Pemmican Survival Bars (Meat Bars Recipe)

Looking for a survival bar or just need a high-energy snack that lasts? Try pemmican meat bars, the ultimate carnival snack. It's a must-have for outdoor enthusiasts. Pemmican is a Native American creation. It's a mix of lean meat (You can use bison, venison, beef...) and rendered fat (like tallow). It's easy to make and stores for a very long time, making it great for traveling, hiking, or and any-time snack. It's perfect for low carbers, those following the carnivore diet or ketovore diet.
Find the full pemmican recipe here: thethingwellma...
How to make tallow: thethingswellm...
How to make meat chips: thethingswellm...

[@dwaynewladyka577]

Salt actually will prevent the pemmican from having a longer storage life, because it attracts moisture. That's what I've heard. Also, adding dried berries, seeds, or nuts to the pemmican, will decrease its storage life. I also heard that farmers in Saskatchewan, in Canada, found pemmican in their fields that was really old, and it was still edible. Pemmican does have complete nutrition. I have had pemmican at a food festival in Alberta. It was from some Cree Native vendors. The pemmican you made looks good. Cheers! 👍🏻👍🏻✌️

[@Thethingswellmake]

Interesting! Thank you! I vacuum seal mine before storage, so I don't think that moisture could affect it, but it makes sense that it could happen with pemmican that is left out. It's something to keep in mind and I may look into it more so that I can write something about it in my post on the blog.

[@cherylbishop7657]

Hi ,if you meltdown your tallow in clean water two or three times the smell is less . 1- melt in water- when the tallow is boiling for 1 or 2 minutes turn off let it get hard 2 - and repeat until the smell is gone. 3- melt the tallow on low until all the water is gone. Works on all fats. GOD BLESS

[@Thethingswellmake]

Thanks for the comment. I did a lot of experimentation with various methods for purifying the tallow and even without water, you can clarify the tallow by cooking it down several times. There can be impurities in the tallow, even if it looks clear. I've found that when simmering it gently, it will foam up and a skin will eventually form on the surface that can be removed as it cools. If you repeat the process several times, the tallow will whiten and become harder and without scent. I tried the water method, but found that it was difficult to remove all of the excess water. Even when it appeared to be gone, the resulting tallow seemed softer/grainier to me and I worried about it going bad more quickly if there was water remaining. If you'd like to read about my experiments (with photos), check out my post: thethingswellmake.com/how-to-make-beef-tallow/

[@susancarmack1]

That was great! I had to dig into my pemmican stash to go along with the video! I have been making it since 1998. Yummylicious! Thank you! ❤ 🥩

[@Thethingswellmake]

Awesome! Yes! I love it too!

[@eugenecbell]

So, no cooking of the beef? Just dried raw?

[@Thethingswellmake]

@@eugenecbell No, no need to precook, but you can if you prefer. It would probably affect the flavor, though. I tend to dehydrate a high temperature (75C), so it's basically cooking it and dehydrating it.

[@eugenecbell]

@@Thethingswellmake thank you for confirming what I was beginning to understand. I will be dehydrating in the ocean anyway so will call it “cooked”. I wish I had a smoker that could run way low. I have a toaster oven with a fan in it. I will use that on low and turn it on only for a few minutes at a time to prevent the temp from getting too high.

[@Thethingswellmake]

@@eugenecbell That should work. I used to do a lot of dehydrating in my oven. The Indians sun-dreid the meat- so, there are many ways to do it. 😏

[@dalevodden1359]

That is why you pond it flat before you dehydrate it so it comes out crispy then powder it plus if you have dried berries like blueberries blackberries raspberries they must be very dry to turn into powder thie mix and add the tallow and mix and spread it out to a 1"thick and after it is set after an hour in the fridge cut into a 3"× 5" square and if you have a vacuum sealer vacuum pack it it will last about 25-50 years

[@warrior7787]

I’m definitely going to do this 2025 might be a hard year. I want to stock up

[@NoNopeAndNo]

Never heard of this, sounds like something I will definitely try. Thanks

[@Thethingswellmake]

I hope you enjoyed it!

[@SovereignSymphony]

I like to add all sorts of extra ingredients to mine, all freezed dried and blended, then sieved to make a fine powder: freezed dried beef liver/lung/heart, quail egg yolks, colostrum, donkey milk, Ancestral Supplements (FEM, placenta, fish eggs), green lipped mussels, etc. I like to make the powder as fine as possible, makes the texture smooth, and it looks like I'm making fudge or something.

[@Thethingswellmake]

Wow! Those are amazing ideas! Donkey milk? It always amazes me how people are able to find such cool things to try, depending on where they live. (Your donkey?) I have a hard time getting in organs. I've been taking a supplement, but maybe I need to try what you're doing! I dried organs once, though, and they were very hard and difficult to cut up. I'd probably need to make it finer to have smaller pieces for grinding. (Now to find a good source for organs!)

[@M_freedomOfSpeech]

Thank you so much, that was awesome! I'll do it! 😍

[@Thethingswellmake]

Definitely do it! I think they're the perfect balance of fat and meat for me- and they're really handy for hiking and trips!

[@Misorganic1]

Beautiful website and thank you so much for posting the recipe I now will subscribe to your channel

[@nancyfahey7518]

I subbed. I'm going to search out your tallow video. Definately a price changer. 👍

[@Thethingswellmake]

Thank you! Yes, I love being able to save some money on easy projects!

[@cindyrae2605]

If you had an empty stomach and were having your pemmican, how much would you eat before you were satisfied? How long do they last before you're hungry again? Thanks.

[@marietketriet6111]

Interesting. South African biltong is a much easier product to carry around. 😊 and very tasty.

[@Tyrannocaster]

Biltong is good, but it doesn't have as much fat as pemmican. I think pemmican is more versatile, although I make both.

[@marietketriet6111]

@@Tyrannocaster yes i have thought of that. And as I understand, the fat is sort of a preservative? Biltong is just easier to transport. 😄

[@theresahudson8620]

Enjoyed this video, will definitely try this.

[@Ai_Ming1961]

What about using the biltong to grind up to mix with tallow in order to save the step of dehydrating it? I don’t have a dehydrator, and I can get plenty of biltong from the neighborhood South African butcher, so…was just brainstorming for ideas on how I could best do this.

[@Mandalawi1987]

I'm in Carnivore Heaven 🥩✨

[@KevinBullard]

Enjoyed the vid thanks

[@robocrip1]

Wohoo 🎉🎉🎉. Thank you ❤

[@francelarebelle1138]

Thank you so much❤

[@vsheavenly68]

I have a question. I made some pumpkin. I used quality, tallow and dehydrated my meat super well. I did add salt. Put it in a mason jar vacuum sealed it went into my pantry today and noticed it was somewhat melting. Do you think these are still good?

[@Thethingswellmake]

Just melting? You're probably fine, especially if it's vacuum sealed. Bad microbes need air and moisture to thrive. Your pemmican doesn't sound like it has either. Going forward, I'd look for a cooler location to store it. If you made bars and can open one or two without needing to open the whole batch, I'd cool one off and open it to check for changes in scent and texture before eating it. (It's always a good idea to do that before eating something anyway. 😉)

[@vsheavenly68]

@@Thethingswellmake thank you so much for your response. I really really appreciate it. Glad you also noticed that I meant to say pemmican and not pumpkin. I sealed it and put in an oxygen absorber and it just looked like it was melted, but the vacuum seal is still fine. so if I break the seal and check them as you said if everything smells and looks fine, how should I restore them?

[@Thethingswellmake]

@@vsheavenly68 If it were me, and there are no signs of anything gone wrong, then yes, I'd use it.

[@vsheavenly68]

@@Thethingswellmake I appreciate you and your experience, keep up the good work!

[@gage_turner]

So you mention all these perks of tallow for your skin and hair. I made my own tallow but I can’t lie…I was about to take some tallow to put in my hair but was EXTREMELY turned off and caught off guard to the beefy smell. Do you know how to get that smell out or are you walking around smelling beefy?

[@Thethingswellmake]

What was the source of your tallow? Did you buy it or make it yourself? I have found that if I make my own and only melt it down once, some beefy scent does remain. On the other hand, If you cook the tallow slowly and remove all of the impurities, it becomes whiter and loses its scent. So little remains that it's very hard to smell anymore. So, when you add a few drops of an essential oil or something like that, you only smell that and don't notice any of the beef scent. I have documented my experiences with making tallow on my blog. (There's also a video embedded there.) thethingswellmake.com/how-to-make-beef-tallow/

[@happy-v8h]

Simmer in water, it removes the beefy smell for products for hair and body.

[@lizellehattingh281]

Could you use butter instead of tallow? Im definitely going to make some tomorrow

[@Thethingswellmake]

I wouldn't suggest using butter, not only because it's softer, but because the final product would need refrigeration. That would greatly reduce the shelf life. You could try with ghee (The fat part of clarified butter), but tallow is supposed to give the longest shelf life. (Some people use lard or bacon grease, but tallow keeps better.)

[@lizellehattingh281]

Thanx, I made it with purified tallow so it would last long but I ate it up so quickly 😂

[@ValentineFarm]

This is amazing, are you finished with uploading videos on here?

[@Thethingswellmake]

No, I've just been taking a break while healing. I've been dealing with oxalate dumping and a slow computer. My mom is bringing me the new one I bought from my sister in about 2 weeks and I hope to start posting again soon afterward! ❤

[@ValentineFarm]

@@Thethingswellmake thank you for answering, looking forward to see what's next. ☺️

[@deelowco]

Looks delicious, do sell them ? I would like to purchase some.

[@Thethingswellmake]

I'm sorry. I don't. (Also, I live in Spain, so even if I did, there would be issues with international selling for most users.) It's very simple to make, though. The hardest part is making or finding a decent tallow to use.

[@motherof1doll.]

Do you think browned butter could be added to the pemmican for a little flavor?

[@Tyrannocaster]

Not if you are not storing it in the fridge.

[@Thethingswellmake]

Yes, the problem of adding butter, even if much of the moisture has been removed like in brown butter, is that it won't keep for nearly as long. It probably won't be as hard either, which could make it messier. If you don't have an issue with keeping it cool, though, and don't need it to keep for long extended periods, it could be a fun experiment.

[@madelinepratt25]

Can you used leftover beef fat from making a bunch of ribs?

[@Thethingswellmake]

Yes, probably! That's basically tallow. I'd suggest melting it down again, though, and making sure to "purify" it as best as possible. You want to make sure to remove any excess moisture, etc. so that your pemmican keeps as long as possible. (In my post about how to make tallow, I cover how I "purify" my fat: thethingswellmake.com/how-to-make-beef-tallow/ )

[@saleinovach5819]

Can i use pig tallow?

[@waynesouthwick]

can you add a link to the silicone soap loaf mold for the tallow?

[@Thethingswellmake]

I bought my molds from a soap supply company here in Spain, but I have found links to similar molds on Amazon: Smaller, individual-sized: amzn.to/4bLBk6t Large loaf mold: amzn.to/3XRadnc. I love my large loaf mold-with the robs on the side it's very heavy-duty and great for soap making too as it doesn't deform in shape as much as a regular loaf mold. This is actually a bit cheaper than the one I bought (which was surprisingly expensive). I may have to buy another one at this price as I use it often and love it!

[@TCMMFitness]

How long do the bars live on a shelf typically?

[@Thethingswellmake]

It really depends on how well you've dried the meat and the quality of the tallow. It also can depend on what else you add to it, if anything. Lastly, if you can keep air exposure down, it will keep longer. I have some that I vacuum sealed, but are stored in a cabinet and they have kept well for over a year. If it's exposed to air, it won't last as long. I'm not sure how long these will keep, but I imagine a very long time.

[@KerriBaker-i4e]

So dehydrating RAW meat? What cooks this?

[@Thethingswellmake]

The heat of the dehydrator does cook it to a point. If you really want it to be "cooked", you can increase the temperature of your dehydrator, but drying it is enough. For years, people have been sun-drying meats to preserve like this.

[@lowbarb]

Dang looks like they took down their website

[@Thethingswellmake]

Mine? It's still up! You can find the recipe here: thethingswellmake.com/pemmican-ultimate-snack-survival-bars/

[@superflyp0]

DOES SALT NOT CURE FOR LONG TERM USE 😵‍💫 FOR THE ABOVE STATEMENT 🫤🤔

[@jilld6240]

Yes it preserves

[@michaelbrown8441]

salt will draw in moisture and shorten shelf liife

[@superflyp0]

@@michaelbrown8441 I HAVE BEEN THINKING SALT WILL MAKE IT LAST LONG.. THANKS GOOD TO KNOW.. WHERE DID YOU GET THAT INFO?

[@dalevodden1359]

Some people don't like the taste of the tallow it is greasy tasting to them that is what they don't like

[@samporter1564]

Promo'SM 🎉

[@plaguedoct0r]

This video should have been done in 2 minutes.

[@fluxPak]

Welcome to KZbin.

[@diversekennelz4083]

Her voice sound shakey and nervous 😬

[@K0HAKU_97]

It’s pretty consistent throughout the video, so I think she just has a natural texture in her voice. I am also a woman with a huskier textured voice ❤

[@Thethingswellmake]

Yep- that's just my voice. I don't really like listening to myself, but it is what it is. ;) I love singing, and while I'm good at pitch, I don't like my voice much there either.