DIY Backpacking Meals

[5yearscouter]

yeah you always got the cup of noodles to fall back on. They were on sale for 27 cents at the grocery store, so it's pretty hard to justify buying the dehydrated meals at $5-10 each and they aren't all that much tastier.

 

I think it's the walmart or maybe kroger brand instant oatmeal that comes in a foil packet so you can just add hot water and eat.

add in some dried fruit and the oatmeal gets a hearty boost.

 

last backpacking trip my boys went together, so they took a miniature frying pan, froze up some eggs in a water bottle to make scrambled eggs and toast the first morning with some shelf stable bacon and everyone was envious.

 

instant mashed potatoes, jerky and gravy just add water mix makes a reasonable meal if ou get your proportions right.

freezing your meat and wrapping in foil and putting in a lightweight soft sided mini ice chest adds a lot of options but you need to know your environment and be able to keep the food at the right temperature.

mine also love the asian style peanut thai noodles that are just add boiling water, and stir in extra peanut butter for extra protein and calories.

presquished peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are also a good stand by, or put on a raisin bagel so they hold their shape better.

foil pouched tuna or salmon, with the mayo and relish packets from the target food court.

 

[boomerscout]

Back when water from the Boundary Waters was safe to drink without treatment, we carried an unsliced slab of bacon in a denim bag. Each evening we dipped the bag in the lake water, reinserted the bacon, hanged the bag; bacon was kept cool by the bag's evaporation. (That the bacon was cured probably helped.) It lasted about a week

 

The box fan dehydrator appeals. Did any of the paper filters soak through such that liquid got into the motor housing?

[Stosh]

Put the filters on the front of the fan so everything blows away from the motor.

 

For those who do not prefer the whole house to smell of beef jerky, put the whole thing outside. Make sure it's a dry day with low humidity and it will speed up the process. Otherwise, I do it inside where the A/C has a chance to reduce the humidity.

 

Stosh

[Eagle732]

"For those who do not prefer the whole house to smell of beef jerky, put the whole thing outside"

Baiting bears is illegal around here

[5yearscouter]

Alton brown has a whole cooking show on Good Eats about the box fan dehydrating system.

 

[JMHawkins]

I like to make dehydrated "bark" - sauces and what-not that dyhdrates to crumbly flakes. Cook spaghetti at home, put it in a blender with your favoirte sauce, puree, then deyhdrate that (using special sheets for the dehydrater, I image they'd work with Stosh's AB special too). Add some dehydrated ground beef, soak in cold water for 10-15 minutes, then heat. Spaghetti and Meatball Stew.

 

You can make bark out of veggie puree, sweet potato, corn, etc. Use Pizza Sauce for Pizza Stew.

[Tampa Turtle]

"For those who do not prefer the whole house to smell of beef jerky, put the whole thing outside"

 

 

Or attracting cats, dogs, and raccoons.

[boomerscout]

Back in the early 1950s Boys Life ran several articles on dehydrating foods.

For those of you who would like to start, I recommend

Dry It - You'll Like it by Gen MacManiman

Camper's Companion by Rick Greenspan & Hal Kahn (this book is also a useful beginner's adjunct to the handbook

 

Amazon bookbuyers seem to like:

Backpack Gourmet by Linda Yaffe

Trail Food by Alan Kesselheim

[Kudu]

 

The Scout's Backpacking Cookbook by Tim & Christine Conners:

 

http://preview.tinyurl.com/bmm76fj

 

Their Appalachian Trail Jerky is so addictive that the Guide to Safe Scouting should forbid it:

 

Appalachian Trail Jerky

 

Total weight: 12 ounces, Weight per serving: 1 ounce Total servings: 12

2 pounds flank steak (slightly frozen to make it easier to cut)

 

Marinade:

 

1 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons liquid smoke

cup low-salt soy sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

I teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

 

At home:

 

Trim fat from steak and slice with grain into x 1 1/2 inch strips. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add beef strips and stir, making sure sauce covers meat. Cover with plastic and marinate overnight. The next day, place meat strips flat on two large cookie sheets. Bake in a 150 oven for about 10 to 12 hours. Pack in a sealed container or bag. Store in freezer until time to leave.

 

[AZMike]

For backpacking, I like the Uncle Ben's rice pouch meals, available in the rice section of most grocery stores. They're pre-cooked, and you just need to add about a spoonful of water. I like to use the Spanish Rice packet, add a foil packet of chicken, a dash of chili-powder seasoning from my spice bomb and a packet of ground red chili-peppers saved from the pizza parlor. The Uncle Ben's Wild Rice packet goes well with a foil pouch of salmon and some dill seasoning. Heat 'em up in a pan. Good amount of carbs and protein with some fat.

 

I burnt out on dehydrated meals long ago, these taste better, don't need much water to reconstitute, and taste more like "real" food to my kids.

[Kudu]

5yearscouter writes:

 

"Alton brown has a whole cooking show on Good Eats about the box fan dehydrating system."

 

Box Fan Dehydrator:

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5912487412723519389#

 

Beef Jerky:

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/beef-jerky-recipe/index.html

 

Dried Fruit:

 

http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/season11/dried_fruit/witheringbites.htm

 

 

 

[Kudu]

 

Eagle732 writes:

 

"No need to buy those over-priced backpacking meals, Google "Freezer Bag Cooking"."

 

Thanks. I had the book, but never got around to visiting their Website.

 

I printed out a dozen recipes and called the titles off to the Patrols at a meeting.

 

The following three got amazingly positive Scout reviews at this morning's "Thorns & Roses" session:

 

"Bacon & Cheese Pasta"

 

Ingredients

 

3 oz pack ramen (any flavor)

1⁄4 c shelf stable bacon

1⁄4 c shelf stable parmesan cheese

1⁄2 t granulated dried garlic

1⁄4 t red pepper flakes

1⁄4 t ground black pepper

1 T olive oil (1 packet)

1 1⁄2 c water

 

See:

http://www.trailcooking.com/recipes/bacon-and-cheese-pasta

 

 

"BBQ Chicken Wraps"

 

Ingredients

 

7 oz pouch chicken breast

2 flour tortillas (soft taco size)

1⁄4 c bbq sauce

2 oz pepper-jack cheese

1⁄4 c french fried onions

 

See:

http://www.trailcooking.com/recipes/bbq-chicken-wraps

 

 

"BBQ Chicken Rice Wraps"

 

Ingredients

 

1⁄2 c instant rice

1 pk 4-ounce bbq flavor chicken breast

1 oz cream cheese

2 flour tortillas

1⁄2 c water

 

http://www.trailcooking.com/recipes/bbq-chicken-rice-wraps