Pemmican for Elk hunt
Elk
Packing in for an elk hunt and was thinking of making some Pemmican for a no sugar, no carb, high energy food anyone else make it?
Never have, but now that you sent me an internet search it sounds really interesting and a valuable tool to have in the pack.
I've made it. On paper, it's the ultimate backpacking food--VERY calorically dense, extremely nutritious (it's actually nutritionally complete; that means you can live on it, and nothing else, indefinitely), filling as a brick, and high in protein. To do it right, you'll want to use grass-fed beef fat, and not cook your meat but dry it (120 degrees or less).
My only issue with it was that it tastes kind of like dogfood. I wrote up the process in the linked article.
I just buy about 50 sticks from grassland beef every year rather than make it
Sounds like something to make during the winter, bc I can't imagine running my oven that long while its 105* outside. NOOOOO THANK YOU.
I might buy some to see how it goes. Interesting, thanks for bringing this to our attention.
I haven't seen a reasonable way to maintain a ketogenic diet in the backcountry.
If it tastes like crap, you probably won't eat it unless you're in a survival situation.
Man, that stuff looks nasty. I cant imagine how anything like that is good for you with 24g fats and 12g saturated fats per serving. My nutritionist (I am a diabetic) tells me that I should NEVER eat anything over 3g saturated fats.
Sure looks convenient, but does anyone really like this stuff?
Steve--your nutritionist is living in the stone age if that's his advice on fat. Fat (including saturated) keeps you full, keeps your blood sugar from spiking, and provides energy over the long term. I'd be highly skeptical of a professional who gives such outdated, "FDA-approved" advice.
As to taste, I think with a little more work on seasonings and some getting used to the texture, it still holds great potential for the ultimate backcountry food. I know my daughter loves it!
"I'd be highly skeptical of a professional who gives such outdated, "FDA-approved" advice."
-'Skeptical?' I'd run like hell from stated nutritionist.
"Sure looks convenient, but does anyone really like this stuff?"
There was on old copy of a letter I saw from some guy with the North West Company, holed up for the winter in a fur trading post in the 1800's. He was lamenting the fact that their stores had been depleted and they were "reduced to eating pemmican". They had apparently already boiled out their boot laces for soup.
I tried some home-made pemmican a buddy made once...I'd have to say that boot lace soup would be an up-grade.
I'll just go with some good jerky in one bag and some nuts and dried fruit in another bag.
I'll pass... Maybe a few hundred years ago, and I was picked for the Lewis and Clark Expedition and it was a matter of eat it or starve to death.
But for a week in the high country chasing elk... A diet of Oatmeal, trail mix, energy bars, jerky and mountain house has worked so far. Not a lot of flavor, but has to be better than crushed dried meat and berries with fat as a binder.
To each his own...
Wow, I can tell you that watching the fat intake has REALLY benefitted me. There are healthy fats and unhealthy fats. At 60, I am the leanest and healthiest in my life....I will stick with his recommendations.....thanks :)
This stuff still sounds horrible :)
I'm willing to give the store bought pemmican a try. Bear valley to be exact or the epic bison bar.... it has bacon so it has to be good right?
Coconut oil has 117 calories per tablespoon and is a solid at temps below 77 degrees. Coconut oil is a medium chain triglyceride and has many health benefits. It could be used instead of beef suet when making pemmican if temps are going to be cooler, or maybe in a blend of the two. Just for reference beef suet has 108 cal/tablespoon and olive oil has 119/tablespoon.
If you do not like the taste and texture of pemmican but would like to boost the calorie content of various food you could add coconut oil or olive oil to your normal meals to boost the calorie count.
We do most of our cooking with coconut oil and my wife often uses it rather than butter on toast and veggies.
I made some pemmican. It was good. I liked it. It was a lot of work. But it was good
