Patrick's Wild Casserole Recipe

[Bushcraft]

I imagine any meat would work just fine, so long as it is cut or ground up into small enough pieces such that it would rehydrate easily. It's really not intended to be a hard-and-fast recipe anyway...go with what you like.

One possibly important point to keep in mind regarding the addition of "heat". I've noticed that a cloud-nine perfect amount of zesty heat while whipping up a batch translates into a near toxic concoction that it better used for a defensive (or offensive) application once it has been dehydrated or even reconstituted afield. I've no idea why...could be the heat I've been using.

Anyway, just a word of caution...go easy on the heat. I about killed Patrick with my first batch.

[evanhill]

In any case, I'm glad you guys have found something you like.

[CreationBear]

Bushcraft--thanks for the input and warning...tonight's chicken gumbo might not be for the faint-of-heart when I get it out of the dehydrator tomorrow, then.

[Sawtooth]

Creation Bear,

I don't see why ANY meat would not work in this. Go for it! My last two full batches were made with red meat, but I think chicken or pork would work fine. One thing about pork is that it contains more fat than chicken or venison, and that may mean that it may not keep as long. But, if you're like me, NONE of the stuff lasts long anyway! Put it in Ziploc freezer bags or vacuum seal, and put it in the freezer. It'll keep a long time, regardlesss of the type of meat.

Bushcraft,

I heat mine up with a combination of Ro-Tel (1 can per batch), 9 dashes (not 10 for heaven's sake!) of Tabasco, and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper. It'll make your nose run a tad, but it won't kill you. CCH made it back from our last jaunt in one piece!

[weekend warrior]

Ro-Tel seems to be an exclusively western product. For us folks back east can anyone recommend a suitable substitute? Is Ro-Tel just crushed tomatoes with some green chili peppers or is it seasoned too?

I've got a couple of small pork tenderloins that have been in the freezer way too long that will hit the pan tomorrow. I think this casserole for me is turning into more of a "clean out the pantry and freezer" casserole.

Thanks,

[CreationBear]

Sawtooth--

Thanks for the reply--just made my first batch last night and dehydrated it today...used some top round and a couple of bunches of fresh spinach, but as Patrick pointed out earlier, I think it's the acidic lemon juice and balsamic vinegar that are really necessary for that "bright" flavor. Be interested how the rehydrated stuff tastes this fall--at the very least, it's bound to be a definite step up from the PB&tortillas I relied on in my youth!

WW-- I'm in Tennessee, and don't have any problem finding Ro-tel or the many other brands tomato/green pepper...it's always around the canned tomatoes in my local Kroger.

[weekend warrior]

Doh,
Found the Ro-Tel at the local Wally-World but it was lumped in with the ethnic foods? Go figure.

The first batch just came out of the dehydrator this morning. It looks like granola on steroids and tastes like it too. Mine never got the "oatmeal" consistency when I was cooking it so I was a bit worried. Overall it turned out really well with the pork loin (really lean and I cut off any extra bits of fat).

Does anyone have a "formula" for portion size and the amount of water to rehydrate? I'm hoping to use this as a boil and eat meal so I don't expect to have the luxury of simmering. I'll most likely just dump the water into a freezer bag and wrap the whole thing up in a cozy while I finish other chores.

I can see that a bunch of this will be heading to the AT with me this fall. I'm sure my hiking buddy will be jealous.

Thanks,

[Sawtooth]

Does anyone have a "formula" for portion size and the amount of water to rehydrate?

Yes.

Single serving= 1 1/4 c. dehydrated casserole

Rehydrate with an equal amount of boiling water. This meal does fine in a quart freezer bag.

I usually supplement the casserole with crackers, pilot bread, tortillas, biscuits, FISH, etc. If it's your only food item for the meal, you might want to bump it up to 1 1/2 cups of dehydrated casserole.

You need to let it rehydrate for about 20 minutes to make sure the meat softens up enough. A lot of freezer bag meals only take 15 minutes, but not this one.

[CreationBear]

WW-- One thing that occurred to me is that we Southerners might have to adjust the dehydrating time substantially because of our high humidity. (These parts, 60% is considered "low" this time of year.) On the upside, at least our air holds a little O2 as well--I get hypoxic just looking at some of the pictures on the board...

[mark s]

As far as RoTel out east. Just saw it at Costco. Might have to try the recipe out now.