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Traildoggie
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PostFri May 08, 2015 4:45 pm 
I've been out of making backpacking food for a couple years, trying to get going again. What do you use for chicken? I have only been able to find Swanson canned. I used to find another brand in pouches but can't find it now. Is it possible to cook chicken at home, chop or slice and dehydrate? How long does it last? I don't eat red meat, sausage, spam, jerky etc. so I need to find a way to keep chicken for a few days. TIA for any suggestions or point me to where this has been addressed before. .

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nuclear_eggset
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PostFri May 08, 2015 7:03 pm 
I've done the "cook chicken at home and dehydrate" method. It works, but the chicken is definitely chewier than it is when just freshly cooked at home. smile.gif Suffices, though.

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strider
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PostFri May 08, 2015 8:13 pm 
Make rubble. Turn it into ground chicken. Fry it up with minimal fat - or no fat, just add a few drops of water as it cooks, so it doesn't scorch. Let cool on paper towels, then dehydrate. Load the rubble into a ziplock. At lunch, put one handful of the rubble per person to be fed into a small ziplock, add some water. By dinnertime you have 'fresh' ground meat for whatever recepe you wish. Add any leftover rehydrating water to the pot of pasta, rice, instant potatoes/gravy.... I prefer ground turkey to chicken. Ground beef also works well. Makes pretty good tacos, in fact....

strider I've never been lost, but I'm frequently uncertain where my destination might be in relation to where I am at the moment....
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Opus
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PostFri May 08, 2015 8:38 pm 
Second to dehydrating cooked ground turkey. Works great. Last year I found a large can of Mountain House freeze-dried chicken on sale and bought it on a whim. Surprisingly tasty added to dehydrated veggies and other ingredients! I think you can also buy freeze dried meats from Packit Gourmet.

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Traildoggie
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PostSat May 09, 2015 7:06 am 
so after you've cooked and dehydrated turkey/chicken, how do you store it? do you freeze it? or do you prepare it right before going on a trip and use it within a short time? I forgot about Packit ..will take a look there too. I'm looking for something stable for more than just a few days.

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strider
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PostSat May 09, 2015 9:56 am 
Zippie of dried rubble will last months in refrigerator. I usually make 4-5 pounds of it, and just take what I need for the next trip. Rehydrate the day you use it. "Fresh" meat 6 or 7 days in is a real treat. I'm sure it would freeze well. I donno for sure because I use it up pretty quickly. Easily keeps 10 days onna trail, regardless of air temps.

strider I've never been lost, but I'm frequently uncertain where my destination might be in relation to where I am at the moment....
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Randito
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PostSat May 09, 2015 11:12 am 
If your are lazy and have extra cash laying around doing nothing. Mountain house sells #10 cans of diced freeze dried chicken. I've used these on backcountry hut trips with a large group. It's pretty darned expensive , but unopened the cans are good for 25 years, so sometimes you can pick them up on sale and hold for future use.

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nuclear_eggset
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PostSat May 09, 2015 11:59 am 
For no good reason, I thought you didn't want to do ground meats. Ground chicken works way better than chopped up chicken. (Haven't tried shredded...) Particularly good with chili. smile.gif I keep my dehydrated stuff in the freezer so I can make some when I have leftovers from cooking dinner and just have it around when I want it.

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Ski
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PostSat May 09, 2015 1:43 pm 
having experimented with whole cuts of meat (lamb) - discussed in a previous thread - ground meats seem to work better than whole cuts. chicken is a tough one. Sarbar must be out adventuring - wait for her to see this and see if she's got any tips.

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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Traildoggie
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PostSat May 09, 2015 2:36 pm 
I don't eat beef, lamb,pork, tuna. I used 7 oz packets of chicken a few times but it was too much chicken for one meal for us and once it's opened, how can you save it? I would not feel OK keeping it for 24 hrs at room temp and using it the next night. ground chicken or ground turkey....I was just concerned about how long it keeps at room temp, even dry. I have a dehydrator but it's very old and might not get warm enough. Not sure how big #10 can is. once it's open is there a reasonable shelf life? most of all, I don't want to get us sick!

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Bandanabraids
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PostSat May 09, 2015 4:39 pm 
Hi Traildoggie, A #10 can is a very large. About 12 cups or so. If you've been to Wal-Mart and seen the survival or food storage section, you've probably seen #10 cans. If you were going to put together several meals all at once, you'd probably want to get a #10 can. Poultry in #10 cans is freeze dried, not dehydrated. Now, let's say you get a can and put together some meals but have some left over for your next trip. If the next trip is in a month or 2, I would just throw them in the cupboard or the freezer. If you are talking more long term storage, you'd want to put them in something air tight with an oxygen absorber. I don't know if this make sense, but if you google "meals in a jar" or Honeyville, you can find more info. (Honeyville makes a very good product when it comes to freeze dried meats.) If you do plan on dehydrating your own, please make sure that the chicken is thoroughly cooked before dehydrating. Hope this helps a little.

"Do or do not. There is no try" --Yoda
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Traildoggie
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PostSat May 09, 2015 4:46 pm 
Yes... I thought #10 was BIG. especially with chicken, even cooking it thoroughly, I'm uneasy dehydrating it and not using ASAP. all chicken is contaminated from the source. I may get some commercially dried, freeze dried, or order liquid pouches. will first also look at other groceries. Haggen used to carry it but don't now. Thanks for your ideas.

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Bandanabraids
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PostSat May 09, 2015 4:58 pm 
This is a pretty great website to check out. There is a whole section on dehydrating chicken. Good luck in your meal making endeavor! http://www.backpackingchef.com/dehydrating-meat.html

"Do or do not. There is no try" --Yoda
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nuclear_eggset
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PostSat May 09, 2015 7:14 pm 
I only ever dehydrated ground meats *after* they were cooked.

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sarbar
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PostMon May 11, 2015 9:37 am 
I was out "adventuring" in Disneyworld eek.gif Anyhow, on chicken - yep, ground is how it works best at home. As for pouched or canned chicken, I prefer Valley Fresh brand (Safeway and Target has it). You can dry canned chicken with good luck. Freeze-dried chicken is the best though, for light weight and coming back quickly. If you dry your own meat, store in the freezer, and use up within 3 months smile.gif

https://trailcooking.com/ Eat well on the trail.
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