How to Dehydrate Ground Pork
How to dehydrate ground pork is our detailed step-by-step guide about how to dehydrate ground pork in a food dehydrator at home. Dehydrating ground pork 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 pork (choose 93/7 lean ground pork)- ½ cup plain bread crumbs
Process the Ground Pork
Instructions
Process the Ground Pork
- Working in batches, sprinkle a layer of breadcrumbs into a mixing bowl. Then pinch off several small marble-sized pieces of ground pork and layer on the breadcrumbs. Then repeat until all of the ground pork 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 pork 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 pork crumbles on the dehydrator tray. If you have too many ground pork crumbles, use another dehydrator tray.
Dehydrate the Ground Pork
- Set the dehydrator thermostat temperature to 160 ℉ (71 ℃). Dry for 8 to 12 hours until done.
When is the Dehydrated Ground Pork Done
- When fully dehydrated, the ground pork crumbles will be hard and dry. There should be no tacky pieces.
Equalizing and Conditioning the Dehydrated Ground Pork Crumbles
- After a short cooling period, loosely pack the dehydrated ground pork 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 pork 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 Pork Crumbles
- Use appropriate-sized canning jars for storage. Depending on how well you dehydrate it and your pantry storage conditions, the dehydrated ground pork crumbles should keep for several months.
- 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 pork crumbles will fill two 13.5-inch round dehydrator trays.
Nutrition
Serving: 40gCalories: 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!