Where to buy pemmican?

[tc556guy]

I'm new to the area but I make and sell pemmican, I make it Crow style same way my grandma did I don't know anything about how other tribes do it or people but it doesn't taste bad but sweet my kids like it and it sells good back home I use deer meat from the bighorn mountain get ahold of me through here I would love to get a new batch out again!

I'd be interested in buying a sample of your product if you choose to sell to the membership here

 

[RealPemmican]

So what do you think your product will last for? Based on your edit I am guessing just a few months?

The current product that contains fruit, nuts and honey should last at least a couple months, maybe much longer. If and when we start producing a strictly traditional version with meat and tallow only then it should last a year, maybe years. It's hard to be sure without trying it. The only sure thing these days are industrially pre-cooked canned or freeze dried foods and maybe heavily refined junk food.

Also I might be off with my edit there. I was reading Not by Bread Alone - by Vilhjalmur Stefansson and he mentions a specific style of winter pemmican that was only meant to last until spring because it had a little water content whereas other types were reputed to last 10, 20 even 30 years. Those are from anecdotes of people who found lost or forgotten stashes and were surprised to find them still edible but I would guess that the quality and flavor had suffered. Again I wouldn't count on keeping it for years, the safest bet would be to eat it up and re-stock annually. You might buy a plain pemmican from us and find it still extremely edible after 5 years, but we certainly can't guarantee that, we haven't even been making it that long. Any sweet pemmican with berries or any that has some water content intentionally left in it is definitely not meant to last for very long, much less than a year.

 

[MedMarine64]

I made some in my Scout days as I recall there is an issue with the type of lard used as some fat hardens much more than others. Pork vs Beef, back fat vs belly fat, Tallow etc. I don't see any listing besides Grassland but as the product must be cooked to sell it won't be 'real' pemmican as in NA pemmican
Cree Nation how too:

very nice; we added powdered berries for Vitamin C and a nice tang with Choke Cherries.

 

[MedMarine64]

So what do you think your product will last for? Based on your edit I am guessing just a few months?

Without the Tallow, the meat cannot sustain you as you will starve on Lean meat only long term.
Pounded squash seeds and berries and such will aid the vitamins needed.

 

[MedMarine64]

Interesting


Sounds like it's too high in fat for my diet, anyone have the rough nutritional details on your recipes?

Deer, Elk, Bear fat is Not artery hardening like Beef fat raised on grains; look it up.
they are Browsers and a major portion of the diet is Not grains at all.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Deer, Elk, Bear fat is Not artery hardening like Beef fat raised on grains; look it up.
they are Browsers and a major portion of the diet is Not grains at all.

Pemmican being a survival food and all, I don't think dying of hardening of the arteries is high on the worry list for most folks.

 

[MedMarine64]

A Recipe For Making Pemmican

Here is a recipe you can use if you want to try making your own supply of pemmican.

1. Take two pounds of beef and cut it into small strips.
2. Prepare the beef by either;
a. Cooking it very well and letting it dry until it is hard, or
b. Putting the beef in the sun until it is very dry.
3. Crush the beef by either
a. Pounding it with a hammer until it turns into a powder, or
b. Putting it through a meat grinder.
4. Add about one half-cup of raisins for each pound of beef. (Other
....berries can also be used if you prefer - like chokecherries, ....raspberries or currants.)
5. Put the ground beef and berries into a pie plate and pour hot beef fat
or sheep fat on top until the beef and berries are covered. Be careful!
Hot fat can cause very bad burns.
6. Stir the hot fat, ground beef and berries together until the fat begins to
get hard.
7. Let the mixture cool and cut it into squares just like you would fudge. It
better to make a little more pemmican than you think you need.
Remember, pemmican does not spoil. The pemmican you make will
not spoil for two or three years if you take care to keep it as cool and
dry as possible.

Go on Ebay and buy a good Mortar and pestle set; mine is by Casa maria. For dry items it is excellent.

 

[jjackson1968]

what is the shelf life of your pemmican?

 

[OutlawHoss]

A Recipe For Making Pemmican

Here is a recipe you can use if you want to try making your own supply of pemmican.

1. Take two pounds of beef and cut it into small strips.
2. Prepare the beef by either;
a. Cooking it very well and letting it dry until it is hard, or
b. Putting the beef in the sun until it is very dry.
3. Crush the beef by either
a. Pounding it with a hammer until it turns into a powder, or
b. Putting it through a meat grinder.
4. Add about one half-cup of raisins for each pound of beef. (Other
....berries can also be used if you prefer - like chokecherries, ....raspberries or currants.)
5. Put the ground beef and berries into a pie plate and pour hot beef fat
or sheep fat on top until the beef and berries are covered. Be careful!
Hot fat can cause very bad burns.
6. Stir the hot fat, ground beef and berries together until the fat begins to
get hard.
7. Let the mixture cool and cut it into squares just like you would fudge. It
better to make a little more pemmican than you think you need.
Remember, pemmican does not spoil. The pemmican you make will
not spoil for two or three years if you take care to keep it as cool and
dry as possible.

From my time on the Colville Res, I learned it's important to remember that the fat should be well rendered, (which for beef and lamb is tallow, but rendered regardless of type of meat) and the meat super dry and pounded into a fiberous type state, so that it looks like fire tender that's been properly roughed up. Additionally, pemmican for my family meant originally/primarily bear fat and meat, then maybe elk or bison. Beef and lamb is definitely used, but not the most traditional. I wonder how much the type of fat and quality of the rendering effects the storage life. Does bear or elk have any unique compounds, enzymes or some such component that is advantageous to long term storage, more so than beef or lamb? Traditionally it was stored in a stomach pouch which I'm under the impression has a lot to do with it's preservation (possibly keeping moisture out/away from the pemmican).
For what it's worth.

 

[sweetshimas]

I'd be interested in buying a sample of your product if you choose to sell to the membership here

I am willing to make pemmican for anyone who would like it. I use local grass fed beef, and same for the fat. Organic berries and I add oranges to make sure you have lots of vitamin C.
[email protected] if you would like me to make it for you.

 

[sweetshimas]

Been looking for some long term shelf stable pemmican to order. Want it for my food stores and GHB.
Only place I've found is <broken link removed>
Although sounds good, freezing is not what I'm looking for.
Anyone have a source? I will experiment with making some, but want to have manufactured and packaged stuff on hand as I learn.

We can make pemmican for you, to your specific needs. It takes us 5 days to dry the berries and the meat cook the beef fat, and prepare it to dry. 509-276-1717 call us to tell us what kind you would like. Our beef is local and grass fed, our berries are also organically grown. We use sea salt (real with the minerals visible) and oranges because oranges have 200% vit C.

 

[sweetshimas]

We can make pemmican for you, to your specific needs. It takes us 5 days to dry the berries and the meat cook the beef fat, and prepare it to dry. 509-276-1717 call us to tell us what kind you would like. Our beef is local and grass fed, our berries are also organically grown. We use sea salt (real with the minerals visible) and oranges because oranges have 200% vit C. e-mail me or call, www.sweetshimas.com and Let us know how much you need. This is the original recipe that Lewis and clark used on their expedition. We remove the air from the package and use mylar bags, so this pemmican should last many years.
Cordia Bernal
509-276-1717

 

[Koda]

according to wikipedias recipe, the "traditional" method of preparation says it will last up to 10 years (maximum)...
Pemmican - Wikipedia

 

[Blowgunner]

Late to this thread. Always try to use rendered fat not store bought lard if you can. Lard works, but is sub par. Doesn't seem to hold as well, and doesn't last near as long. We typically make beef pemmican, but have made bear. Rendered beef and bear fat seem to work best.

 

[sweetshimas]

Our e-male is [email protected]