How to Make Pemmican

Step 1

Choose dried meat or fish. You can make pemmican with your choice of protein or a combination of proteins. Purchase salmon, deer, beef, or caribou that don't contain preservatives or added flavorings or dry your own. To dry your own, start with 3⁄4 pound (340 g) of fresh meat or fish since it will lose weight as it dries. Briefly cook it in a 350 °F (177 °C) oven and turn it off. Leave it to dry in the oven for about 1 day.For a hands-off way to dry meat or fish, put the prepared meat in a dehydrator and dry it for 8 to 12 hours.For pemmican that has the most nutritional value, choose grass-fed meat instead of grain-fed meat. Grass-fed cows ingest more nutrients that are passed on in the meat, such as omega-3s, vitamins B1 and B2, and vitamin E.

Step 2

Select dried berries. Most pemmican recipes rely on using equal amounts of dried fish or meat and dried berries. Dry your own or buy dried berries, such as Canadian Saskatoon berries, blueberries, or cranberries. To dry your own, start with about 3/4 cup (225 g) of fresh berries. Spread them on a baking sheet and cook them at 150 °F (66 °C) for up to 10 hours or put them in a dehydrator for 10 to 16 hours.The berries will add a tangy flavor to the pemmican. If you don't want the flavor, you can leave the berries out and double the amount of dried meat or fish.

Step 3

Grind the dried berries until they're powdery. Put 1/2 cup (75 g) of dried berries into a mortar and use the pestle to crush the berries. Since the berries have lots of very tiny seeds, you'll need to spend about 20 minutes to grind the berries into a fine powder. Transfer the powdered berries to a bowl.Tip: To save time, you can grind the dried berries and dried meat or fish together in a food processor.

Step 4

Weigh the dried ingredients to ensure they're equal. Once you've got your dried protein and dried berries, weigh them separately. You should plan on using the same weight of dried ingredients.Save excess meat, fish, or berries for another use.

Step 5

Grind the dried meat or fish until it's powdery. Put 1⁄4 pound (110 g) of your dried fish or red meat into the mortar. Pound and grind the fish or meat until it's powdery like the dried berries.It should only take 5 to 10 minutes to pound the meat since there aren't tiny seeds.

Step 6

Combine the dried berries and meat or fish. Spoon the powdered berries onto the powdered meat or fish in the mortar. Then use the pestle to grind and mix them together.If you used a food processor to grind the ingredients, you can skip this step.