{"id":4129,"date":"2021-04-26T09:51:18","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T14:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/?p=4129"},"modified":"2021-04-26T09:55:41","modified_gmt":"2021-04-26T14:55:41","slug":"5000-year-old-energy-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/2021\/04\/26\/5000-year-old-energy-bar\/","title":{"rendered":"5000 year old energy bar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Inspired by the Recipe From FirstNations.org<\/a>\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1 cup dried meat (bison, venison, or beef) <\/em>
1\/3 cup dried berries <\/em>
2 tablespoons lard (do not substitute shortening or butter) <\/em>
Optional: sugar to taste<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Dry the Meat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whatever you choose for your meat, make \nsure it\u2019s lean. Remember that it\u2019s going to shrink as it dries \n(condensing nourishment into a smaller package is one of pemmican\u2019s \ngreatest qualities). For instance, about 1.5\u20132 pounds of raw beef will \nyield about 1.5\u20132 cups when dried. Cut against the grain into strips \n(chilling the meat in the freezer for an hour beforehand makes for \ncleaner cutting), lay out on a sheet, and place in an oven preheated to \nits lowest setting, typically around 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending \non the thickness of your meat, it could take up to 12 hours to fully \ndry. You\u2019ll know the meat is ready when it\u2019s dry but still pliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For anyone who thinks buying beef jerky \nis a nice shortcut, think again: As historical-food re-creator Jon \nTownsend points out, commercial jerky has preservatives such as \nnitrates, which will negatively alter the final flavor, and it\u2019s cut \nwith the grain, which will make it more difficult to grind the meat into a powder<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Dry the Berries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chokecherries or saskatoons are the most \ntraditional choices, but blueberries, cranberries, and most other \nberries will also work. If you have fresh berries, you can either use a \nfood dehydrator or an oven set to low heat. Depending on your equipment,\n times for drying out the berries can vary greatly, from several hours \nto a full day. If using an oven, break the berries\u2019 skins (slicing or \npoking holes works fine) to allow their juice to evaporate. Keep an eye \non them. You\u2019ll know they\u2019re ready when they\u2019re completely dry with no \njuice left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Make the Lard<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t have lard lurking in the \nfridge, you can buy it premade or make it yourself. The first option is \neasier, but requires some sleuthing, as many prepackaged lards use \nunhealthy preservatives. Look for non-hydrogenated options<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you want reliably high-quality \nlard, you should make it yourself. Order some fatback or leaf fat from \nyour local butcher. (Call ahead to see if there\u2019s a way to arrange safe \ndelivery or pickup. They won\u2019t find it weird if you ask for a big batch \nof fat. People use lard for a multitude of reasons, so they\u2019ve likely \ndone this before.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with the meat, briefly chill the fat \nin the freezer, then cut it into small cubes. Place the fat in a \nslow-cooker or a pot on the stovetop with \u00bc cup of water. Both should be\n set to low. The process typically takes two to four hours. Periodically\n check the pot, stirring occasionally. You\u2019ll know it\u2019s ready when most \nof the cubes have liquified. Filter out any cracklings with a strainer \nand cheesecloth or paper towel, then place the liquid in an air-tight \ncontainer. Leave out at room temperature until it starts to set, then \nmove to the refrigerator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The ground-up meat-and-berry powder. Sam O\u2019Brien for Gastro Obscura<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

4. Make the Pemmican<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now it\u2019s time to make your meat powder. \nGrind the dried meat in a food processor or, if you want to approximate \nthe traditional method of a pounding stone, get your hands on a mortar \nand pestle. Repeat with the berries and combine the powders in a bowl. \nMelt 2 tablespoons of lard, then add to the bowl and mix until it\u2019s \nsticky enough to be formed into patties. Add another tablespoon of lard \nif the mixture is still too powdery. If you\u2019d like to add sugar, use \nabout one tablespoon. Shape into patties and let dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results won\u2019t be \nbeautiful, but appearances don\u2019t seem to stop anyone from eating today\u2019s\n bland-brick energy bars. Grab a piece of pemmican and savor the flavor \nof one of history\u2019s oldest enduring meals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Inspired by the Recipe From FirstNations.org 1 cup dried meat (bison, venison, or beef) 1\/3 cup dried berries 2 tablespoons lard (do not substitute shortening or butter) Optional: sugar to taste 1. Dry the Meat Whatever you choose for your meat, make sure it\u2019s lean. Remember that it\u2019s going to shrink as it dries (condensing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4129"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4129"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4130,"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4129\/revisions\/4130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}