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drying-foods-msg - 5/18/11

 

Drying foods in period and for use in the SCA.

 

NOTE: See also the files: pickled-foods-msg, campfood-msg, food-storage-msg, ham-msg, sausages-msg, salt-msg, vinegar-msg, herbs-cooking-msg, fruits-msg, vegetables-msg, sausage-makng-msg, no-fire-cook-msg.

 

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NOTICE -

 

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

 

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

 

I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.

 

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.

 

Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

 

Thank you,

   Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous

                                         Stefan at florilegium.org

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Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 21:05:26 -0400 (EDT)

From: Uduido at aol.com

Subject: SC - Sun drying

 

<< Now I'm curious, how do you do the Mr. Golden Sun method with jerky

without getting spoilage? >>

 

The box described to dry the items in is designed to provide a very dry

atmosphere plus heat.

 

For actual sun drying the meat must be sliced VERY thin and hung on racks.

They must be removed to a dry place each evening before dew falls, etc. The

jerky mixture or salt provides the means to preserve from spoilage as has

been done for centuries.

 

A better Sun-drying method which would be safer and more effective but not

period, would be to construct any one of the solar dryers featured in several

past issues of Mother Earth News. These work wonderfully well if constructed

and used according to the instructions. Always remember, thin, thin, thin. A

greater degree of thinness can be accomplished if the meat is partially

frozen and sliced while still in that state.

 

Lord Ras

 

 

Date: Thu, 11 Sep 1997 20:26:55 -0400 (EDT)

From: Uduido at aol.com

Subject: Re: SC - helpmehelpmehelpmehelpme

 

<< I was just given 15 pounds of ripe figs.  I live alone.  I don't even

have a chihuahua.   Is there such a thing as fig jam? pickled figs?

Do figs freeze? >>

 

Figs are prime candidates for drying. If you have a gas stove, it's a simple

matter to lay them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and let the pilot light

do the work, :-)

 

Lord Ras

 

 

From: jen-guy at home.com (Jennifer Guy)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Beef Jerky (Was First Time Pennsic Tips)

Date: Sat, 27 Jun 1998 19:20:35 GMT

 

On 27 Jun 1998 14:43:32 GMT, Tracy Schulman <motherkt at frontiernet.net>

wrote:

 

>If you're using a food dehydrator do you need to cook the beef first? I've >never made Jerky but the idea sounds great.

>                                                               Aine

 

I've made jerky in the oven and in the dehydrator, and never cooked it

first. I might consider cooking turkey or something beforehand. I've

only done beef to date. We always cut really thin pieces, takes too

long to dry otherwise. One thing we do is spice, season and marinade.

Here's some ideas:

 

Garlic

Garlic/Pepper

Tabasco

Italian Dressing

Barbeque

Lemon Pepper

Soy Sauce

Teriyaki Sauce

 

There are jerk sauces and smoke flavorings available. Have fun!

 

 

From: wavdrmr at aol.com (Wavdrmr)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Beef Jerky (Was First Time Pennsic Tips)

Date: 27 Jun 1998 20:09:50 GMT

 

>We always cut really thin pieces, takes too

>long to dry otherwise. One thing we do is spice, season and marinade.

 

The butcher at your local supermarket can cut the meat for you.  Just tell him

how thin you want it.

 

If you like your jerky nice and spicy (like I do) make sure you leave a lot of

the pepper (or sprinkle more) on the beef.  Yum!

 

Jacquelinne

 

 

From: Eric & Lissa McCollum <ericmc at primenet.com>

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Beef Jerky (Was First Time Pennsic Tips)

Date: 27 Jun 1998 15:58:00 -0700

 

Tracy Schulman wrote:

> If you're using a food dehydrator do you need to cook the beef first? I've

> never made Jerky but the idea sounds great.

>                                                                Aine

 

We don't. We usually buy a flank steak, and either have the butcher

cut it for us or half freeze it and cut it ourselves in strips

a quarter inch thick. Marinate overnight, and put on

the dehydrater. We spray the trays with Pam first, so the

finished product doesn't stick (especially important with the

fruit leather!). The dehydrator blows hot air over the food

until it drys out, and I suppose that cooks it slightly

in the process. The stuff lasts *months* if you dry it

enough.

 

The benefit of the dehydrators is that they are fairly

quick. We can make jerky in a day, and dried apple slices

only take about 8 hours. We have two of them now, and

gear up about a week ahead of a major event to make

enough food to feed an entire encampment on the run.

And believe me, making your own is *much* cheaper

than buying it!

 

Gwendolen Wold

 

 

Date: Sun, 12 Jul 1998 07:32:35 +0200 (MET DST)

From: Par Leijonhufvud <parlei at algonet.se>

Subject: Re: SC - Jerked Meat

 

On Sun, 12 Jul 1998, jeffrey stewart heilveil wrote:

> Does anyone have a smoke-preserved/dried-preserved meat recipe that is

> period?  If not, if anyone has a dried-preserved that can be done in an

> oven, I would be deeply in their debt.

 

No period recipies, but try setting your oven to 40-60 C (105-140 F),

leaving the oven door slightly ajar (a wooden spoon helps here). Cut

_lean_ meat into strips "across the grain" and place on a rack, not

directly on a cookie sheet. This is what I do for veggies, and I've been

told that it works with meat as well.

 

/UlfR

- --

Par Leijonhufvud                           parlei(at)algonet.se

 

 

Date: Sun, 12 Jul 1998 01:15:27 -0500

From: a14h at zebra.net (William Seibert)

Subject: Re: SC - Jerked Meat

 

Beef can be oven dried if you put it on a rack, rather than in a

pan. However, there should be a pan under the rack in order to

catch drips before they splatter the oven.  The oven should be

set at about 150 degrees F, and the meat tested about every

hour. When it cracks instead of bends, its done.  Of course, the

thinner the stuff is sliced, the quicker it dries.  One pound of

beef should result in about 4 ounces of dried beef.  Marinade

recipes follow.

 

Wine Marinade

* cup red wine

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

2 fresh cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp minced onion

1 tbsp ground pepper

pinch of thyme

pinch of oregano

pinch of marjoram

 

Soak 2 lbs of thin sliced beef (cut against the grain) in salt

water for 30 minutes; drain and rinse.  Marinate in the above

mixture for 48 hours in a sealed container (refridgerated).

Drain, rack and dry.

 

The above marinade may also be used for chicken, but the chicken

must first be boiled off the bone in the marinade, then boned,

drained and dried.

 

Hope this works out for you.  The chicken looks like wood chips

when you're done with it, but makes an outstanding stew when

boiled for 5 minutes with chopped onion and green peppers, and a

little rice thrown in to thicken.

 

WAJDI

 

 

Date: Sun, 12 Jul 1998 02:12:31 -0500

From: allilyn at juno.com (LYN M PARKINSON)

Subject: Re: SC - Jerked Meat

 

Can you set your oven as low as 150*?  I've done it at 250*, but that's

really too high.  I've got a convection oven, but you should be able to

use a regular.  Maybe prop the door open a little and turn on the fan,

draft obliquely across the door?  The basic: 1/3 part Kikkoman soy sauce,

2/3 part water.  Get as fancy as you like:  a few drops of smoke flavor,

lemon juice, crumbled dried herbs, or float fresh leaves in the marinade

for a bit, mustard, pepper, ground cloves, etc.  Make a few batches and

find what you like best.  I used to do mine paper thin, but this year am

trying 1/4" slices.  Hide a few sandwich bags of it, because once your

friends learn you make it....

 

This is not documented: just hot weather survival food!  (That, and

raspberry ices...)

 

Allison

 

 

Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 00:14:37 PDT

From: "catherine allison" <cra4774 at hotmail.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Jerked Meat

 

You might also want to try using Lapson Souchong tea in the marinade

which has a real nice smokey flavour. The tea can also be tossed on the

coals when grilling meats.

 

Alisyn of Greenbriar (Bjornsborg)

Cathy Allison

 

 

Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 16:31:29 -0500

From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>

Subject: RE: SC - Jerked Meat

 

> Firstly I would like to correct the subject line. Jerked meat is a Caribbean

> method of seasoning meat. Beef jerky is what is commonly known as marinaded

> and dried meat. I could be wrong on this but having been to the Caribbean

> a dozen or so times I think I have it right.

> Micaylah

 

The subject line is correct as it stands.  The word jerky derives from the

American Spanish word charqui which is a corruption of the Quechua word

ch'arki. All of which refer to sun or smoke cured meat.  The verb

describing the process is jerk.  So jerked meat is proper.

 

For the Caribbean meat dishes,  the word jerk is an adjective, for example,

jerk chicken (as opposed to jerked chicken).  In  this context, jerking is a

method of preparing and barbequing meat.  The derivation of the word is the

same as for jerky.

 

Ah, the joys of having a trivia trap for a mind.

 

Bear

 

 

Date: Tue, 14 Jul 1998 10:46:44 -0400

From: "Gedney, Jeff" <gedje01 at mail.cai.com>

Subject: RE: SC - Low sodium requirements

 

I think that a good low sodium jerky marinade would be a kind of

Teriakish that I have used for seasoning pork for stir fry.

 

Try the following:

2 tbs. honey,

2 tbs. cider vinegar (or possibly orange/pineapple juice),

2 tsp. low sodium Soy sauce

1 tsp. sake

2 tsp. fresh chopped ginger

1 tsp. finely minced onion

2 tsp. finely minced garlic

1/2 to 11/2 tsp. chopped Thai red pepper (depending on taste, how hot do

you want it?)

 

Whisk all together until the honey is dissolved

Slice the meat 1/4 inch thick, across the grain, and give it a good hard

stretch ( the "jerk" in jerky) to loosen the connective tissues.

Put the meat into a bowl, and cover with the marinade, and press down

into the marinade with a plate, and put in the fridge for 24 hours.

Every 8 hours or so remove the plate, and flip and stir up the meat.

 

After 24 hours prepare for drying:

 

Remove and Clean the top oven rack

Set the oven for 150-165 degrees (or "Warm" setting if analog oven)

Remove the meat from the marinade, and brush off any stuff clinging to

it. "Jerk" it again, gently this time, as the meat will be more fragile.

If desired, dredge the meat in cracked pepper at this point.

Skewer pieces of meat at one end, on bamboo skewers, and hang through

the cleaned rack.

Place a layer of foil on the bottom of the oven.

Place the loaded rack in the top most slot of the oven.

Put a chopsticks in the door, to ventilate the moisture, and dry the

meat.

 

Every hour or so, check the meat. when it cracks, it's ready!

 

I think that should be low enough sodium... at least to use as a treat.

Am I off base there?  I don't want to kill anyone. If any of the

ingredients are high in sodium, let me know, as I am trying to cut back

a little, too.

 

Brandu

 

 

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 07:26:05 -0700

From: Susan Fox-Davis <selene at earthlink.net>

Subject: Re: SC - Jerked Meat

 

Baron Frederick of Woodlyn used to do a really good jerky with

commercial teriyaki marinade, made in the microwave.

 

Microwave??!!

 

Yup. What happens to meat when you nuke it too long?  It gets chewy and

hard. This is what you WANT when you make jerky.

 

I'm at work now, I'll go find the recipe at home and post it tonight.

 

Selene Colfox

 

 

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 11:14:33 -0700

From: kat <kat at kagan.com>

Subject: Sweet jerky recipe (was Re: SC - Low sodium requirements)

 

Korrin S. DaArdain writes:

> I remember as a kid having some jerky that was cured with sugar

> insted of salt.

 

The best, the absolute ultimate top-of-the-line BEST jerky I've ever had in my life was my dad's sweet venison jerky.

 

Recipe? Cut your venison thin.  Shake in some black pepper and a couple handsful of dark brown sugar.  Mix with your hands till the sugar starts pulling the juices from the meat.

 

You can dry this in your "li'l smoker" like my dad did; but even in a dehydrator it's excellent.

 

       - k

 

 

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 17:27:33 -0400

From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Re: Sweet jerky recipe

 

John Henschen wrote:

> Now, I don't know much about making jerky... but... I thought all the salt

> in jerky was to kill the wee-beasties in the meats, which was what preserved

> the. Now... adding sugar, and it seems _only_ sugar to this recipe would

> encourage bad things to happen. Wouldn't it? Drying it would help, I

> suppose, but having been sick too many times from eating bad food, I don't

> think you could pay me to eat it. Sure, it sounds tasty, but is it safe?

 

Jerkies are invariably cured with at least some sugar all over the Far

East. You can buy commercial versions of jerkies of beef, pork, chicken,

turtle, and, believe it or not, squid. And, oddly enough, it's good,

too.

 

Sugar works the same way as salt does in high concentrations. It causes

plasmolysis in microorganisms: they undergo massive osmosis of their

bodily plasma, effectively exploding. Also, it produces a more tender

product than salt used alone.

 

I refer unbelievers to sugar-cured ham and bacon, which are made with

mixtures of sugar and salt in their cures.

 

Adamantius

 

 

From: bronwynmgn at aol.com (Bronwynmgn)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Beef Jerky (Was First Time Pennsic Tips)

Date: 15 Jul 1998 12:07:03 GMT

 

stefan at texas.net (Stefan li Rous) writes:

 

>There was an accessory available where we bought our dehydrator which let

>you use lean hamburger. You put the hamburger in a tube similar to those

>used to decorate cakes. It has a rectangular opening. When you pull the

>trigger a ribbon of meat comes out the front. Very convenient and hamburger

>may be cheaper than the other meat choices.

 

Never tried hamburger.  As the poster said, get the absolutely leanest

hamburger you can if you try this.  For that matter, the absolute leanest meat

of anysort, and remove any chunks of fat before drying.  The fat will go rancid

long before the jerky goes bad.  And I've managed to keep jerky at least a year

with no ill effects.  Keeping it in an airtight container is also important; if

moisture gets into it, it will tend to rehydrate, and then to spoil.

 

As a chirurgeon, I once used jerky to "coerce" an exhausted, hungry, overheated

fighter from going back into a woods battle for the last ten minutes.  He was

laying on the ground, saying he would go back in to the battle in just a

minute, but he was sooo hungry... I threw him my pouch (I was busy treating

someone else at the time) and told him there was homemade jerky in it (normally

I don't tell anybody because I get mobbed) because I was sure that was what he

would pick (there were also nutragrain bars and trail mix in the pouch), and by

the time he finished gnawing through a piece of it, he'd have rested in the

shade for a while, gotten some salt into him, and probably followed it up with

a nice long drink of water...As it was, the battle finished before he finished

the jerky.  And he didn't particularly mind missing those last few minutes

since he got some homemade jerky out of it.

 

Brangwayna

 

 

From: phoenix at thomson.net

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Beef Jerky (Was First Time Pennsic Tips)

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 15:11:46 GMT

 

bronwynmgn at aol.com (Bronwynmgn) wrote:

> stefan at texas.net (Stefan li Rous) writes:

> >There was an accessory available where we bought our dehydrator which let

> >you use lean hamburger. You put the hamburger in a tube similar to those

> >used to decorate cakes. It has a rectangular opening. When you pull the

> >trigger a ribbon of meat comes out the front. Very convenient and hamburger

> >may be cheaper than the other meat choices.

> Never tried hamburger.  As the poster said, get the absolutely leanest

> hamburger you can if you try this.  For that matter, the absolute leanest meat

> of anysort, and remove any chunks of fat before drying.  The fat will go

> rancid long before the jerky goes bad.

 

snippedabit

 

> Brangwayna

 

I have made jerky from venison and from beef from the grocery store, but as

far as getting the most "bang for the buck", I prefer to use fish.  1-2 pound

bass (or similarly shaped fish) filets are perfect.  They have virtually no

fat, do not require slicing into strips, and are easy (relatively) to chew.

 

Be forewarned, though, it does have a different taste than beef, but if you

put enough seasoning in it, it covers up a lot of the "fish flavor".

 

Kinda makes me feels like an Eskimo.....

 

Munchin' and grinnin'...

 

James

 

 

Subject: more drying info

Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 01:17:25 -0500

From: a14h at zebra.net (William Seibert)

To: stefan at texas.net

 

M'lord,

As you evidenced interest in drying meat, you might be interested

in the following info I have on drying veggies.  Read:

Veggie---Pretreatment---what they supposed to turn out like---how

much fresh equal how much dried.

 

Beets---Peel, slice thin---Curled and leathery---one pound=three

quarters cup

 

Butternut Squash---Cut, cook, peel, and puree---Dry, like

filigree---one medium squash=one half cup

 

Cabbage---Slice thin---Wispy---one small head=one cup

 

Carrots---Slice lengthwise or julienne, or grate, then chop fine

for carrot flakes---Leathery, still orange, somewhat curled---six

carrots=one cup

 

Celery---Slice---Very dry and shrunken---one bunch=one cup

 

Corn---Cook in boiling water for two minutes, cut kernels off

ears---hard, pebbly, slightly darker---corn from six ears=one cup

 

Eggplant---Peel, slice thin---Pale and leathery, very light---one

medium eggplant=one cup

 

Green Beans---Cook in boiling water ten minutes---Shrunken and

leathery but not brown---one pound=one cup

 

Kohlrabi---Peel, slice thin---Curled and leathery---one

pound=three quarters cup

 

Leeks---Wash well, slice well up into the green part---Like

parchment, not brittle---one medium leek=one cup

 

Mushrooms---Wash well, slice thin---Crinkled, but not too

shrunken---one pound=one and three quarters cup

 

Parsley---Chop---Dry, almost powdery---one pound=three quarters

cup

 

Parsnips---Peel, slice lengthwise or juienne---Dry and

leathery---one pound=three quarters cup

 

Peas---Cooking in boiling water ten minutes---Hard as

pebbles---one package frozen peas=two thirds cup

 

Potatoes---Slice and soak for no more than ten minutes in lemon

juice---Will almost crack in two---one pound=three quarters cup

 

Tomatoes---Slice through center and coat with olive

oil---Leathery and still red---three quarters pound=one cup

 

Turnips---Peel, slice thin---Curled, dry and leathery---three

quarters pound=one cup

 

Yellow summer squash---Slice across or lengthwise---Curled edges,

leather, not brown---one pound=three quarters cup

 

Zucchini---Slice across or lengthwise---Curled edges, leathery,

not brown---one medium squash=one half cup

 

On drying fruits:  the following list can be dried by peeling (if

necessary), slicing (if necessary) and drying on rack.  Apples,

figs, berries and cherries, pineapples, lemon and orange peel.

 

The following need to be dipped in a solution of one quarter cup

of lemon juice and one quart lukewarm water:  apricots, peaches

and pears.

 

A honey dip made by dissolving one cup of sugar in three cups hot

water, allowing solution to cool, then stirring in one cup of

honey is good for the following:  rhubarb, bananas, apricots,

pineapple and strawberries.

 

I realize all the above was unsolicited, but hoped that you might

find it interesting.  Pass it along if you think anyone else

might want to try it.  I morally hate to lug an ice chest along

with me.

 

WAJDI

 

 

Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 20:32:24 -0400

From: dy018 at freenet.carleton.ca (Micaylah)

Subject: Re: SC - Jerked Meat

 

I just used sherry to make jerky last week. It did call for honey tho' as

well and turned out really good. If I may make a suggestion...skip the olive

oil. I also made a batch with and without the olive oil and found that the

stuff with the oil was a little greasy. And this was after I dried it for

about 15 hours and blotted on anything absorbant that I could find in my

kitchen!

 

Micaylah

 

 

From: "Keith E. Brandt, M.D." <wd9get at amsat.org>

To: herbalist at Ansteorra.ORG

Subject: SC - - Hot drinks

Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 10:17:34 -0600

 

To dry citrus peel: With vegetable peeler remove colored part of peel from

2 large oranges and 4 lemons. Place in single layer on plate; cover with

paper towel and let stand at room temperature one day or until dried. Snip

in small pieces with kitchen shears or chop coarse with knife.

 

Galen

Friar Galen of Ockham

 

 

Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 10:19:52 EST

From: LrdRas at aol.com

Subject: Re: SC - Drying chicken meat

 

stefan at texas.net writes:

<< how would you use the food dehydrator to dry chicken for this? Just

like what you do to make beef strips into beef jerky, without the

seasoning? Do you shred or thin slice the chicken?

 

Does it re-hydrate well in the soup? Or do they end up being tough, >>

 

When is was supervising the Mission Harvest program at St. Anthony's, we used

per-cooked chicken for this process. It was sliced  or diced and then laid on

the trays which went into the dehydrators. It rehydrated  pretty well and made

a nice addition of needed protien in the mission field. For the purpose of

soup making, pre-cooked meat was always our choice for drying. The recipients

of the packaged goods always had good words for this particular product. Beef,

pork, chicken and ground beef were a few of the meats we processed this way.

Using pre-cooked meat significantly reduced any potential bacterial

infection concerns and the drying and rehydration time is drastically reduced.

 

Ras

 

 

Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 09:30:43 -0600

From: a14h at zebra.net (William Seibert)

Subject: Re: SC - Drying chicken meat

 

Stefan li Rous wrote:

> Wajdi said:

> > But, using a dehydrator, I can come up with a pretty mean

> > chicken stem {stew]

> > just by boiling the dried ingredients.  Chicken, rice, carrots, onion,

> > beans, etc.

> Sounds like a good idea.

> But how would you use the food dehydrator to dry chicken for this? Just

> like what you do to make beef strips into beef jerky, without the

> seasoning? Do you shred or thin slice the chicken?

> Does it re-hydrate well in the soup? Or do they end up being tough,

> chewy pieces that sort of taste like chicken but feel like leather?

> I would probably first just try canned chicken, but if drying chicken

> meat does work this opens up some possiblities.

 

The trick I use to make dried chicken palatable is to completely

boil it off the bone first.  As far as drying with a

convection oven, thats how I got started, with the motivation

that I did a lot of backpacking and really hated the thought of

paying commercial prices for dried food.  The thing to check,

make sure of, etc, is that the lowest setting on your oven is

actually right around 100 to 120 degrees F.  Idealy, it should be

right at 110.  The lowest setting on my oven (determined with a

handy-dandy thermometer) is right at 150, so I have to cheat and

leave a wooden spoon wedged into the door to keep it open a tad.

Runs up the gas bill, but natural gas is cheap.  Thats another

reason I went to a dehydrator.  Which I got at a re-sale place,

for about 1/5 of the price new.  My Lady and I now have three of

the things.  For chicken, skin the pieces and boil.  Boil the

living hell out of it, until the meat has fallen from the bones.

Go through the meat and make sure that all the cartilidge and

bone chips have been removed (I never said it was easy).  Press

dry, and place on drying rack.  For a convection oven, I used the

little bread cooling racks they sell in specialty stores.  It is

vital that air and heat be able to get to all surfaces of the

meat. If the chicken is in those long, stringy chunks, you might

want to cut or pull it into more managable chunks.  Dry in oven

at lowest setting until it has the appearance and consistancy of

wood chips.  I normally use leg and thigh quarters, but thats

because I can get them at 29 cents per pound, and we end up doing

between 50 and 100 lbs at a time.  I don't season the chicken

because I end up cooking the stuff for a group of people with

tastes ranging from "thermo-nuclear ain't hot enough" to "dahlin,

I don't even _salt_ my food".  Carrots are peeled and chopped

into little round pieces about 1/4 inch thick.  You then dump the

carrots into boiling water for one minute, drain, and arrange on

the drying rack.  When you put the rack into the oven, put a

catch pan underneath the rack because there is a lot of

shrinkage, and the little dried carrots will fall through the

rack.

 

Onion, celery and green peppers are chopped, then placed

on a drying screen and dried normally, usually until they are

unrecognizable. They come out looking like dried up spit-wads,

the kind you find laying around on the floor three days after the

paper-wad fight.  Note that I said drying screen rather than

rack. These things shrink unbelievably, and will dissappear from

the oven if you're not careful.  By the way, while they are

drying the house will smell simply wonderful.  

 

All dried ingredients should be put in doubled plastic Ziplocks, and

can be stored indefinitely.  For in-camp cooking, start with a pot

full of water and throw in sufficient amounts of each ingredient, not

forgetting to hold back the minute rice.  Let sit in unheated

water for a couple of hours.  Bring the pot to a boil, and let

boil for about a half of hour.  Throw in a handfull of minute

rice or so per person to be served.  Let cook for another 15 or

20 minutes.  If you want to get fancy, sling in a couple of

pinches of sage and/or other favored herbs about 5 minutes before

serving. Serve with bread, salt & pepper on the side.  I think

my original posting failed to mention the minute rice, but it

certainly makes the chicken stew a bit thicker; rather than being

a chicken soup, which is what I originally started with, but

changed because I thought the soup wasn't filling enough.

 

wajdi

 

 

Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 06:08:12 PDT

From: Bonne of Traquair <oftraquair at hotmail.com>

Subject: RE: SC - Soft fruit glut.

 

>How do you make fruit leathers?

 

Mash or blend the fruit, strain out the seeds if you want.  Spread out to

dry per the instructions on the dehydrator.  If you don't have an electric

dehydrator, line jelly roll pans with parchment, spread the fruit goo

thinly, put them in your oven on the lowest setting, with the door propped

slightly open.  Move the trays around once in a while so they dry evenly.

The pilot light will be warm enough, I think, if you have that sort of gas

oven. I've seen instructions for making a dehydrator with plywood and using

a lightbulb as the heat source--search the internet, it's probably out there

somewhere!

 

If you live in a dry climate, you can put them outside in the sun, covered

with mosquito netting and somehow protected from ants.  Bring them all in at

night.

 

The Fettiplace receipt book has recipes for preserving fresh fruits.  Jams

since it is from 1604, but also suckets and other candies that involve less

sugar.

 

Bonne

 

 

Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 11:23:25 -0700 (PDT)

From: Laura C Minnick <lainie at gladstone.uoregon.edu>

Subject: RE: SC - Soft fruit glut.

 

On Tue, 22 Jun 1999, Oughton, Karin (GEIS, Tirlan) wrote:

> Lainie,

> How do you make fruit leathers?

> This is one of the methods I was looking for in the florilegium but failed

> to find. I'm hoping that if I can make them successfully I can wean my child

> minder off commercial candy, and onto these instead : )

 

I dear. I hate it when this happens.

       I haven't used the original recipe in years, and after several

moves, I don't know where it is anymore. I usually wash the fruit and cut

away any stems, etc, then run it through the blender until it makes a nice

slurry. I add a teeny bit of sugar only if the fruit is very tart- sugar

makes the juice run and changes the consistency considerably. Sometimes it

add cinnamon of nutmeg. Then I spread the glop out on a cookie sheet that

is either well-buttered or has a wax-paper lining, and set them in the

oven at  at 200 degrees or so. Overnight will do if they are thin, sometimes

it takes a day or two. Then I roll them up in waxed paper. I don't know

how long they last because they never do!

       I have wanted one of those food dehydrators for years, but never

managed to have the money and the desire at the same time. It would free

up my oven for more important things, like brownies!

 

'Lainie

- -

Laura C. Minnick

 

 

Date: Sun, 4 Jul 1999 07:51:37 -0700 (PDT)

From: H B <nn3_shay at yahoo.com>

Subject: Re: SC - salmon recipe?

 

- --- Stefan li Rous <stefan at texas.net> wrote:

> Jean Luc said:

> > My wife and I usually soak our meat and yes salmon in Teriaki Sauce

> over

> > night after slicing thin. Then we cheat a little and put it into a

> > dehydrator after about 24 hours you have dried meat and fish.

> Teriaki

> > style.

> Thank you for this recipe. This sounds interesting and well-timed. My

> local HEB has fresh, maybe previously frozen, salmon fillets on for

> $3.49 per pound. I've not cooked salmon before, but I ought to buy

> some at this price and try your recipe in our dehydrator.

> Do you slice across the fish? Do you do this with refrigerated fish

> or need to chill, but not freeze it, some it some first?

> With the Teriaki sauce it won't be period, but it is a start.

 

Jean Luc: Thank you for the suggestion; actually, in my one attempt

thus far, that is exactly what I did -- sliced a hunk of salmon ~1/4"

thick across the grain, and marinated it in teriaki for almost 24

hours, then dried on a cooling rack set in a cookie sheet in the oven

for about 12 hours.  It was okay, but I thought it was too salty for my

taste, and would marinate it less time next time (like a few hours, or,

say, overnight :-) ) though it went over well enough with a bunch of

guys at a picnic who first first said "salmon WHAT?" and then "hey --

you know, that's not bad" and then "got any more?".

 

Stefan, I sliced the salmon on a meat slicer while it was mostly

frozen. This was a tip I got from the National Food Safety Database

pages on drying and jerky, which gives a LOT of explanation of drying

and tells you how to do it in the oven if you don't have a dehydrator

(though I must admit, it is a pain to try to keep your oven at around

140 degrees F and stick a fan across the cracked-open door -- where do

I get a cheap dehydrator??).  The web address is

http://www.foodsafety.org/dryingfd.htm

 

- -- Harriet

 

 

Date: Sun, 4 Jul 1999 13:11:45 -0400

From: "Alderton, Philippa" <phlip at morganco.net>

Subject: Re: SC - salmon recipe?

 

When you're drying meats or fishes for jerky type foods, you can soak or not

soak them in about any non-oil fluid you prefer. Try lemon juice or vinegar,

if you want a slightly acid taste, or plain water or wine if you don't. Most

commercial preparations are heavily salted- it's the nature of our culture's

tastes. The only purpose the fluid serves is to help transport the added

flavors into the meat you're using. For a change, use a dry rub of your

favorite spices- that works well too.

 

As far as the actual drying, again, any heat source will work. If you leave

your oven open a crack, you don't need a fan blowing at it since the natural

convection of the hot vs cool air will exchange the wet air for the dry air

well enough on any day with reasonable humidity- today's 85% is not a day

I'd try to dry foods ;-) I've used electric and gas ovens, my food

dehydrator, and my gas/charcoal grill in both modes for drying foods- I've

also used my microwave for quick drying herbs like peppermint.

 

It's not very difficult to do- just use a bit of thought, and don't worry

too much. Primitive peoples didn't do it for thousands of years because they

wanted a new cooking challenge, they did it because it was an easy way to

preserve foods.

 

Phlip

Philippa Farrour

Caer Frig

Southeastern Ohio

 

 

Date: Sun, 04 Jul 1999 10:20:14 -0800

From: Anne of Bradford <rdwlist at micronet.net>

Subject: Re: SC - salmon recipe?

 

Greetings to all with extra fish!

 

It's very common here in Oertha (Alaska) to end up with way too much

salmon. We generally cut up our extra, non-fatty salmon (reds, pinks,

silvers) and soak them in brine overnight (see below).  As for King

salmon, Kylson and I usually cut into steaks and put on the grill.  It

tends to have a high fat content, and that causes smoked anything to

turn rancid quickly.  We've got a couple of small portable smokers that

we use to smoke the fish for about 10-12 hours, or until the flesh is

firm and shiny.   I'd imagine that for jerky, you'd want to leave it in

the smokers for a bit longer though.  We add new wood chips to the

burners every two to three hours, and change the order of the racks

every four to six hours.  It stores for a couple months in ziplocs in

the fridge.

 

Brine #1: 1/2 c salt, 1/2 c brown sugar per quart of water.  Season w/

pepper, garlic powder, maple flavoring

Brine #1: 2 c salt, 1 c brown sugar, 2 Tbsp white pepper, 1 Tbsp each

crushed bay leaf, allspice, cloves and mace. (I've used this on

halibut. yum!)  (Source: Cooking Alaskan, ed Editors and Friends of

Alaska Magazine)

 

 

Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 07:04:45 -0400

From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>

Subject: Re: SC - jerky documentation?

 

Serian wrote:

> Yes, I've made jerky and pemmican (SP) before.  It also

> seems to me that other nomadic groups might have dried meat

> for preservation.    Certainly it has Society value in that

> it is easy to transport and feed to people.

 

Now, if you'll bear with me a second here, and realize I'm not messing

with you, but rather exercising my own belief that just about every

question that can be asked, should be asked, does it have any special

Society value beyond convenience? Any more so, than, say, a bag of

chips? The thing is, I love jerky, and have occasionally made it and

brought it to events... would you not say many people have this view of

it as being the food of the Medieval Tough Guy Traveller/Soldier, even

when there may not be any real evidence for that interpretation? At

least, in the mainstream European literature and recipe sources? This in

a period where food writers were prepared to discuss, at length,

dragging sides of beef in perforated barrels behind ships in salt water,

and various other preservation methods of dubious effectiveness, but

seem never to have mentioned something like jerky? I think that a lot of

period Europe lacked the kind of sun and dry breezes needed to make what

we think of as jerky, and this may be why it doesn't seem to have been

manufactured and used in Europe on any scale we know about.

 

So what do we know Europeans _did_ eat under jerky-ish circumstances?

Flatbreads, either carried in a wallet or made in camp on a bakestone.

The kind of flaked dried cod (klippfisk, I think?) favored by Viking

explorers. Possibly dried softer fruits, or fresh hard fruits such as

apples. Hard cheeses, maybe dry sausages or bacon.

 

But it's true, I tend to get strange looks when I whip out a handful of

shreds of dried cod at events. In fact, the facial expressions of those

around me probably carry more inherent relish than the cod itself does,

but then I don't think Eric the red was eating it for the flavor of it.

Unless by comparison to the _rest_ of what he was eating...? ;  )   (I

never said that, you can't prove nuthin'!)  

> I recently made a lemon and ginger flavored beef jerky that

> went over quite well.  Curiosity then overcame me as I was

> working on documentation for my kingdom A&S food and music

> entries.

 

I've become fond of a painfully simple recipe for chipotle jerky; I'm

almost embarrassed when I tell people how I make it. But then, I live in

a kingdom that has no official A&S event, per se.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2000 00:12:36 -0400

From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <harper at idt.net>

Subject: Re: SC - jerky documentation?

 

And it came to pass on 15 Sep 00,, that Wajdi wrote:

> Pure speculation on my part, but has any consideration been given

> to the idea that dried meat products may be found in early

> Spanish or Arab writings?  Seems to me as if those areas would

> have had sufficient sun to dry meat.

 

Dunno. I've seen recipes that use air-dried fish: hake and conger eel.  

There's a 1553 Spanish treatise on the benefits of physical exercise that

mentions "tasajos", which the Royal Spanish dictionary says is meat

that has been preserved by drying and salting it, or in oil.

 

http://www.uida.es/mendez/portada.html

 

So I searched for "tasajos" at google.com, and found a link to a page

about food in Don Quixote.  (Okay, so I'm obsessive.  Everyone needs a

hobby.) http://www.jimena.com/cocina/apartados/quijote.htm

It gives a quote from the novel, in which some goatherds are boiling

tasajos of goat meat in a cauldron.  The explanatory note says that

tasajos are:

"Carne adobada durante cuatro dÌas y dejada despuÈs a secar. Es

como la cecina del cabrero. Se puede hacer con vaca, ternera, venado,

jabalÌ..."

 

"Meat marinated for four days and then left to dry.  It is the cecina [a

type of hung dried beef] of the goatherd.  It can be made with beef, veal,

venison, wild boar..."

 

I found another online source -- a 16th century commentary on sailing

and life at sea -- and it had some scathing things to say about the

rations for passengers on a galley-ship.  Tasajos of goat were

mentioned, along with such delights as rancid bacon.

 

There was also a quote from a 17th century comedy by Tirso de Molina.

Two laborers are complaining that their employers don't pay well.  One

of them says that his rations are badly-seasoned tasajos and coarse

bran bread.

 

I get the feeling that tasajos were often used as a food for travellers and

the poor.

 

Lady Brighid ni Chiarain

Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)

 

 

Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2000 12:46:01 -0700

From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>

Subject: SC - Period Islamic Dried Meat

 

From _Social Life Under the Abbasids_ by M. M. Ahsan, p. 113

- ---

The Abbasids inherited the art of food preservation from the ancient

east and the classical civilizations. The drying process was widely

used and the least expensive. Even the Arabs of the remote past were

fond of dried meat called qadid. ... The common people of the time

used this method extensively. Like meat, fish was also dried in the

sun and used throughout the year.

 

In one process for food preservation, antiseptic agents, especially

salt and vinegar, were used. The meat thus preserved was known as

namaksud, a Persian compound word indicative of the Persian origin of

the method. To make namaksud, the meat was cut into slices, seasoned

with salt, and left in the sun on a plank to dry. When required, the

slices were moistened with water and cooked.

- ---

 

I should add that Ahsan is not entirely reliable--he repeatedly

describes murri as "brine," for example, and makes frequent errors of

arithmetic in doing currency conversions. The book has a tone of

"paste together all the references you can find to subject X in the

literature without really digesting or evaluating them." But I expect

that on a simple point like this he is accurate. He cites a variety

of sources, of which the most accessible is probably the Encyclopedia

of Islam; I haven't yet checked it.

- --

David/Cariadoc

http://www.daviddfriedman.com/

 

 

Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 15:34:20 GMT

From: "Olwen the Odd" <olwentheodd at hotmail.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Jerkies

 

>Is there any way to make jerky without the use of a dehydrator (i.e., in a

>conventional oven or microwave)?  If so, does anyone have any recepies for

>mild flavors of beef or poultry jerky?

>Gwendolen

 

It is perfectly easy to make jerky without an electric dehydrator, if you

have an oven or not.  If you do, simply lay the meat on a splatter screen or

rack, not on a solid surface like a cookie sheet and place in oven with

either a warm setting or low setting.  Turn it over once or twice till dry.  

For solar, you can suspend the pieces over a sheet of tinfoil on a rack.  

You must keep the flies and bugs off it though.  If you have a 10 gallon or

larger fish tank with one of those screen tops it is very easy.  Just

suspend the meat hanging from the screen.  Make sure you cover most of the

screen to hold the heat in.

 

As for non-period flavors, you can soak your thinly sliced meat in just

about anything you like.  Vinegars, BBQ sauce, soy, hotsauce, Zesty Italian

or other flavor salad dressing, beer, the list is just about as endless as

your imagination.  How long you marinate is equal to how much flavor is

infused.

 

Olwen

 

 

Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 12:44:12 -0400

From: "Nicholas Sasso" <NJSasso at msplaw.com>

Subject: SC - re: Jerkies

 

<<<<<<<... SNIP...As for non-period flavors, you can soak your thinly sliced meat in just

about anything you like.  Vinegars, BBQ sauce, soy, hotsauce, Zesty Italian

or other flavor salad dressing, beer, the list is just about as endless as

your imagination.  How long you marinate is equal to how much flavor is

infused.>>>>>>>>>>>

 

For those technologically enhanced, a vacuum sealer will speed up your flavor

infusing process by as much as 5 times or more.   Simply put meat in a container/bag with marinade and put under vacuum.  the flavors are forced right

into the meat rather than simple osmotic pressures.  The flavors are real intense after short durations.

 

niccolo difrancesco

 

 

Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 18:00:08 -0700

From: "James F. Johnson" <seumas at mind.net>

Subject: SC - Adaptation from Apicius for jerking meat

 

Seumas commented:

> I tried a preservative solution from Apicius with vinegar, salt,

> mustard, and honey, but proportions are not included, so I have been

> experimenting.

 

Stefan li Rous replied

> Interesting. Apicius recipe please? Would this be dried/ground mustard

> seed since you already have liquid with the vinegar and the honey? Or

> would this be a mustard sauce?

 

>From the 1936 Vehling translation of Apicius, Book I, Chapter VII

[Vehling 11]:

 

"To keep cooked sides of pork or beef or tenderloins place them in a

pickle of mustard, vinegar, salt and honey, covering meat entirely. And

when ready to use, you'll be surprised."

 

If I recall correctly (Mmm...notes have disappeared) I started with

750ml of red wine vinegar, 250ml of honey, 4 Tablespoons each of ground

mustard and sea salt. This itself tasted mostly of vinegar naturally, so

I doubled the amount of mustard and honey. I might have added more sea

salt, but this used up the last in the kitchen at that time. The sliced

meat marinated in the fridge for a full day, then 24+ hours in a 150 F

oven. Came out very dry (brittle) and slightly tangy of the vinegar. I

would prefer it more spicy/savoury, so later attempts will increase the

mustard and salt again. I might go so far as to make a very thin paste

of mustard and salt using the vinegar and honey. I'm also considering

grinding up the salt with the mustard for an additional dredge of the

meat before packing and marinating. Personally, I would like to try some

with black pepper, perhaps ginger. I like more pungent flavours.

 

Seumas

 

 

Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2001 16:02:13 -0800

From: lilinah at earthlink.net

Subject: SC - Moroccan Dried Meat

 

Long ago we discussed dried meat, and the lack of "period" recipes. I

have discovered a recipe for Moroccan dried meat. I suspect that some

variation of this goes back thousand years or more. However, it

doesn't seem to me to be the sort of thing that would have made it

into a cookbook for the wealthy or noble, so other than anecdotal

references in literature, which i have seen, we'll probably never

really know.

 

This recipe is from "Taste of Morocco" by Robert Carrier, Boxtree

Ltd., London: 1987/1996. ISBN 0-7522-1039-4

 

I haven't tried it myself.

 

Khlii

Sun-dried preserved meat

 

The author, a Brit, refers to it as "an age old method". We here on

this list know that could mean that it goes back to someone's

grandmother 40 years ago.

 

He goes on to say: "Khlii is used, much as we use bacon or petit salÈ

(lightly salted pork fat), to flavour tagines of fresh or dried

vegetables, or a winter couscous or soup."

 

- -----

 

2.25 kg / 5 lb beef

50 g / 2 oz coarse salt

450 g / 1 lb lamb (or beef) fat

1.2 litres / 2 pints water

250 ml / 8 fl oz groundnut/peanut oil

150 ml / 1/4 pint olive oil

 

Spice and Garlic Paste

75 g / 3 oz (6 Tb) coriander seeds, ground

50 g / 2 oz garlic, peeled and crushed

2 Tb vinegar

50 ml / 2 fl oz olive oil

50 g / 2 oz coarse salt

 

1. To prepare spice and garlic paste, combine all the ingredients

together in a bowl, mix well, and leave to rest for 24 hours.

 

2. In the meantime, cut the meat into long thin strips. Rub the

strips well with the coarse salt. Cover with a piece of muslin /

cheesecloth to protect from insects, and leave to absorb the flavours

for 24 hours.

 

3. Then take each strip of salted meat and cover it with a layer of

spice and garlic paste, rubbing it in well with your fingers. Cover

with muslin / cheesecloth and leave to absorb flavours for a further

24 hours.

 

4. On the following day, take each piece of meat and hang it over a

washing line or, with needle and thread, take thread through the end

of each strip and tie thread into a loop. Insert a broomstick through

each loop and hang the pole horizontally in the sun, covering the

meat with a strip of muslin / cheesecloth as above. Make sure that

each strip is well covered with spice and garlic paste, and pat on a

little where needed. Repeat this process over 3 or 4 more days, or

until meat is thoroughly dried. Absolutely no moisture must come out

when meat is pressed with your finger. Make sure you bring meat

indoors at sunset, to keep it away from any possible mist or moisture

in the night air.

 

5. When meat is dried, remove it from the line or pole. Cut it into

even sized pieces and simmer it with its aromatics in melted fat,

water, and the oils, until all the water has been absorbed. The

richly flavoured fat will be left in the pan. Stir often to ensure

that meat does not stick to the bottom of pan or scorch.

 

6. When the meat is tender, remove it from casserole or stock pot and

allow to cool completely in a large shallow container. Strain fats

through a muslin / cheesecloth -lined sieve into a container. Allow

to cool completely. It must still be liquid.

 

7. Fill sterilized Kilner / Mason jars loosely with meat, then pour

over strained fat. Leave jars open for 2 hours, then seal.

 

8. Reserve the remaining bits or crumbs of meat and spice and garlic

paste in a jar to use in savoury beghrir or rghaif

 

- -----

 

MY NOTE: beghrir and rghaif are fried pancakey-breads - i'm not

giving a real accurate description, but it will do for now. I ate

both kinds, as well as several others, while i was in Morocco, but i

don't think i had any khlii.

 

Both pan cooked (such as beghrir and rghaif) and baked yeasted breads

(khobz) are often made with semolina flour so they are faintly golden

and have a very different flavor from white or whole wheat flour in

the US - which was to my mind really delicious. When given the choice

between white and pain complet (which in France is a modified whole

wheat) bread loaves, i chose the complet, which was the golden kind.

Anyone on the list have experience making bread with semolina flour?

I imagine it behaves differently from the usual white...

 

NOTE 2: The author gives no information on how to store khlii or on

how long it keeps.

 

Anahita

 

 

From: "Hrolf Douglasson" <Hrolf at btinternet.com>

To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: Sca-cooks digest, Vol 1 #541 - 20 msgs

Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 22:17:32 +0100

 

> Is drying fruits period?  We have two apple trees and

> a pear tree in our yard, and would love to save some

> of the fruits for use throughout the year.

 

From the York Archeological dig. There is striong evidence to show that the

Vikings dried apples for winter use

 

vara

 

 

Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2001 22:53:22 -0400

From: johnna holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>

To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: Sca-cooks digest, Vol 1 #541 - 20 msgs

 

> Is drying fruits period?  We have two apple trees and

> a pear tree in our yard, and would love to save some

> of the fruits for use throughout the year.  In the

> past I have canned and frozen, but I know those

> definately aren't period.

 

According to Pickled, Potted, and Canned by Sue Shephard

(which is a new neat book on food preservation) the Romans

were drying fruits in large quantities. And dates and raisins

have been dried for centuries in areas in which they were

grown. England had trouble with the process of drying

fruits due to the damp climate which made it difficult

to sun dry. When drying moves inside there are fuel costs

associated with oven drying, so a lot of fruit spoiled due

to there not being cheap fuel. In other areas, it was well

established with Slovakia and Moravia and Bosnia drying fruits,

especially plums, in specially constructed buildings.

 

Johnnae llyn Lewis

 

 

From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <rcmann4 at earthlink.net>

To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 18:22:32 -0400

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] fruit leather (was pesto)

 

On 6 Sep 2001, at 10:08, Jennifer Thompson wrote:

> Speaking of summer oversized harvests, has anyone had any luck making

> peach fruit leather? Puree fruit, add 1/4th as much sugar, let dry in

> slow oven, yes?

 

Granado's recipe for peach leather (Carne de Duraznos) calls for

one pound of sugar to two and a half pounds of peaches (two

pounds of peaches if they're not fully ripe.)

 

Comment at recent baronial meeting when I placed "peach flesh"

on the refreshment table:  "Cool!  Period rollups!"

 

Brighid ni Chiarain *** mka Robin Carroll-Mann

Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom

 

 

Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 21:15:52 -0500

To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Dried meat in period?

 

Also sprach david friedman:

>>While I tend to agree with Brangwayna, have you

>>considered dried meat, like jerky?

>>Phlip

>To bring this back to questions of historical cookery ...  .

>What information do we have on the use of dried meat in period?

>Stockfish was certainly common. Anything closer?

 

The Magyars are thought to have used a form of dried meat, beef or

even horsemeat, and it is rumored (let's just say I don't have access

to a primary source) that the original gulyas was a sort of pocket

soup, more or less a meat stew cooked until the liquid was almost

completely dried, and the meat mostly dried, too. It was then

finished by drying under the sun and in the wind. Presumably it could

be reconstituted for eating, but I suspect it could be chewed on

without further moistening or cooking.

 

And I could swear there was an Islamic dried beef recipe referred to

on this list...

 

And then, of course, we have the old standbys of dryish hams being

eaten without further cooking, and sausages, including the

smoke-dried Polonian sausages (English kielbasa) mentioned by Hugh

Plat.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 20:57:22 -0800

To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

From: lilinah at earthlink.net

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Dried meat in period?

 

From: david friedman <ddfr at daviddfriedman.com>

>What information do we have on the use of dried meat in period?

>Stockfish was certainly common. Anything closer?

 

I haven't seen any European references, but, then, i haven't looked.

Anahita isn't European.

 

However, i've seen references to dried spiced meat in the Middle

Eastern corpus - not eaten as jerky though; it's carried around

dried, but it eat it, it's cooked in liquid. There's a recipe or two

for making it and another few recipes for using it lurking in

"Medieval Arab Cookery". I'll have to look and see what it's called

and which of the several translated books it's in...

 

Anahita

 

 

Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2002 11:19:53 -0600 (CST)

From: "Pixel, Goddess and Queen" <pixel at hundred-acre-wood.com>

To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Dried meat in period?

 

On Thu, 28 Feb 2002 XvLoverCrimvX at aol.com wrote:

> So with the talk of jerky (which is making me hungry for the dried meat) in

> the air, who has a good jerky recipe with instructions on how to make jerky.

> Mmm, if i'm not busy, I make some myself if I can find a recipe.

> Misha

 

Here's our recipe. Contains only ingredients that can in theory be

documented to England in the 13th century. We're obsessive that way.

 

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 tbsp salt

2 tsp honey

1 tsp garlic bits

1 tsp dried onion

1 tsp dried mustard

1/2 tsp or thereabouts black pepper

 

Marinate sliced meat overnight or longer, dehydrate. Yum. The other half

stores his in his fridge, but this has lasted all through Pennsic while

living in a linen bag. I prefer more pepper and mustard, myself.

 

Margaret

 

 

From: "AnnaMarie" <wolfsong at ida.net>

To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

Date: Sun, 19 May 2002 11:12:30 -0600

Subject: [Sca-cooks] Update on Lamb Jerky

 

Well, it's not beef, that's for sure.....  lamb jerky takes about 1/3 of

time longer than beef and even when it's dried to the consistency I dry my

beef it still tastes a bit greasy to me.  I trimmed as much fat as I could

and when it was finished drying I trimmed some more fat off (dogs were happy

with those leavings).  I marinated it in red wine vinegar, pepper and a bit

of sugar so the flavor is nice, it's just greasier than beef and definitely

tastes like lamb.

 

All in all, I think I'll stick to the beef jerky and save the lamb for stews

and kabobs.

 

Kristianne

Wolf Song Day Spa & Herb Shop

 

 

Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 07:55:08 +0200

From: UlfR <parlei at algonet.se>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Smoked fish and meat--questions

To: SCA-Cooks SCA-Cooks maillist <SCA-Cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Stefan li Rous <StefanliRous at austin.rr.com> [2003.09.21] wrote:

> As Phlip mentioned, you can make your own dried meats. These could be

> done a slices for jerky or done in small chips in which case they could

> then be rehydrated and used or tossed into a soup or stew. The smaller

> chunks would dry quicker and have less chance for spoilage. One of the

> commercial dehydrators would come in handy for this or an oven set on

 

One thing that I have done for backpacking trips is dried hamburger.

This is totally non-period (AFAIK), but works well for a purely food

standpoint. Rather simple procedure; fry hamburger until barely done

adding finelly chopped onions, garlic, spices as desired), and rinse

with boiling water (to remove excess fats which would tend to get

rancid). Spread in dryer and dry. Reconstitues in a few minutes when

boiled. Mostly useful for "meat sauce" type dishes.

 

But this is not period, so I would personally hesititate to use it in an

SCA context.

 

/UlfR

--

UlfR Ketilson                            ulfr at hunter-gatherer.org

 

 

Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2007 21:20:37 -0700

From: "Dan Brewer" <danqualman at gmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] preserving fruits without sugar

To: "'Cooks within the SCA'" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

For drying fruit you will want to wash the fruit to remove any residues.

Cut in two and remove the pit.  Dip in mixture of ascorbic acid ( vitamin c)

and place of the dryer shelf.  Your dryer can be home made or store bought.

If home made make the drying racks out of nylon mesh they will be easer to

keep clean.  The box holding the shelves needs to have an area to collect

solar radiation. And vents to carry away the excess moisture.

 

You will need to experiment a little to see how your dryer works. The

pattern of the fruit drying will vary with every load

Here are some references to look at.

http://www.pathtofreedom.com/pathproject/offthegrid/solarfooddryer.shtml

http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/~vista/html_pubs/DRYING/dryfood.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/environment/alternative-energy/energy-re

sources/homepower-magazine/archives/29/29p62.txt

http://www.manytracks.com/Homesteading/SolarFoodDryer.htm

http://www.ca.uky.edu/fcs/FACTSHTS/mgt-sbb-003.pdf

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/canning-pantry/drying-fruit-leathers.pdf

 

This link probably has the most useful information

 

http://www.canningpantry.com/dehydration-of-food.html

 

Dan in Auburn

 

 

Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:23:53 -0500

From: "Saint Phlip" <phlip at 99main.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Beef Jerky (not too OT)

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

silverr0se at aol.com writes:

<<Does anyone have a recipe for GOOD beef jerky that can be done in an oven rather than a BBQ or smoker? Yesterday's earthquake drill got me thinking about non-perishable food and I remember my late brother-in-law used to make this great beef jerky, which even those you hate the commerical stuff (like me) would

eat.>>

 

Really, it's a matter of what you like. You can pretty well spice it

with anything. You take your meat, and cut it thinly across the grain

(partial freezing is the easiest way to get thin slices) and drop the

pieces in a chilled brine solution, if you like it salty. You can also

throw in some of your favorite smoke seasonings or Worchestershire

sauce, if you like them.

 

When you're ready to dry the meat, take the pieces out one at a time,

and shake them in a baggy of your favorite spice blend. I like some of

the variants of Mrs Dash, and usually add some garlic powder and /or

pepper, depending on what I'm in the mood for.

 

Lay the pieces of meat out flat on a cookie sheet or three, and put in

the oven. A gas oven's pilot light will dry things sufficiently, if

you have a gas oven, but very low in an electric oven will work, too.

Just leave stuff there, until it's very dry, and place in sealed

plastic bags, and it'll keep pretty near forever.

--

Saint Phlip

 

 

Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:39:41 -0500

From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius1 at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Beef Jerky (not too OT)

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

On Nov 14, 2008, at 8:23 PM, Saint Phlip wrote:

<<< Lay the pieces of meat out flat on a cookie sheet or three, and put in

the oven. A gas oven's pilot light will dry things sufficiently, if

you have a gas oven, but very low in an electric oven will work, too.

Just leave stuiff there, until it's very dry, and place in sealed

plastic bags, and it'll keep pretty near forever. >>>

 

A slightly messier, but somewhat more effective trick I've been using,  

is to thread the ends of the strips onto bamboo skewers, and hang them  

straight down through the bars of the oven rack, with a pan underneath  

to catch drips.

 

It seems to cut down on the drying time somewhat, and I think you can  

pack more strips into a smaller space without crowding to the point  

where they don't dry properly.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:14:22 -0600

From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at att.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] need to draw on your experience

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

<<< What is a "Pension"?  In the US it is a retirement plan which most

companies are trying to wiggle out of.

 

Stefan >>>

 

Pension refers to a boardinghouse.  In many places in Europe, homeowners

plump up the household budget by renting rooms, often with breakfast

included.  It's a less expensive alternative to getting a room in a hotel.

 

In the U.S., we've gentrified the experience by creating the "Bed and

Breakfast" and raising the price tag.

 

Bear

 

 

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 09:35:54 -0700

From: Susan Fox <selene at earthlink.net>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] dehydrators and grain mill question - OOP

 

I use this one.  No moving parts except for the sun and wind!

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Pantry-Hanging-Dehydrator-Dryer/dp/B001T426TE

 

Selene

 

Kathleen A Roberts wrote:

<<< Does any one have any recommendations on dehydrators/food dryers?  I am in the market for an economical yet reliable one.

Cailte >>>

 

 

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 11:47:55 -0500 (CDT)

From: "Pixel, Goddess and Queen" <pixel at hundred-acre-wood.com>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] dehydrators and grain mill question - OOP

 

The non-powered variety of dehydrator only works well in a climate that

isn't humid. Not Minnesota, in other words. ;-) [Note: Selene lives in southern California - Stefan]

 

The Consort has a Nesco American Harvest of unremembered model that

you can add trays to beyond the original set that it came with, and it

works quite well.

 

/Margaret FitzWilliam

 

On Thu, 12 Aug 2010, Susan Fox wrote:

<<< I use this one.  No moving parts except for the sun and wind!

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Pantry-Hanging-Dehydrator-Dryer/dp/B001T426TE

 

Selene >>>

 

 

Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:42:13 -0700

From: Carina ZLawson-Williams <aurorasouthern at hotmail.com>

To: <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sca-cooks Smoked and Pickled: Sources and

      Recipes

 

Sun dried Jerky

 

       Cut fresh meat into long thin strips, one inch wide. Rub strips with garlic or salt if desired. Dry in sun as quickly as possible by hanging over a line. DO NOT LET THE STRIPS TOUCH. Store in a dry place in clean jars or sacks

 

Cold brined Jerky

 

       Cut muscle meat lengthwise of the grsain into strips an inch thick , about one and a half inches wide and as long as you can make them.Put strips in a wooden barrel or  non- metallic container and cover with a sweet pickle or corning solution for three days. Hang the meat over a cord line or string to drip for 24hrs and continue to hang it in a room or other dry place. Keep the strips from touching each other and protect from dirt and insect with a light cloth covering if necessary. The jerky will continue to dry as long as it is exposed to air- therefore it should be taken down and put swasy in an air tight container as soon as it is dried to your liking. A light smoke will add to the flavour and help preserve the meat

 

Hot brined jerky

 

Is made similar to cold brined except the meat is cut much smaller- like shoe string potatoes- the hot solution is made by adding salt to boiling water until no more salt can be dissolved. Dip strips into the hot brine until they turn white (about 5 min) - then string them up to dry and handle the same way as cold brined

 

You may wish to marinade the meats before using any of these methods

sources- Dene  and Inuvialuit elders

 

 

Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:10:41 -0700

From: David Friedman <ddfr at daviddfriedman.com>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Smoked and Pickled: Sources and Recipes?

 

Expensive but sounds good. A little googling finds a claim of

literary evidence back to the 15th c.

 

<<< perhaps something like the Italian Bresaola.  Recipes can be found

on line, basically beef (or horse) marinated in a brine with herbs &

wine then air dried.  I made some using a modern recipe and it seems

like it would keep a long time even without refrigeration.  Haven't

looked for period recipes though it is one of those things one would

suspect has a long history.

 

Simon Sinneghe

Briaroak, Summits, An Tir >>>

 

 

Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:20:58 -0400

From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Bresaola was Smoked and Pickled: Sources and

      Recipes?

 

There's a recipe in Scappi for how to cook them.

page 157 in the Scully translation.

45. To make bresaola of lean veal, fried or grilled

 

Page 556 recipe 46 To prepare braised veal Bresaola

 

Anyway Bresaola is mentioned 15 times in the text. You can use Google  

books to locate the mentions.

 

Johnnae

 

On Aug 30, 2010, at 7:10 PM, David Friedman wrote:

<<< Expensive but sounds good. A little googling finds a claim of  

literary evidence back to the 15th c. >>>

 

perhaps something like the Italian Bresaola. Recipes can be found  

on line, basically beef (or horse) marinated in a brine with herbs  

& wine then air dried.  I made some using a modern recipe and it  

seems like it would keep a long time even without refrigeration.  

Haven't looked for period recipes though it is one of those things  

one would suspect has a long history.

 

Simon Sinneghe

Briaroak, Summits, An Tir

 

 

Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:32:22 -0700

From: lilinah at earthlink.net

To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Smoked and Pickled: Sources and Recipes?

 

Adamantius wrote:

<<< It would seem highly plausible that the Turkish version of basturma,

which is dry-rubbed and air-dried, as I understand it, is probably

quite old, and also commercially available. Of course, modern

versions generally include paprika in the rub, but the basic concept

very likely stems from a much older, Old World friendly, concept...>>>

 

The only time that the Ottoman Sultan's palace purchased beef in the

15th and 16th centuries was for the making of basturma, once a year.

Unfortunately, i know of no recipe for it nor any description of how

it was made. Clearly in the 15th c. no paprika was involved, and i

suspect not in the 16th either.

--

Urtatim [that's err-tah-TEEM]

the persona formerly known as Anahita

 

<the end>



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