Most everyone has seen Jack Link's Jerky and other jerked snacks at the gas
station/convenience store. I discovered that they also make precooked ground
beef and beef nuggets.

These products don't require any refrigeration until the foil package is
opened. Each packaged product is precooked, drained and is equal to 1 lb of
uncooked beef.

I first tried a single package in a single hot dish meal. (dehydrated sliced
potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, dehydrated unions and a small amount of
seasoning). Don't ask for proportion, just a hand full of this and that!!

The whole dish, while very tasty, lacked color and appeal, so I added a
small can of tomato sauce.

Next time I want to try a similar dish but with powdered cheddar cheese,
etc.

Anyway, I found that Jack Link's ground beef is very versatile and cost
effective cruising food. The main advantage is the fact that the unopened
foil packages don't require any refrigeration. Second, the cost
($1.97/package) is very close to the cost of fresh ground beef. (Wal-Mart
Supper Store)

I noticed they now have beef nuggets which I will try in a few dishes, maybe
a stroganoff )..

So far, I have only noticed two different flavors in the ground beef,
Italian and Spicy Italian. That works for me..

Hmmm! I wonder if I could form this into a meat loaf or a burger??

Well, for the 'Carnivorous' cruiser I suggest giving this a try and maybe
you will only need your frig for the beer.

My experience and opinions, FWIW.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Better contact your cardiologist!

"Steve" wrote in message
...
Most everyone has seen Jack Link's Jerky and other jerked snacks at the
gas station/convenience store. I discovered that they also make precooked
ground beef and beef nuggets.

These products don't require any refrigeration until the foil package is
opened. Each packaged product is precooked, drained and is equal to 1 lb
of uncooked beef.

I first tried a single package in a single hot dish meal. (dehydrated
sliced potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, dehydrated unions and a small amount
of seasoning). Don't ask for proportion, just a hand full of this and
that!!

The whole dish, while very tasty, lacked color and appeal, so I added a
small can of tomato sauce.

Next time I want to try a similar dish but with powdered cheddar cheese,
etc.

Anyway, I found that Jack Link's ground beef is very versatile and cost
effective cruising food. The main advantage is the fact that the unopened
foil packages don't require any refrigeration. Second, the cost
($1.97/package) is very close to the cost of fresh ground beef. (Wal-Mart
Supper Store)

I noticed they now have beef nuggets which I will try in a few dishes,
maybe a stroganoff )..

So far, I have only noticed two different flavors in the ground beef,
Italian and Spicy Italian. That works for me..

Hmmm! I wonder if I could form this into a meat loaf or a burger??

Well, for the 'Carnivorous' cruiser I suggest giving this a try and maybe
you will only need your frig for the beer.

My experience and opinions, FWIW.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

"Steve" wrote in message
...


I noticed they now have beef nuggets which I will try in a few dishes,
maybe a stroganoff )..



I just went back to WallyMart to get some of the Beef Nuggets and discovered
that the packages only have 3.2 oz and are sold in the jerky display. I
don't remember the price but it was going to be far to expensive for my
cruising budget. So I will cross that off my list.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

"Doug Dotson" dougdotson@NOSPAMcablespeedNOSPAMcom wrote in message
...
Better contact your cardiologist!


Maybe I should check with my nutritionist..

Nutrition Facts:
(serving size 3 oz (84g))
Calories/serving 180 calories from fat 80

%Daily value (2000 calorie diet)
Total Fat 9g 14%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 55mg 18%
Sodium 540mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 0g
Dietary fiber 0g
Sugar 0g
Protein 24g 48%

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 4% Iron 15%

Now, how do hot dogs rate??

FWIW

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

"Steve" wrote in message
...
Now, how do hot dogs rate??

FWIW

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Hi Steve: Have you ever tried to make "Pemmican" It is not very
difficult to make and it tastes "not too bad", when it is made with some
dried fruit, nuts and some honey. You can also substitute peanut butter
for the suet.

My daughter makes this stuff and takes it on canoe trips in the Canadian
North. She got the recipe from the Internet. Just google "recipe
pemmican" and there are lots of good varieties to choose.

Jim Carter
"The Boat"
Bayfield

On the other hand, just because the individual packages are too expensive,
it is still a good idea, you just have to do some work yourself.
A dehydrator is around $50.00 and a vaccuum packager is around $100.00 (and
the vaccuum packager is handy for so many other things...I have my parachute
flares, matches and many other items in air tight waterproof packaging).
You can make your own beef jerky, fruit roll-ups, dried fruit, dried
peppers...etc.
I have not tried drying beef cubes and then using them for cooking, but I do
not see why it would not work, cube the beef (lean), soak it in a salt
solution, dry it, bag it (it should last weeks) and just make sure that when
you cook with it you remember that it already has salt added (it's a
preservative).
With no water and no oxygen in the package you should be able to store it at
room temp for days or weeks.
There is a handy little attachment that lets you use wide mouth mason jars
to store things.
If you are a full time live aboard and spend most of your time away from
shore power, this might not be a good alternative, but if your a weekender
or have good access to shore power a little work can save a bundle of money
and in some ways be a fun hobby (homemade beef jerky is almost as fun as
homemade wine, the two together...)
The initail investment is a little high (figure around $300.00) but it is
one of those items that once you start using it you will keep finding more
and more uses for it until you wonder how you ever got along with out it.
Another advantage is that ANYTHING vaccuum packed tends to take up a lot
less space and be easier to store...OK, bread and potatoe chips may not like
the vaccuum packing (pringles?) but you would be surprised at how many other
things do better.
For you regular crusiers, have you ever checked your spare parts store and
found corrosion? Bearings stored in a vaccuum package will not corrode, nor
will electrical componants.

Eric

"fred" wrote in message
...
On the other hand, just because the individual packages are too expensive,
it is still a good idea, you just have to do some work yourself.
............................snip.................. ........
For you regular crusiers, have you ever checked your spare parts store
and
found corrosion? Bearings stored in a vaccuum package will not corrode,
nor
will electrical componants.

Eric

Very good Post......Thanks

Jim Carter
"The Boat"
Bayfield

I have a dehydrator and vacuum bagger and played with what you suggested.

I do my own veggies, like string beans and carrots and they work out well.
Rather than shop for them fresh, while they are in season (if there is a
season), I purchase them in the fresh frozen packages (on sale) and just
dump them onto the dehydrator trays to defrost and beyond.

Fruit is another matter because you need to do some tricks to maintain
color, etc. I had a little trouble finding the ascorbic acid, etc. It ain't
cheap, even in the food canning section of the store. Even with the proper
stuff, the shelf life for fruit is not all that long, unless you keep it in
a cool place (refrig).

Similar situation for the home dehydrated meats. The requirement for
refrigeration is self defeating and without it the shelf life (from what I
read) is around a month or so at best.

I suppose I could have cooked and dried my own meat, this last winter and
kept it refrigerated until just before setting sail.

One point I should mention, If your going to dehydrate unions, you better do
it outside and where the neighbors won't complain.

As for the vacuum sealer, I got one about a year ago and use it with some
success. The problem with some dehydrated (potatoes slices), they puncture
the bags and loose vacuum over night, even when in double bags. I was able
to vac/bag Ritz crackers in their OEM sleeve inside a vacuum bag. There was
only minor crushing.. I don't recommend vacuum bagging noodles and other
pasta (except maybe spaghetti). The same problem as with potato slices.

The Mason jars are not desirable on board a sail boat. (as least I avoid any
glass containers onboard). Their are a few canisters available but these are
expensive and therefore of limited use except for a few galley items.

I wanted to vacuum bag my engine parts and special tools but expect I will
need to wrap them well in cloth to prevent the puncture problems.

I am repackaging some cereals in durable vacuum bags, but not Appling the
vacuum to prevent crushing.

Now I realize that I will be able to purchase fresh or canned provisions
along the way (up and back The Inside Passage) however, I want to try and do
a full provisioning for 60 days just to find what will and will not work on
future off shore passages.

Also, before leaving, I have access to the much lower prices at the US
military commissary and want to limit my cruising purchases to only the need
for fresh provisions, like bread, etc. (not going to try to bake my own on
this trip).

My freezer is just a small Norcold chest unit and will hold my beloved
steaks (for the BBQ) and ice cream (for as long as it lasts. (Yah! I'm
really gonna rough it) and when that is gone, I won't worry about battery
power until I can fill it up again.

This precooked/dehydrated meat plan is mostly to find a better way to have
ground beef for routine daily, one dish meals. Canned meat is limit to
corned beef and I only find a couple dishes that are too my taste. Canned
stew is too expensive.

I looked into canned meats on a couple web sites (one, where I purchased my
25lbs of dehydrated sliced potatoes), but they only offer canned meat in
institutional size cans. Much more than I could eat without refrigeration..

Spam works for me, until I become overwhelmed by the Spam flavor. Usually
after one can in a given day.

My experiences and opinions, FWIW.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Steve: What is your itinerary? When and where?
Just curious.
Jay

I also try not to let glass on the boat, but am interested in canning
as a long term food storage option.

Does anyone know if there are lexan canning jars, or the equivalent? I
googled the term, but found nothing concrete.

Mike.



just me wrote:
Steve: What is your itinerary? When and where?
Just curious.
Jay