wrote on Sep 5^th, 2005 at 8:22pm:

I have read in this thread that some of you dehydrate hamburger.  Any sugestions on what grade to buy?  85%, 90% lean?  Do you break the burger up into smaller peices before dehydrating?  Suggested technigues for packing if you do not have a vacume sealing machine? I'd be interested in giving this a try.

You want to use the leanest ground beef you can find or have it ground by the butcher using sirlion. Fry it as if you were going to make Sloppy Joes when cooked through remove from the pan and place in a wire colander. You will need to rinse the cooked beef under hot water to remove any of the remaining fat (the fat is what makes the rancid) dehydrate at 135~145 degress. During the cooking process you can add spices or better yet prepare you meal and then dehyrate the whole lot. I'll make up Chilli and  Sloppy Joes for a layover lunch add your water to reconstitute. Rule of thumb for every cup of dry add one cup of water more water can be added if needed.
The finished product can be packed in a zip lock bag.
flp