We have all probably used a form of meat powder at some point in our cooking. It adds protein, flavor, and convenience to many recipes. However, it also can be expensive, not the exact flavor we want, and filled with junk we don’t need or should consume.
When I grab a container of store bought flavoring, I have been guilty of not really checking the fine print in the ingredients. If I like the flavor, I use it. But, I often feel sluggish and a bit puffy after eating a meal with these additions. I don’t like that feeling, and can only imagine what these additives really could do to me, if I continue to use them long-term and often.
But, I like flavor and convenience. Not to mention, a product that will last a long time, as long as it’s properly stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. So, maybe I should make my own.
Have YOU ever considered making your own, from scratch? It’s relatively easy and not too costly to make at all. However, that will depend on your chosen ingredients for each batch. Once you have a batch made, you have the desired convenience right back at your fingertips. As to flavor? You are in control of that by choosing your own ingredients.
For this article and demonstration, I am going to make a pork meat powder. You can take these ingredients and make the same one, or adjust them to create your own flavoring to your liking.
Related: How To Make Natural Carpet Deodorizing Powder At Home
The Ingredients
Other than a food processor and oven, you will need ingredients to make a meat powder.
Here are the essentials:
- 14 oz. Lean Pork (I used shaved pork)
- 1 Medium Stalk Celery
- .5 Cup Fresh Corn
- 3 Tablespoons Apple Juice (or Apple Cider)
- 1 Tablespoon Parsley Flakes
- ¼ Cup Onion
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Tablespoon Oil (I used vegetable oil)
Use the ingredients that you prefer. If you don’t like onion, leave it out. Or, if you like other seasoning, add it. But, this is a good basic recipe to get a good base to start.
Note: I used shaved pork, because it was the right amount that I needed, at a great price. I also used apple cider in place of apple juice, because I like the potency of cider over a juice.
The Process
The process isn’t necessarily quick. But, it is easy.
Place all of the ingredients (except the oil) into a food processor, until they are all finely minced.
Preheat the oven to 200°F (See my DISCLAIMER below)
Heat the oil in a skillet, and cook the minced mix for approximately 20-25 minutes.
Tip: At this point, I thought I had done something wrong. The mixture wasn’t in the nice minced state that I was expecting. It was more like a paste. And when I started this step of cooking it in a frying pan, there was so much liquid that I thought it was just going to be a boiled blob.
But, after about 15 minutes, the liquid was almost gone, and the mixture started to look like I thought it should. So, don’t be concerned like I was! This step is to remove excessive moisture so it doesn’t have to be in the oven all day.
Spread the minced mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake it for about 2-6 hours, or until it’s completely dried. Stir the mix about every 30 minutes to keep it spread out and cooking evenly. Keep an eye on it, because the time could be widely different, depending on the ingredients used.
Once it is completely dried and cooled, place the dried mix into the food processor (make sure it has been cleaned thoroughly from the initial use above).
Pulse it until it becomes a fine powder.
Store in an airtight container, and place in the refrigerator between uses. If cooked and stored properly, it should last for a few years.
To use your new meat powder will depend on your preference for how much flavor and protein you want to add. If it’s just for flavoring, add slowly as you cook and taste as you go like you normally would with seasoning.
If it’s to add more protein to your diet, you will want to make larger batches, and use accordingly.
Disclaimer: The recipe that I based mine from said to have the oven on 160°C. Converting Celsius over to Fahrenheit, that’s 320°F. I’m not sure if the site I used for converting was wrong, or the recipe was, but I ended with a much darker product in a much quicker time frame. That is why I put 200°F in the recipe above. Even then, watch it closely.
How To Use And Store For SHTF
When using meat powder in survival mode, adding it to rice and other staples will give you a boost of protein without having to look for or cook any meat at that moment. For example, you can sprinkle about 1-2 tablespoons (per serving) over rice to turn a high carb only meal into a more balanced one. You can also add it to broth, veggies, or any other meal you prepare.
For long-term storage, let’s say over 5 years, I recommend sealing single-serving size batches in a vacuum sealed manner. You can then store the single serving packages in a larger airtight container in your refrigerator. That should give you a few years of storage.
Then, if SHTF, take a single serving out as needed, leaving the seal of the other packs intact. Ideally, you should store it in the refrigerator. But, in survival mode, you might not have that luxury. So, look for a dark and cool location to store it safely for as long as possible.
You may also like:
How to Make Cheese from Powdered Milk
What Happens When You Add Cinnamon To Honey? (Video)
7 Survival Foods Made by Soldiers During WWI
How To Deal With Neighbors And Friends That Come Begging For Food At Your Door In A Crisis
Can it last longer, by what you use in your choice of ingredients. Do some ingredients short in the life of the product. Also if I put it in a Mylar bag it should last longer or will it just spoil or just grow some weird fuzz.
Just wondering. Sound great. But it’s the refrigerator I don’t like about it. Hay use all we can while we can. I guess.
Thanks…
My experience with this is if you get it completely dry and store it in a vacuum sealed container then the growth of fuzz and spoilage is unlikely. Moisture promotes early spoilage so keep it dry, use a silica gel packet in the container to absorb any residual moisture.
Hello from Luxembourg. I would like to acquire 1 book of The Lost food”, but just found out that I can not order for outside the U.S. Please advise how to proceed. Thanks and regards!
Hi Roland,
Thank you so much for your interest in our work.
I have just sent you an email with all the details in regards to the order.
Should you have further questions, please let me know.
God bless,
Claude
Try purchasing it on Amazon. Do a search for Lost Remedies. It’s available for $37.00. However, there’s a huge price tag on Lost Ways. Keep scrolling to check out prices and other books available on the same topic.
Very interesting article, but quite frankly I’m having a hard time imagining what grocery store items I may have bought with this stuff in it. Maybe bullion cubes; packages of dry soup or gravy mix? Also, I’m not too sure why I would want this if it needs to be refrigerated, except maybe to save space.
Would you get a longer lasting product by using meat and veggies that are already freeze dried or dehydrated?
Also, other than adding to an existing soup base or rice, are there any other specific uses for this product?
I’m thinking, if you add other types of dried veggies, spices and herbs and some salt, you can use this as a healthier, homemade cup o soup.
Btw your metric conversion was accurate. Just wondering whether a dehydrator would accomplish same result even if it took many more hours.
KJ: thanks for sharing this. One thing nice about having a tienda (Mexican store) close is we can get this ready made (from Texas), and dried meat there.
With a solar food dryer things usually dry in a day or so, but meat has to be cooked to be a meal ready to eat. The last thing someone wants is trichinosis or a tapeworm when SHTF. One thing this is good for is pemmican! niio
I couldn’t find shaved pork so I used ground beef instead, I browned and drained it before I put everything in the food processer. Had to bake it a little longer but at the end I had a good meat powder. Then I divided it into 2 tbsp servings, vacuumed packed them and made rice/bean soup packs. 1 cup rice, 1/2 cup beans, 2 tbsp meat powder. You need to vacuum pack all the ingredients separately. Cook the beans first because they take longer, then add the rice and powdered meat.
How about you take the money you spent on the ingredients, the electricity to make it, and the time you put into it and just go to the store and buy some spices already made and sealed and put it in your end of world supplies. Next couple weeks repeat process and in about three months time you have more spices than you think you can possibly use.
It’s better this way. Not filled with FDA crap that is killing us.
You think we really have three months.
Red ant, yes I think we have three months. I have been prepping since 2011 thinking the collapse is just around the corner. Has not happened yet so I live within my means and keep trucking along.
Stu – Time is money too!
Stu: When you buy spices, you’re paying for a lot more than spices. bulk spices can often be bought for a few dollars a pound. Buy the mix in a store and it’s a few dollars an ounce. More, the mixes are usually made with what’s onhand at the company. The spices could be far out of date or a very cheap type that’s a low grade. But your own and mix. niio
This looks like something that is a real good candidate for a home freeze dryer. You can preserve the nutrition value of the food for as long as 25 years, if properly stored (air tight and with moisture absorber). My wife and I have preserved many pounds of food for the troubled times that are almost upon us. I’m glad our neighbor lets us use her dryer for a nominal charge.
I was wondering if i could can this meat powder in my pressure canner? Then kept in a cool dark place. Thank you for this article. I would have necer thought of this.
A S.H.T.F. scenario where you have need of refrigeration is not a good idea. Most likely in that type of situation, there will be no electrical grid. Need something better that this to fall back on.
O’ you mean there won’t be refrigeration. 🙁 Wow, I would not expected that in a S.H.T.F. scenario. Come on man , don’t need the grid. Got my own grid… You dont
I was wondering if i could can this meat powder in my pressure canner? Then kept in a cool dark place. Thank you for this article. I would have necer thought of this.
That’s actually a really good idea. Dry the product first as instructed in this recipie and then sterilize it for canning/storage. I like!
It is easier canning the actual “meat”. Lasts for years and years. Without refrigeration. Just common sense storage.
Not always necessary to re invent the wheel.
If you pressure can your meat. And dehydrate your veggies. You have all you need for a meal. You can still grill the meat, or fry it, make a stew or soup, or just rehydrate the veggies to eat with your non powedered Meat.
Livin in the woods – Good advice! Straight forward and simple rule of thumb to live by for sure. Common sense always rules the day!
You can also cook your meat, grind it then dehydrate it. You will need to make sure it is LEAN MEAT with no fat and rinse the meat well to remove any possible fat to keep it from going rancid. Using jar lid attachments (or a manual brake bleeder in a grid down situation) you can vacuum seal in canning jars with oxygen & moisture absorbers. You can also vacuum seal in mylar bags with moisture/oxygen absorbers but I prefer to store in jars as sometimes sharp edges from the ground dehydrated meats will puncture the bags & it will lose their seal. Will last for YEARS and is safe to eat because it is cooked & dried & properly stored and does not need refrigeration.
I make meal pouches with the dried meat, dehydrated veggies, and a small pouch of seasonings/spices that can just be put in some water to rehydrate then HEAT & EAT! You could make a separate pouch for the meat if you want to keep it separate from the dehydrated veggies but include it in the one larger pouch with all the other ingredients for convenience. I also make breakfast pouches the same way. You can buy freeze-dried whole eggs (or powdered eggs), hash browns (Auguson Farms or Ore-Ida), butter (Hoosier Hills), & I add my dehydrated cooked ground chuck for meat (since sausage has too much fat that will make it go rancid) or dehydrated cooked LEAN ham, salt/pepper packs & you’ve got breakfast. You could also substitute Auguson Farms freeze-dried Sausage Gravy mix for the meats I listed to make a BOWL meal. Auguson Farms & Hoosier Hills also has freeze-dried cheese powder you could add to the 1st breakfast I listed for a variety. Instant or quick-cooking oatmeal (measured), Hoosier Hills freeze-dried butter, cream, sugar makes a hearty breakfast pouch when it is cold!
You can also find the recipe online to make PEMMICAN (dehydrated ground beef/venison, dehydrated fruit (blueberries, apricots, raisins, etc.), or honey for a sweetener, salt, rendered beef lard) that is formed into bars & vacuum-sealed in bags that last for YEARS. This has EVERYTHING you need to survive & thrive as the Indians & settlers did years ago.
I like to make meal pouches as everything you need for a meal is in ONE POUCH and you don’t have to go thru your preps to find ingredients or seasonings/spices. You can store your pouches in 5-gallon food-grade buckets, one for breakfast meals & one for lunch/dinner/supper.