FLAPJACK -- Making ULTIMATE adventure snacks / expedition rations - low(er) in sugar and freeze-safe

[@S2Underground]

Sounds like a great recipe, will definitely have to try it out. I bet I can find an American alternative to the syrup

[@jpsimon206]

I remember reading a documentary about the fur traders that would portage across Canada collecting pelts. It was absolutely standard to bring something called pemmican if memory serves, as rations. I'm going off of flawed memory, but I seem to remember it was constructed of suet, a granola of sorts, more butter for the fat content, and I can't remember the last ingredient but I think it had to do with preservation. They would carry this in boxes made of wood, it's extremely dense and packs quite a bit like concrete. It does not taste good, it doesn't taste like much but there is a distinctly unpleasant texture. I find it interesting how little the recipe has changed in the intervening 250 years despite all of our new understanding about nutrition not to mention all the technological improvements to stay warm. My understanding is that pemmican was the absolute standard for the simple reason that it was the highest calorie to weight ratio. The gold rush was similar, expensive and valuable tools were often left on the side of the trail because the owner valued them less than the weight inconvenience them.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Pemmican was mostly game meat, fat, and berries/fruit. Although there were tons of variations. Famously not very tasty.

[@USAMontanan]

When I was a young man a friend and I took a 3 month long cold weather canoe expedition. One of our go-to traveling foods was just simple dried oats mixed with some dry granulated sugar and eaten dried. Never underestimate oats!

[@gafrers]

Perfect for winter bikepacking adventures. Nowhere near Your type of cold of course

[@stefanshelenko4487]

This is an excellent cooking video. You are truly a multitalented dude Alex!🤙👊🖖🖖

[@britinmadrid]

A surprising video and one which was informative - thank you! Might well share this recipe.

[@namesake-mx9nl]

Never expected that , a cookery lesson from a renowned explorer , but very interesting too .

[@kuro3059]

Watching this while eating an ANZAC biscuit - very similar biscuit recipe although much thinner, still buttery and chewy. Dates back to WWI & WWII as they were easy to transport and kept fine on the journey to Europe from Aus & NZ. Will definitely give your recipe a try

[@frogmorely]

excellent recipe. I think I’ll go and eat some oatmeal now.

[@townsville69]

Students on Outward Bound (Australia) make a big batch of this to take on their long trips.

[@lalitmehra4652]

Thanks for the information,this this is great for emergency purpose

[@premaji4520]

Try bringing along Rusk as it's dry lightweight and can be used in soups as a perfect, side thickener, filler, etc

[@Oimbubi]

Can you exchange honey with golden syrup?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

You can, but the flavour is distinctly 'honey'. With the syrup, you get a more treacly flapjack taste.

[@premaji4520]

May make some small seperate batches with nuts and dry fruits for balanced nutrition in between. Try experimenting with honey, palm sugar, coconut sugar, jaggery, etc

[@Tokyo1991.JL1AJE]

Golden syrup… on sponge cake. Those were the days. And now we have the ‘golden ratio’ for flap jacks. Came in search of a decent battery balancer and stayed for desert. Has the HA02 served its purpose without issue?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

What a range of common interest. Yes, happy with the HA02

[@McTroyd]

Neat! I love the idea of homemade rations that actually taste good. Would tray-frozen fruit be sufficiently dry to add, or would that also need to be rendered down/further dryed? 👍

[@Dave_1966]

Very interesting thank you 😊👍

[@AndyUK-Corrival]

Excellent, as an avid flapjack maker and eater this was very interesting. Have you ever made pemmican or hoosh as used by Scott and Shackleton? I’ve seen a video and it looked very interesting. I want to head to higher latitudes in my yacht so I am soaking up all your videos and info. Thanks. Andy UK ps. Where are you doing up the lifeboat?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

The various pemmican recipes don't really excite me to be honest. I also don't have a need for it to survive thawed temperatures. Alan the lifeboat is in the south-east. A few eagle eyed viewers have worked out the location, but I don't publicise it as I don't want to hack off the yard manager with visitors or security concerns.

[@AndyUK-Corrival]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals Agreed, the old recipes don’t sound too appetising and things have moved on since then so why make life harder. Understood, I’m near Gatwick and my Rival 32 is in Chichester Harbour so I was just thinking if it was close to pop by but I understand this may annoy the boatyard. Best of luck with Alan and look forward to following the journey. Andy UK

[@-HighTide]

Do you pack and consume a daily multi-vitamin suppliment? In my part of the U.S.A. (northwest), flapjacks and pancakes are synonymous, although flapjacks often have extra ingredients - like apple and cinnamon, but not blueberries. You can have blueberry pancakes, but not bb- flapjacks. All are married with butter and maple syrup. Just fun trivia. Sorry about the loss of your friend Tala. That was a nice tribute.

[@c.a.mcdivitt9722]

Intresting!

[@tjesse]

Could clarified butter help remove water

[@premaji4520]

Also beef jerky for soups

[@jackfntwist]

You could experiment with egg yolks and ground almonds / nuts. Both used in traditional Spanish turron (possibly the original energy bars from Middle East nomads).

[@panzeroftheocean5783]

That loos soo good

[@davidsachs4883]

I wonder if honey would work for the syrup. It tends to be thicker then normal store syrup.

[@skyl4rk]

Expedition Muesli: 5lb rolled oats, 4lb sunflower seeds, 3lb chopped dates, 2lb chopped walnuts, 1lb coconut flakes.

[@M45t3rJ4ck]

Just wondering what your opinion will be about adding honey?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

It'll end up tasting of honey.

[@bibb1224]

Alex, what is the shelf life of the finished product if left unfrozen?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

A very good question. If you were to promptly vacuum seal a batch, I'd say more or less indestructible. I have flapjack I bought a decade ago (wrapped) that are still edible. If left out, I guess you'd have to treat it the same as butter in terms of shelf life.

[@Zero_Reaper13]

I would probably try with some PB2, and does pemican do well at sub zero temps?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Why would you want low fat powdered nuts? Pemmican as a savoury option freezes pretty well as long as the fat content is high. You want to be careful in some locations as foods high in meaty smells may attract predators.

[@robertsmme]

When exercising, I found I got sick of sweet things, how do you avoid that, you joked about Pringles but that craving for salt really kicks in after a while.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

These flapjacks are a lot less sickly than normal recipes. For some breaks in between hauling sessions I'll eat nuts too (roasted, salted etc) and for a treat - the good old Pringles. The empty tubes are useful for neatly stuffing empty wrappers into.

[@denislejeune9218]

Hi, I suspect you've worked out how many calories you burn on a typical day out? It would also be interesting to know your expedition macro-nutrient intake breakdown and why, in case you've studied it.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

I've not done a proper study. Some have done meta analyses but it's very hard to get good data from polar trips. My calorie dosage is generally based on the minimum level at which I still feel strong - c.6000kcals.

[@denislejeune9218]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals cheers.

[@Oimbubi]

No cook hat? How should we know, that you are a flapjack professional?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

That's the only reason I'm not a professional! True.....

[@-HighTide]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals Chef Ramsey sez.. "That is raw!".

[@Space_Reptile]

flapjacks are nice, but personally id pack a bunch of the cheap tesco digestive biscuits, maybe even the chocolate ones as a treat :P

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

I tend to find most biscuits turn to crumbs, with all the vibrations.

[@Space_Reptile]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals fair, didn't think of that, most of my trips don't last as long as an Arctic expedition so they usually survive it till they are all eaten

[@waddaplayer4030]

dried meat and butter sticks would be much easier and more effective imho.

[@whisperzzar3321]

I realise that the whole point of this is making them for sub zero consumption, but how do they hold up at room temp?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Lovely and gooey, without falling apart. They stay set properly at room temp. Though, most flapjacks will start to lose shape if left in the hot sun, for example.

[@whisperzzar3321]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals Luverly, thanks Alex. Ill have to give them a try. Its almost winter here in Oz, so hot temps ain't gunna be a problem :) Well, at least for the next 4 months hehe

[@JustinRiedyk]

@@whisperzzar3321 Very tempted to make these for some Oz winter/autumn hiking

[@whisperzzar3321]

@@JustinRiedyk Just back from the shop, grabbed some extra butter and a fresh golden syrup, will make some next couple days :)

[@Noor-wb9bp]

رائع جداً

[@Pillowcase]

Yessssss

[@timerickson7056]

Try adding cinnamon to some

[@julian281198]

How do you prevent getting ill due to vitamin deficiency? Your oats should save you from Polar anaemia (aka Beriberi), but your recipe seems to lack vitamin C. Is scurvy not an issue anymore or do you carry something else to cover all your vitamin needs?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

It's just day food. Plenty of other things to eat, and I tend to have a multivit too, just in case.

[@-HighTide]

Hey! Good for you Alex. Me too, just in case. 🍻

[@tonybrock5288]

A Keto diet is really the way to go. Once you're fat adapted you have endless stable energy all day long without the sugar highs and lows. High fat (butter yes) but moderate protein and very low carb...

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

It's important to caveat claims like this, as whilst some claim keto has been in existence since prior to arable agriculture, there are as-yet poorly understood risks - kidney and bone problems, potential insulin issues, and a need to supplement some nutrients.

[@tonybrock5288]

​@@AlexHibbertOriginals I've been on Keto for a good many years now. I'm in my 60's and I have never felt better. Apart from regular medical check ups, the last time I actually needed to see a doctor was probably 15 years ago.

[@tonybrock5288]

ps: bone problems are often a result of a lack of Vitamin K2 which one primarily gets from grass fed beef and which we don't get much of anymore, and Vitamin D3. D3 helps the body absorb Calcium and K2 helps distribute it out of your arteries and joints and organs and into your bones where it should be. K2 helps remove the plaque from your arteries and your teeth too! Osteoporosis is not a lack of calcium it's a lack of K2 and D3.

[@tonybrock5288]

And too much protein will overwhelm your kidneys and that is EXACTLY why true Keto says "moderate" protein. Apart from the fact that excess protein will metabolise into glucose which defeats the object. So yes, Keto is wholly misunderstood.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

If it appears to work well for you, that's excellent. But one data point, or even those of others equally sold on the diet, aren't the same as a basis for advocating it to the population as a whole. All sorts of diet habits or strategies can work for some, but cause problems for others. Time will tell. Similarly, carb-dominant diets are certainly far from wise, but there will be those who'll live to 100, whilst chain smoking, having only having ever eaten brown food.

[@JonMadsen70]

:)

[@jpsimon206]

I'm quite surprised you don't use molasses. In the veterinary world it is an absolute standard for putting on weight with sick animals. Quite a few developing countries also use molasses for people incarcerated with a heroin addiction. Apparently it is excellent for putting pounds on quickly. Have you considered its use? If so, what did you not like about it? It's not entirely on topic, but I normally hold your opinions in quite high regard. But this golden syrup nonsense? For one, taking any culinary advice from the UK is folly. For two, you are in an area with the most affordable genuine maple syrup on the planet. Aunt Jemima's not to mention that canned phlegm, cannot hold a candle to real maple syrup. That's why Canadians are so nice, they eat that every morning. Answer honestly now, when you look around at a crowd of strangers in Canada or the UK, which country appears friendlier?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

What a bizarre diatribe. Molasses is just another treacley syrup. You could make oatmeal snacks using it, or perhaps using maple syrup. But flapjacks aren't molasses oatmeal snacks, or maple syrup oatmeal snacks. They are made traditionally with golden syrup. It allows for the addition of other flavourings without dominating them. And why are you trying to drive a wedge between Brits and Canadians? I recommend a break from my channel Jean-Paul.