How to Make Pemmican in a Survival Situation
Pemmican is a paste made of dried, ground jerky and rendered fat, called tallow. American Indians originally made this high-protein survival food. The tallow seals the mixture from water and air, which otherwise would cause the ingredients to spoil. You can make pemmican in a survival situation, to sustain you when food is scarce, especially in winter.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Challenging
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Equal portions of raw meat and fat
- Knife
- Water
- Pot or other heat-resistant container
- Tripod
- Cone-shaped container
- Spoon or improvised skimmer
- Meat rack
- Two large rocks
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1
Cut all of the fat from the meat, using the knife. Slice both the meat and fat for the pemmican into long strips 3/4 to 1/8 inches wide and as long as the grain of the meat will allow.
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2
Combine the fat with several cups of water in the pot or other heat-resistant container, mounted on the tripod.
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3
Place the tripod and container over a fire until the fat has melted. Don't let the fat cook or it will lose its sealant properties to preserve the pemmican.
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4
Remove the mixture from the heat and filter it twice through densely packed, dried grass, which will work like a sieve in a survival situation. Place the grass in the cone-shaped container and pour the mixture through it into another container placed under it.
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5
Let the mixture cool, which will leave a layer of liquid tallow on top of the water. Skim off the tallow and place it in a container, using a spoon or large, curled leaf.
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6
Place the meat rack over the fire. You can build a meat rack by lashing long sticks horizontally to the tripod's legs.
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7
Hang the strips of meat on the meat rack and let them dry for several hours over low heat until brittle. The goal is to make brittle jerky for the pemmican that snaps or cracks when you bend it, but not so overcooked that it powders and chalks in your hands.
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8
Remove the jerky from the heat.
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9
Crush and grind the jerky between two large rocks until the meat is a fine, powdery substance.
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10
Mix the shredded jerky and tallow thoroughly and allow the pemmican to cool.
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1
Tips & Warnings
You can make a cone-shaped container out of particular kinds of bark, such as birch.
If the tallow solidifies before you can mix it with the meat, melt it over the fire again.
Pemmican is intended for survival food by people with high levels of activity, such as that required of outdoor exploration, especially in the winter.
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References
- Photo Credit kettle on a fire image by Sergey Mostovoy from Fotolia.com
