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How to Re-hydrate Dried Meat

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Beef Jerky
Re-hydrate dried meat to cook with it

Let’s say you have a lot of dried meat, jerky, properly stored and preserved for your family’s needs and it is now time to pull it out and use it. Are you going to hand your family a hard piece of dried meat and let them chew on it or are you going to use it in a prepared recipe? Chewy jerky is great, for a snack or an occasional meal but, softening the meat by putting liquid back into it and approximating its original texture is what you really want to do with dried meat.

For larger amounts of dried meat:

Closeup of Dried Meat
Dried meat keeps well, re-hydrated meat should be eaten or refrigerated

Place the dried meat in a metal pan or glass bowl.

Pour boiling water over the meat on about a 1:1 ratio. You don’t want to use more water than can be absorbed as you’ll lose nutrients into the soaking liquid. If you do have liquid left over that is not reabsorbed, add it to your meal somewhere else – don’t throw it away.

It takes up to about 4 hours to completely rehydrate dried meat. Your desired texture may be reached before that, so check the meat frequently. If you want complete re-hydration you should consider refrigerating the meat and water after the first 2 hours to keep any bacterial problems to a minimum.

For re-hydrating small portions of dried meat:

Small Piece of Dried Meat
A small piece of dried meat reconstitutes quicker than larger batches do

Treat the meat jerky much like you would dried mushrooms and soak it in water, wine or broth for about a half hour until the meat absorbs some of the liquid. This should take some of the chewiness out of the meat and make its texture more like it was before it was dehydrated.

For re-hydrating ground meat:

If you have time to re-hydrate with cool water then it needs to sit for about an hour or a hour and a half to properly absorb.

If you use hot water, then it should be finished within 10-15 minutes. Some indication that the hot water can cause the meat to take on a rubbery feel.

Liquids for re-hydration

Liquids to rehydrate meat in: Broth, water, fruit juice, beer, wine or milk – if it is liquid and safe to drink then it’ll probably work to re-hydrate your meat.

After dried meats are reconstituted with fluids you must remember that they must be eaten or refrigerated after a couple of hours. Re-hydrated meats are subject to bacterial contamination and cannot be kept at room temperature for long periods like the dry meat can.

Have you ever reconstituted dried meat to cook with? Do you have tips to share with us? The comment section below is for you!

Comments

  1. AvatarMike r says

    Thank you this was very helpful :)

    Reply
  2. AvatarAlpha says

    Thanks for all the helpful tips. I’m a backpacker/hiker and have used quite a few of the food preservation and non perishable tips you’ve posted on the trail. Very well done!

    Reply
  3. AvatarJeff says

    What is meant by a 1 to 1 ratio?

    Reply
    • AvatarCatherine Morck says

      Like 1 cup water, 1 cup something else. An example is humming bird food for a feeder should be a 1 to 3 ratio. 1 cup sugar to 3 cups water.

      Reply
  4. AvatarGreg says

    Hi Jeff,
    It simply means the same amount of liquid as Jerky. eg. 1 cup of Jerky to 1 cup of liquid.

    Reply
    • AvatarOlen says

      That’s not particularly clear, since a cup of jerky is going to have a lot of air space in it. One time you might have much more meat than the next time. Better bet would be to literally weigh out 1:1 with a diet scale, etc.

      Reply
      • AvatarEarnest says

        The ratio is good.
        “Cups” however is a terrible measurement for the reason you stated.
        Use grams

        Reply
  5. AvatarJason Poulin says

    I have been looking for a freeze dryer that is affordable ya wright $2500.00 now I’m looking into a dehydrator and hopefully more affordable for what I want to do. And this site made my mind up. Thank you.

    Reply
  6. Avatarbubba mustafa says

    re-hydrate at a 1:1 ratio.
    ok is that volume or weight? Volume is hard to measure with the dried item, tons of air gaps.

    Reply
  7. AvatarJustin Allen says

    I put sticks through the meat and hang it on old racks like fridge or oven grills. They just sit in the tiled bathroom with the windo open and fans going for 3 days or so till done. You can literally dehidrate as much as you need in yhis manner. Use your food safety concerns to your own detriment .

    Reply
    • AvatarKathy Hammonds says

      Why would we hang our food in the toilet room?! Please folks don’t do that.

      Reply
  8. AvatarJames Mussell says

    I smoked pork chops on the Traeger, then cooled them in the fridge. I sliced them into 1/8″ slices and dehydrated them at 65 degrees C for 8.5 hours. They break when bent.
    What would be the best way to re-hydrate this meat? I plan to add it to tomato powder and tomato chunks (both dehydrated) and serve with pasta shells.
    Jim

    Reply
  9. AvatarRyan V. Gagliardo says

    Could anyone provide a more detailed description of the texture of rehydrated meat? And was there a point made that boiled water could render meat more rubbery vs. letting it soak longer in a cooler liquid? Thanks!

    Reply
  10. AvatarKevin says

    Hi there – thank you for your info!
    Do you have any experience with partially de-hydrated meats, and storing in stone-pressed olive oil? I know it a specific question but I’m trying to preserve some of the bioactive compounds in the meat by not fully dehydrating (chewy on the inside). I am wondering if they can be rehydrated as well? I am going to try this soon! Best,

    Reply
  11. Avataralexandra gross says

    ‘i am going to try to rehydrate some paper thin slices of prosciutto. they taste fine, but are dry. wish me luck. i will try your method.

    Reply

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Lauren Gamble
Lauren Gamble

I’m Lauren. Just a new mom trying to share her love for essential oils. Follow me on my journey to learning how I use EO’s daily in my home.

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