Single serving freeze dried beef and chicken

[lukabrazi]

Backpackers Pantry sells 1 ounce packets of freeze dried beef ($6.70) and chicken ($5.90).


I could buy a 17 ounce can of Mountain House freeze dried chicken for $29.59 which is $1.72 per ounce. I think there are some cheaper options as well. However I want the small packet size and I want to be able to send them out in a mail drop and have them be good for a few weeks. Two questions...


1. How do you think repackaging and vacuum sealing would affect the shelf stability?

2. Do you know of any sources for small freeze dried meat packets that are more economical?

[Wise Old Owl]

lukabrazi interesting subject to choose. And to best answer you question once you open the packet you would have to break up the portions to 4.6 ounces to make 14 ounces and add a oxygen absorbent material to each vac seal bag. The bag would need to fit in a foil or reflectix cozy or wrapped in a fleece to trap heat while re-absorbing the liquid... Most that hike the AT trail would not take the time to do all this, perhaps its too much effort. You might want to do this to have a special dinner once in a while.

The machines that make freeze dried possible are anywhere from $2,500 to $100,000 so no, - Commercial FD has to be a FDA approved source. - Not that it could happen but there are many pathogens that could backfire on you when on the trail.

Hope that helps you... Woo

[zelph]

I would think putting the Mountain House in double ziploc freezer bags would have a little better shelf life than all the home dried product we hear about here on the forum that is used for freezer bag meals. Once the can of Mountain House is opened repackage quickly to prevent airborne contamination.
I love Mountain House Chicken and Rice :-)

[HooKooDooKu]

For a JMT thru hike, I portioned and repackaged a can of mountain house freeze dried chicken. The portions were vacuum sealed with an oxygen absorber, and shipped across the country (either in my backpack or in resupply buckets). It was two about two months between the time I repacked the chicken and finally used it out on the trail. It did great. Based on my experience, I think the chicken would do great for 3 to 6 months repackaged this way.

[rocketsocks]

Repackaging is no pro-blemo, keep it dry and air tight and outta light, it will last several weeks.

[rocketsocks]

Repackaging is no pro-blemo, keep it dry and air tight and outta light, it will last several weeks.

...and then some!

[peakbagger]

I repackaged FD meat in the past with a vacuum sealer. I just get some fresh oxygen absorbers and put one in every package. I have no concerns of working off one Ziplock for a week or so.

[lukabrazi]

Good to know HooKooDooKu!

Any tips for repackaging Rocketsocks? I dehydrated beef and chicken once and when dry the meat was sort of sharp and I had some of my vacuum sealed bags get punctured.


I was just looking at Dutchwaregear. He sells chicken, beef, and bacon for $7.50 in 2 ounce packages. He also sells cheddar cheese in a 1 ounce package for $2.50. There are lots and lots of other things but those are the main ones I'm interested in. I emailed him and he told me that 2 ounces equates to around a cup when rehydrated. The cost is more than buying in bulk and repackaging but only a little more than half the cost of the Backpackers Pantry pouches. Plus this way I can get a variety because I don't have to buy in bulk. I'm only looking to put together 2-3 mail drops worth of food. I still think I will repackage and half them.

[lukabrazi]

I repackaged FD meat in the past with a vacuum sealer. I just get some fresh oxygen absorbers and put one in every package. I have no concerns of working off one Ziplock for a week or so.

Even in the summer heat? Maybe this is what I will do instead of repackaging.

[rocketsocks]

Good to know HooKooDooKu!

Any tips for repackaging Rocketsocks? I dehydrated beef and chicken once and when dry the meat was sort of sharp and I had some of my vacuum sealed bags get punctured.


I was just looking at Dutchwaregear. He sells chicken, beef, and bacon for $7.50 in 2 ounce packages. He also sells cheddar cheese in a 1 ounce package for $2.50. There are lots and lots of other things but those are the main ones I'm interested in. I emailed him and he told me that 2 ounces equates to around a cup when rehydrated. The cost is more than buying in bulk and repackaging but only a little more than half the cost of the Backpackers Pantry pouches. Plus this way I can get a variety because I don't have to buy in bulk. I'm only looking to put together 2-3 mail drops worth of food. I still think I will repackage and half them.

I make a parchment paper envelope that then goes inside the freezer bag for hard things like macaronis that were poking holes in the freezer bags when I put the screws to it...kinda wasteful and expensive but it worked.

[Jayne]

I use #10 cans and repackage food into mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. I like making my own packaged single serving meals and using the canned, freeze dried proteins makes things easy and safe. I buy quart sized mylar bags and #2 oxygen absorbers on Amazon. You can find lots of videos on Youtube for the process (really very easy, you just need a $20 hair straightener to do the seals and that's it equipment wise. Never had any issues with bags being pierced. Shelf stability is very good (3-5 years) but not as good as the cans of course.

[rocketsocks]

I use #10 cans and repackage food into mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. I like making my own packaged single serving meals and using the canned, freeze dried proteins makes things easy and safe. I buy quart sized mylar bags and #2 oxygen absorbers on Amazon. You can find lots of videos on Youtube for the process (really very easy, you just need a $20 hair straightener to do the seals and that's it equipment wise. Never had any issues with bags being pierced. Shelf stability is very good (3-5 years) but not as good as the cans of course.

cool, what do Mylar bags cost? Do you pull a vacuum on em when repackaging them?

[zelph]

The mylar bags are nice but are stiff and would be hard to store for easy packing out to facilitate leave no trace.

Double bag in ziploc for armor piercing macaronies :-)

[QiWiz]

For a JMT thru hike, I portioned and repackaged a can of mountain house freeze dried chicken. The portions were vacuum sealed with an oxygen absorber, and shipped across the country (either in my backpack or in resupply buckets). It was two about two months between the time I repacked the chicken and finally used it out on the trail. It did great. Based on my experience, I think the chicken would do great for 3 to 6 months repackaged this way.

+1 agreee, have had same excellent experience with repackaged freeze dried meats, vacuum sealed with oxygen absorber.

[HooKooDooKu]

And the Oxygen absorbers make a difference when repackaging some of these kinds of foods.

I repackaged some Armour Sliced Beef that you buy in a vacuum packed jar. I did a test a few months ahead of time where I chilled the jars in the refrigerator, then opened the vacuum packed jars and repackaged them in a vacuum packed bag as quick as possible. In one I included an oxygen absorber, the other I didn't. The one without the oxygen absorber changed color within a week. The one with an oxygen absorber was relatively unchanged after three weeks.

[BuckeyeBill]

You people have me wanting to try freeze drying. I have also looked on Dutch's site and definitely think the Freeze Dried food looks more appetizing than the dehydrated food. I have dehydrated meat for jerky, and made fruit strips as well. I would just buy what I needed because I don't hike as much as I use to, therefore the initial start up cost would never be recouped.

[Jayne]

cool, what do Mylar bags cost? Do you pull a vacuum on em when repackaging them?

Mylar bags are about $.25 each and add another $.25 for the oxygen absorber (around $.50 for each pouch I make.) You just put the food in the bag with an oxygen absorber, squeeze the air out and melt the end shut with the hair iron. After a day or so the oxygen absorber has absorbed the free air in the bag and sucks the mylar tight around the food. It's not a 1000% vacuum but it's enough to preserve freeze dried food for a long time.

It's a bit cheaper to buy #10 cans of Mountain House and repackage them if you will use the entire can but I mainly do it because I like to customize my meals. I like to add more protein to a lot of meals or just make my own combos and add freeze dried meats (e.g. I'll do 1 cup of MH chili mac and add 1/4 cup more sausage to it and then seal it up.) My current favorite is what I call "turkey dinner" with 1/3 cup Idahoan instant mashed potatoes, 1/3 cup stove top stuffing, and 1/3 cup FD white turkey with 1 tsp instant gravy mix. I make a bunch of them and grab one out of my food box whenever I need to. On the trail I rehydrate in 1 qt zip lock bags and I have a pouch to keep it warm. I do carry a small amount of extra packaging (the zip lock bags) this way but I never have to wash out a sticky pot and I can also make myself a hot drink while dinner is rehydrating!

[lukabrazi]

Mylar bags are about $.25 each and add another $.25 for the oxygen absorber (around $.50 for each pouch I make.) You just put the food in the bag with an oxygen absorber, squeeze the air out and melt the end shut with the hair iron. After a day or so the oxygen absorber has absorbed the free air in the bag and sucks the mylar tight around the food. It's not a 1000% vacuum but it's enough to preserve freeze dried food for a long time.

It's a bit cheaper to buy #10 cans of Mountain House and repackage them if you will use the entire can but I mainly do it because I like to customize my meals. I like to add more protein to a lot of meals or just make my own combos and add freeze dried meats (e.g. I'll do 1 cup of MH chili mac and add 1/4 cup more sausage to it and then seal it up.) My current favorite is what I call "turkey dinner" with 1/3 cup Idahoan instant mashed potatoes, 1/3 cup stove top stuffing, and 1/3 cup FD white turkey with 1 tsp instant gravy mix. I make a bunch of them and grab one out of my food box whenever I need to. On the trail I rehydrate in 1 qt zip lock bags and I have a pouch to keep it warm. I do carry a small amount of extra packaging (the zip lock bags) this way but I never have to wash out a sticky pot and I can also make myself a hot drink while dinner is rehydrating!

Can you pour boiling water into a mylar bag like freezer bag cooking?

[Jayne]

No, you cannot use boiling water in Mylar bags. Plus, if you're doing it right they're not big enough to hold the extra water volume anyway. (You should be minimizing the volume in the bag when you seal them up.) I just carry enough quart sized zip locks to rehydrate, or you can just rehydrate in your cup/pot of course.

[lukabrazi]

I ended up ordering from Dutch. He was the cheapest I could find that wasn't sold in bulk. He had lots of other stuff. He also sold shrimp and sausage which doesn't seem very common. He said that 2 ounces equals about a cup when rehydrated. I hope it rehydrates into meat and not pasty meat sludge. Here's what I went with...

4 ounces of chicken
4 ounces of ground beef
4 ounces of diced beef
2 ounces of bacon
2 ounces of cheddar cheese