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I Bought a Freeze Dryer - Harvest Right

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    #46
    WOW!!! Don't really know what to say about that Michael!!
    Maybe you could try a snake in yours and video that!!

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      #47
      Originally posted by SaltwaterSlick View Post
      WOW!!! Don't really know what to say about that Michael!!
      Maybe you could try a snake in yours and video that!!

      LOL! Yeah, I’m out on the freeze dried taxidermy!


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        #48
        I Bought a Freeze Dryer - Harvest Right


        I’ve been running mostly meat, trying to clean out the freezers, but the girls requested some candy, so I just put in a variety.

        I also just reconstituted a piece of venison backstrap that I sous vide and FD last week. I’m creating a video of that, but I’ll share a sneak peak or the results this evening. I want to reshoot some of it when my wife is here and can taste it for another, unbiased opinion.


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          #49




          The “Covid Candy” (Nerd Gummy Chews) turned out great, as did the SW Taffy (those are 1/2 pieces that blew up to that size) and Skittles. The others (Starburst minis, Sour Patch WM and S Berry, Jolly Rancher Bites) didn’t really change at all.


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            #50
            Back to the meat test…

            It’s a bit of a mixed bag. I rehydrated a piece of backstrap that had been SV (131 deg for 6 hours), then sliced and pre frozen before going to the FD. (I didn’t season before SV, nor did I season or sear after.)

            After FD, the meat mostly retained its medium rare color and look. Since I didn’t exceed 131 degrees during cooking, I didn’t want to exceed that during the drying or rehydrating, either. I set my dry temp to 125.

            To rehydrate, I heated some homemade venison stock to -130 deg and then put a sample piece in the pot and covered.

            I did notice that the color of the meat changed almost instantly when it hit the liquid, losing the med rare appearance. Some of that may be due to the color of the stock, but I’m sure it’s mostly attributable to loss of myoglobin during the FD process.



            I maintained the temp between 120-130 degrees for about 15 mins.

            There was a darker line through the center, which I assume is where it didn’t quite take on as much liquid, although it felt pretty much the same throughout. Compared to the original, though, it honestly didn’t look all that appetizing.



            However, the feel, taste, texture and juiciness were EXACTLY as they should have been. I was very pleasantly surprised by that. I ate one half of the piece without any sear or seasoning (other than the flavor from the stock, which was evident), and then I put a little SPG on the other piece and quickly seared it in butter on a cast iron griddle. It was excellent!



            But then…


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              #51
              Just to clarify... you are saying the reconstituted meat is as good as before, or just not bad? Because I am doubtful looking at the original and comparing it to the final product.

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                #52
                Originally posted by Kevin View Post
                Just to clarify... you are saying the reconstituted meat is as good as before, or just not bad? Because I am doubtful looking at the original and comparing it to the final product.
                I really can't see where "almost' as good as before is an issue if you're starving.
                I don't think they're meant to make gourmet meals.

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                  #53
                  Originally posted by Kevin View Post
                  Just to clarify... you are saying the reconstituted meat is as good as before, or just not bad? Because I am doubtful looking at the original and comparing it to the final product.
                  I haven't done a side-by-side comparison from the same cut of meat (I'll do that soon), but I am saying that if I gave you a (blind) taste of the FD steak, you wouldn't say "hey, this has been FD."

                  I didn't finish my "but then..." thought yesterday (neighbor's cow got out and I had to play cowboy) but I did another test after my wife got home.

                  I took a couple of slightly larger and thicker pieces that I had sealed in a mylar meal bag, and wanted to reconstitute it in the bag, again attempting to keep it from getting above the 131 original cook temp.

                  I heated the stock up to about 150 and then poured it into the mylar bag and sealed it for 15 minutes. I could tell by feel that it was still not fully reconstituted in the middle. The temp of the liquid was somewhere around 100 degrees, so I heated up more and added to the bag. After 25 minutes, I cut into it and it still wasn't fully rehydrated in the center. I ended up putting it in a stock pot for another 20 or so minutes, but I accidentally let the temps get above 130, to around 150. I gave it a taste, and it was clearly tougher than the previous test with a slightly more gamey taste (it was a different cut from a different deer. It never did fully reconstitute until I sliced it lengthwise to expose the very center, and by then it had overcooked. It was edible and, in a pinch, I might be thankful to have it, but it wasn't the same success as the initial test.

                  As mentioned, I'm going to do another controlled test with another cut to get a solid comparison between FD and non FD steak.
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                    #54
                    Sort of sounds like FD venison should be processed into smallish pieces rather than a real steak cut for ease and speed of reconstituting??

                    Michael, are you vacuum sealing in the Mylar bags or just sealing at atmospheric pressure?

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                      #55
                      Originally posted by SaltwaterSlick View Post
                      Sort of sounds like FD venison should be processed into smallish pieces rather than a real steak cut for ease and speed of reconstituting??

                      Michael, are you vacuum sealing in the Mylar bags or just sealing at atmospheric pressure?
                      For long term emergency storage, small chunks or ground is probably best. That said, I want to experiment to see if it's possible to have a GOOD steak dinner on the trail or river without having to keep meat on ice. Based on the first test, I think it's definitely possible.

                      I'm sealing the mylar bags using the appropriate size O2 absorber, but not vacuum sealing them.
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                        #56
                        I Bought a Freeze Dryer - Harvest Right

                        The O2 absorbers do a pretty good job of sucking the bags down, similar to vacuum sealing but without crushing the contents.



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                          #57
                          Here's a video I put together of the first part of my venison test...

                          [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t-UiVsujYc&t=35s"]Freeze Drying Venison Backstrap - Harvest Right Freeze Dryer - YouTube[/ame]
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                            #58
                            Very well done Michael! ...especially true for a one camera video! Multiple cameras on the counter top and stove would give you great flexibility of presentation rather than moving the subject around to view on the single camera...
                            Content-wise, you got me wanting to try this too!! Like you, my mind is going a mile a minute now... It's garden season so... veggies, Fishin' time, so fish, complete processing at deer camp, possibilities are endless!

                            Thanks for taking the time to create this!

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                              #59
                              Originally posted by SaltwaterSlick View Post
                              Very well done Michael! ...especially true for a one camera video! Multiple cameras on the counter top and stove would give you great flexibility of presentation rather than moving the subject around to view on the single camera...
                              Content-wise, you got me wanting to try this too!! Like you, my mind is going a mile a minute now... It's garden season so... veggies, Fishin' time, so fish, complete processing at deer camp, possibilities are endless!

                              Thanks for taking the time to create this!
                              Thanks Charlie. I've kind of reverted back to a "simpler" approach to video production because I've found that I'm less likely to start a new video if I have to do a bunch of setup ahead of time (or a lot of post production workflow after.) I think you're right, though, and I'll probably add a second camera (and a small fill light) to future, similar videos.

                              I'm going to do a batch of fish soon. I'll let you know how it turns out.
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                                #60
                                I just pulled some banana chips, sweet potato chips and mashed sweet potatoes.




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