How to Dehydrate Ground Beef
How to dehydrate ground beef is our detailed step-by-step guide about how to dehydrate ground beef in a food dehydrator at home. Dehydrating ground beef is really easy and adds a lot more variety to those dehydrated camping meals.
Equipment
- Removable fruit roll sheet insert (one for each dehydrator tray)
- Common kitchen tools (including cutting boards, chef's knife, spatula, mixing bowls, non-stick frying pan, etc.)
- Canning jars with tight-fitting lids
- Desiccant packets for moisture control (optional)
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef (choose 93/7 lean ground beef)- ½ cup plain bread crumbs
Process the Ground Beef
Instructions
Process the Ground Beef
- Working in batches, sprinkle a layer of breadcrumbs into a mixing bowl. Then pinch off several small marble-sized pieces of ground beef and layer on the breadcrumbs. Then repeat until all of the ground beef and breadcrumbs are layered in the bowl.
- Mix the meat and breadcrumb mixture into a large meatball.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
- Later, in a skillet over medium heat, pull off marble-sized pieces and cook the ground beef until done and no longer pink. You may want to do this in smaller batches. As it cooks, break the meat apart as it cooks into smaller pieces
Prepare the Dehydrator
- Spread a thin layer of cooked beef crumbles on the dehydrator tray. If you have too many ground beef crumbles, use another dehydrator tray.
Dehydrate the Ground Beef
- Set the dehydrator thermostat temperature to 160 ℉ (71 ℃). Dry for 8 to 12 hours until done.
When is the Dehydrated Ground Beef Done
- When fully dehydrated, the ground beef crumbles will be hard and dry. There should be no tacky pieces.
Equalizing and Conditioning the Dehydrated Ground Beef Crumbles
- After a short cooling period, loosely pack the dehydrated ground beef crumbles into a clean, dry canning jar with a tight-fitting lid, leaving some headspace.
- Every day, for 7 to 10 days, check the jar for moisture. Roll the jar contents around and note any clumping or sticking. If seen, put the ground beef crumbles back on the dehydrator for several more hours.
- If you notice any mold at all, even the slightest bit, throw it all out.
Storing Dehydrated Ground Beef Crumbles
- Use appropriate-sized canning jars for storage. The dehydrated ground beef crumbles might keep for several months depending on how well you dehydrated it and your pantry storage conditions.
- An optional food-safe desiccant packet will aid with moisture control and provide for a longer shelf life.
- Attach or include a label describing the jar contents and the date the product was dehydrated. The label identifies the canning jar contents, and the date helps with the rotation schedule. A first-in, first-out rotation helps us to use items that have been on the shelf the longest, so we're using the oldest food first.
Notes
One pound of cooked ground beef crumbles will fill two 13.5-inch round dehydrator trays.
Nutrition
Serving: 45gCalories: 220kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 26gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3.5gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 175mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g
Nutrition information is only an estimate and may differ depending on the ingredients you use.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!