Hmmm...how would you 'mericans know Back Bacon...

I guess it's sometimes called Canadian Bacon down there. Peameal bacon is basically back bacon but around here it doesn't always have the peameal crust. I think Irish Bacon is technically the same thing too...or very similar at least. Some info here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon

But I'm not sure where they get their figures from. The back bacon I buy has less than 3 grams of fat per serving raw.

Anyhow...I have a convection oven with a dehydration setting (full fan, 140 degrees F). Dries just about anything to leather in 4 to 8 hours depending on how thick it is.

I just put the marinated meat (or whatever) on wire drying racks in cookie tins and load the oven up. Check on it every 2-3 hours.

I make the marinade myself by eye...there's so many jerky recipes out there I do my own thing and it always turns out. It's hard to go wrong with that much Worchestershire sauce

The real trick is not leaving it in too long. If it's over dry it's VERY well preserved but almost unchewable...turns to dust when you grind on it. If you're drying food only to use as an additive (and jerky can be used to flavor dishes with amazing results), this is an option. Dried veggies for soups say. You need to be careful with some foods because even at 140 degrees you'll cook some stuff before it dries.

I once asked a Swedish guy what they called "Swedish Meatballs" in Sweden. He said... "Meatballs."

I have 2 dehydrators. One of those round ones with a heating element and no control. And one that looks like a microwave that allows me to set the moisture level and heat range (up to 140 deg F)

I also have a Fiberware (sp?) Convection oven, but I only use it for cooking.

I bought both the dehydrators at garage sales (at different times) the round one was $5.00, the microwave looking one I bought 2 of them for $30.00 and sold one to my brother for $20.00. I was going to go $15.00 but he offered me $20.00, so I took it. Me Bad…..

Spam.
You can get spam in a pouch these days. It's not the most economical but it's a lot easier to carry and prepare than canned spam.

lunch = tuna in a pouch - lightweight, light trash - mixed with either hot dog relish or mayo from a tube packet - like from your favorite mini-mart.

pringles or other chips in a mini-pringles can. body needs salt.

apples, bananas - if kept on the top of the pack.

I love tuna in a pouch for backpacking.
I love smoked oysters packed in oil...all that protien and fat makes good energy in a really small package...the cans pack out easier too.

One more note about jerky. If you want to make REAL jerky without the heat (heat is bad) put your marinated meat on furnace filters (the paper kind, not the fiberglass kind!), sandwich them all together and strap them to a box fan. Let it run for 24 hours and you'll have perfect jerky.

correction - hot dog relish w/o the mustard! a.k.a. sweet pickle relish.

tuna w/mustard? what was i thinking?

A true minimalist would simply take a tub of Margarine or Butter. Fat has 9.4Kcal per Gram while Protein and Carbohydrates have 4KCal per Gram. Now I know that the real problem would be sitting beside your nice fire with a spoon and a tub of Butter each night! Although after three days you would stop carrying and just dig in.

A little along the idea of "Moose Goo" my daughter and I made a snack food last month that would make a decent outdoor trail food.

Last Christmas my 10 year old daughter's teacher gave each student a bag of what she called "Puppy Chow" the kids really liked it and my daughter asked for the recipe, it is:

Puppy Chow

1 - In the microwave, melt: 1/2 a cup of butter, 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup chocolate chips

2 - Add a small box of Crispix cereal to the mixture and mix well

3 - In a bag or bowl with a tight lid add 2 cups of icing sugar and shake like crazy.

This stuff tastes good even though it looks like dog kibble (the icing sugar kind of dries out the wetter ingredents).

When my daughter and I made this over March Break we decided to double the amount, while cleaning out the cupboards of other open products, without straying too far from the recipe. To the original ingredients we added honey, nuts, multi-grain cheerios, maple/nut cereal and raisins, but did not put in the Crispix cereal (we did not have any).

We pressed the mixture firmly into a glass baking dish and let it set for a while. The end result was quite good, I said it needed more raisins, my daughter said it needed more chocolate!

We cut the product into bars and it was a little messy. It was very filling (and very fattening I would guess), I ate it a couple of mornings while rushing off to work and it got me through to lunch time, no problem.

I think this would be fun/easy camp food to make with your kids that they will actually eat while in the bush; ever try to convince a teenage girl to eat an MRE?

Mike

Interesting tip, we will have to give it a try...