardens. You’ll need to transfer it to an airtight container for longer storage.
If you prefer to chill the pemmican, keep it in the refrigerator. Check it periodically to ensure that moisture hasn’t gotten into the pemmican, which could cause it to spoil.
If you made thin, flat strips, it’s best to treat the pemmican like jerky and eat it without cooking it further. It’s also great as a garnish for crackers or flatbreads. Always check if the pemmican has gone bad before eating it. Look for signs of mold and smell it. If it smells rancid, throw it out.
