INGREDIENTS:

3 cups dried lean venison (Note it takes about 2 pounds of fresh venison to make 1 cup of dried)
3 cups dried seedless fruit or berries; apples, peaches, raisins, blueberries, cranberries, dates, your choice
3 cups Beef suet (rendered fat) use only minimum amount as needed
1/2 cup dried pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup Honey or molasses (to taste)
Salt to taste

NOTE:  Before attempting to make any type of sausage, jerky or pemmican which requires the meat to be subject to: 1)  High humidity, 2)  Low temperature and 3)  Presence of oxygen, there is the danger of food poisoning unless you know and fully understand that some type of food preservative; e.g., Insta Cure # 1 or  Morton Tender Quick is necessary.  Therefore these pages are solely for entertainment purposes only from a personal liability standpoint.  Please read the Legal Stuff  page for additional information concerning liability issues before going any further.  Please read this article on smoking meats, paragraph heading Preservation.

Venison should be jerked; see my venison jerky recipe.  It is imperative that you prepare the venison, beef, elk, caribou or moose with a brine or dry preservative to prevent the possibility food poisoning since you will be drying the meat at a low temperature and probably using an electrical dehydrator.  Do not use pork for pemmican!  Jerky for usage in pemmican should be dried to the point when bending, it will snap.  If it bends without breaking, there is too much moisture in the jerky requiring additional drying time!  Please open and read this link to Botulism.  You could go for years and decades without using some type of brine or dry cure type preservative to make jerky, pemmican and sausages without any complications, but  "it is better to be safe than sorry".  

Using a blender or other tool such as a mortar and pestle, grind and/or pound the dried meat to a powdery consistency.  Grind the dried fruit and nuts very fine but but you may want to leave some of it course for a good texture.  Heat the beef suet over medium heat until the fat is rendered.  Using a large mixing bowl, combine the meat, dried fruit, nuts and a small amount of honey and add just enough of the rendered beef suet aka fat to hold the mixture together. Do not be afraid to use your hands for the mixing.  Add a little salt to taste if desired which also helps preserve the pemmican.  Let the mixture cool and transfer to a rectangular baking pan and flatten to about 1/4 inch thick and let cool completely.  Cut into 4 inch by 1 inch strips ; place in zip lock type bags or plastic storage containers and store in a cool dry place until ready to consume.

Again, I highly recommend the usage of a dry cure such as Insta Cure # 1 or Morton Tender Quick  to prevent the possibility of food poisoning while drying your meat and read, comprehend and retain the information on my venison jerky recipe instructions before attempting to manufacturer your own jerky!  Personal Health, Safety and Welfare has to be paramount!

Pemmican is a Native American Indian survival food that has a very long shelf life and it requires no refrigeration.  It is similar to a Granola Bar except it contains no artificial preservatives.  It is a compact energy source that contains protein, fiber, fat, carbohydrates, natural fruit sugars, vitamins, and minerals.  It also tastes great because it is a simple combination of meat jerky and your favorite dried fruit and/or nuts.

Web posted by Bill aka Mickey Porter 07-31-12.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE