The ability to freeze dry meats is one of the biggest benefits of having a home freeze dryer. You can save money by buying in bulk, preserving leftovers, and reducing food waste. Plus, you don’t have to worry about your meat going bad in your freezer, especially if the power ever goes out. Freeze dried meats rehydrate perfectly back to their original flavor and consistency, so you can enjoy delicious, fresh meals even when you’re pressed for time.
Rehydrating meat is easy. Place the freeze dried meat (raw or cooked) in a bowl of warm or hot water. Don’t worry about over-hydrating it — your freeze dried meat will only reabsorb the liquid it needs, it will never become soggy.
Once it’s rehydrated, pat it dry with a paper towel. If it was cooked before freeze drying, you can eat it right away or use it in recipes. If it was freeze dried raw, just prepare it the way you would fresh meat. To add a little flavor, you can rehydrate raw or cooked meat in heated broth. Or, for example, if you’re rehydrating cooked ground beef, it can go right into your pot of tomato sauce, allowing it to absorb the tomato sauce at it warms. When rehydrating things like sloppy joe mix or BBQ chicken, simply add about 1/3 hot water to the freeze dried meat. You can also warm the meat in the microwave, a slow cooker, on the stovetop or in the oven. There are so many ways to rehydrate in whatever way works best for you.
Does raw FD meat last the same time and stored the same way as cooked FD meat?
I read that the enzymes are still there in raw FD meat so to me that suggests that it won’t last as long in the pantry, but I don’t know.
So is that true?
Do you need to do anything special to your freeze dryer after doing raw meat? I read that you shouldn’t freeze dry raw meat alongside anything that wouldn’t be cooked. That made me wonder if there were specific cleaning instructions for after raw meat.
The trays are stainless steel and should be washed after each use. I usually wash my trays in the dishwasher and clean my rack and drum, as needed. I use a solution of vinegar and water to wipe down the drum.
Not sure if I agree with your instructions on how to rehydrate meat, with warm water.Sounds very dangerous to me.Ted
When freeze drying RAW pork chops – Does the thickness or fat content have any effect on the process? I open a package of pork chops and they were somewhat soft and almost bendable vs. that normal texture other foods have.
All fat needs to be trimmed from the meat..!
Fat will NOT freeze dry and will become less than desirable.
Don’t risk it.
Hello. I’m trying to find out the amount of meat that 1 Tablespoon of freeze dried will render in hydrated meat.
Thank you.
Trying to figure out how much to add to recipes of whole meals