If they ever had to turn to their food preps out of a pure emergency, many preppers would find it extremely tough to make it through on rice, beans, and canned goods alone. Getting the right nutrient mix and maintaining that through an extended disaster is of vital importance. When it comes to protein, flavor, vitamins, and nutrients, meat has to be a part of the equation. Hunting protein sources may not be a possibility. Stored jerky has a short shelf life and can be hard to chew and process. Freeze-dried meats are ideal, but they’re also expensive.
In this post, we will preserve and store our meat the way people have done for thousands of years by making it into meat powder. It may sound gross, but you’ve probably already eaten it regularly when you’ve used bouillion or beef or chicken flavorings. In our homemade product, however, we get to control the ingredients, so we’re not ingesting strange ingredients from factories around the world. Just 3 ounces of our meat powder will add to your largely fiber beans and rice 140 calories, folate, iron, zinc, choline, magnesium, selenium, coenzyme Q10, B2, B6, and B12 vitamins, an incredible 24 grams of protein, tons of flavor and a mere 4 grams of fat. It’s the beefy flavor addition to any meal, which will be the main reason you’re going to want to make this and get meat powder in your preps and cooking. I will show you how to make it. Then I’ll show you how to use it. Let’s do this…
WHAT YOU NEED
I’m using beef heart because you want the absolute leanest beef to create a longer shelf-life. Also, I’m choosing organ meet because of the more robust flavor and nutritional profile. You will get
more benefits from it than just regular beef alone. After a disaster, three ounces of the beef heart contains 24.2 grams of protein, which is more than enough to ensure muscle synthesis and brain health. We’re just going to use a small amount here, so you can scale up or down the rest of the recipe based upon the amount you use.
- One celery stalk, chopped
- One carrot, chopped
- 1 Teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon salt. Mine will be on the saltier side, because I am making it more like a bouillon. You can use as little as 1 Teaspoon if you would prefer. If you plan to use it frequently, use a teaspoon. If you are putting it away for more extended storage and occasional use, use a Tablespoon and less actual salt in whatever you are making.
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
If you are making this for your pet, as many people do, that’s all you want in there. If it’s for human consumption, you will add.
- One clove garlic, split
- 1 Bay Leaf
- Half onion, cubed
Here I have to mention that meat powder is extraordinary for your pets. However, dogs and cats shouldn’t eat onions or garlic, and the Bay Leaf has tannins, so consider these optional ingredients if you are making meat powder for both human and pet consumption. If you are looking for a way to boost your aging cat or dog’s nutrition and provide them vital nutrients too, make this recipe and sprinkle a tablespoon on their meals or make it into a dog biscuit. It will be like a miracle for your elderly pet. Just remember to skip the onions and garlic.
THE PROCESS
Cube the beef heart into 1 inch or smaller pieces. Place all the ingredients into a pot and put on medium heat with the lid on the pot. Cook for 45 minutes to 1-hour, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain any broth off the mix. You can use this broth immediately. Drink it yourself for a hearty nutritional boost, or reserve it in your refrigerator for your next beef dish requiring broth.
Once your mix has come down to room temperature, chop it all together fine or pulse in a food processer.
Spread finely chopped or minced mixture on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and place in oven at 175 degrees. If you have a dehydrator or freeze-dryer, feel free to use them for this step. Our basic dehydration method will provide you a shelf-stable product for a year when stored in a sealed mylar bag with an oxygen absorber or in a mason jar in the refrigerator. If you freeze-dry it, it will last from 10-15 years. While I can’t guarantee the shelf-life of your final product, as preparation methods will vary, I would confidently eat my meat powder when stored in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber even after a couple of years. The compactness of the powder, the oxygen absorber, and the mylar bag would make it incredibly difficult for any bacteria to thrive in that environment.
Dry your mix for as long as required. You cannot over-dry it. Any moisture could lead to mold, and meat powder is typically sold as a cultural media in labs, so you want to make sure you have dried out all the moisture you can from it. Once it is dry, remove it from your oven, dehydrator, or freeze-drier, and let cool to room temperature. Grind in a food processor, blender, or mill to as fine a powder as possible. If using the oven or dehydrator, return to a freshly lined parchment tray or cookie sheet and dry powder for an additional two hours.
Remove from dryer and let cool to room temperature. Process in a food mill, blender, or food processor again until no chunks exist and you are left with a fine powder. Store in a ziplock baggy, in a mason jar, or one of the long-term storage methods discussed.
USING YOUR MEAT POWDER
There are several ways to use your meat powder. The simplest method to consume it is to make a broth out of it by adding a minimum of one tablespoon to 4 cups boiling water. You can add more until the consistency you want is achieved. You’ll get an instant nutritional boost, and you can do this anywhere you can get water to boil. The second method is to add the powder on top of your rice or beans. This will provide more flavor to your food and more nutrition and protein. I like to use mine during non-disasters just as a beefy flavor boost to any dish that uses beef.
Want to get more umami and flavor out of your beef and broccoli? Add a tablespoon of your meat powder. Want to kick your beef stew up to an entirely new level? Add a tablespoon or two of your meat powder. This has what you need to make it through a disaster.
Try this recipe and make some Beef Heart Meat Powder today. There isn’t a comparable nutritional blend with as much flavor and vital nutrients you will need after a disaster when calories and nutrients are critical. Let me know how your batch turned out in the comments below or if there is anything you would add to my simple recipe, as there are many variations to this essential staple.
Keep prepping.
