My eight year old is a big fan of hummus so we often include it in our backcountry meal plans. It’s fun for him to help make it and he loves to pulse the food processor. If you don’t have a food processor you can mash the ingredients with a fork or use a blender. Once dehydrated it will look like cracked earth. Here is one of his favorite recipes.

Sunny Garlic Hummus
Courtesy of A Fork in the Trail © Laurie Ann March 2008

Dehydration Time: 5–7 hours
Makes 2 to 4 servings

Hummus is one of the easiest things to make for a trail lunch, and this one has the sunny flavor of oranges.

1 19-ounce can chickpeas – rinsed and drained
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
2 cloves garlic
1 heaping teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons tahini
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

At Home
Combine and blend all the ingredients using a food processor or hand blender until you have a thick paste. Spread evenly on lined dehydrator trays, keeping the mixture about 1/4 inch thick. Dry for 5 to 7 hours or until the mixture crumbles and is thoroughly dry. Store in a medium ziplock freezer bag.

At Camp
Rehydrate the hummus using a formula of 1 1/2 parts dried mix to 1 part water. Wait 5 to 10 minutes and then add a little more water if it’s too dry. Serve as a dip with Greek pitas or your favorite crackers or use as a spread in a wrap.

Tip
If you need to increase your fat intake for cold-weather hiking, drizzle a little olive oil on the hummus just before you eat it.

Earlier this week I mentioned that I was drying some leftover chicken chili to see how it would turn out made into trail food. I started off by shredding the chicken into stringy bits using two forks to pull the meat apart. I measured what I was going to dry and then spread 1 cup of chili on each lined dehydrator tray. The drying time on my 700 watt dehydrator was about 9 or 10 hours.

Yesterday was fairly cool so I did my rehydration test in the backyard. I used near boiling water in a 1 litre (32 oz) Nalgene bottle and then put it in an Aquatherm from Granite Gear to keep it warm. This one does take a little longer to come back because of the chicken — about 45 minutes. Because it was so cool out I decided to give it a quick reheat because, even though it was a decent enough eating temperature, I wanted it piping hot so that the cheese I was going to sprinkle on it would melt.

As I suspected, the chicken didn’t come back perfectly but it was really close. The meat toughens just the slightest little bit and the whole thing was still delicious. Had I cooked the chicken in the sauce rather than using pre-cooked chicken that had been grilled then the meat would have been even softer.

The other day I got an email from my friend, Brad, who asked if he could make pulled pork into a dehydrated meal for the trail. I wrote him back and included the following recipe from my trail cookbook.

Chipotle Pork with Toasted Tortillas
Courtesy of A Fork in the Trail © Laurie Ann March 2008

Dehydration Time: 7 to 12 hours
Makes 3 to 4 servings

Preparing this dish in a slow cooker keeps the meat moist and tender. Do not use a picnic pork shoulder as it is too salty.

1 small onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper purée or 1/2 of a chipotle pepper chopped
14 ounces canned, crushed tomatoes
8 ounces canned, diced tomatoes, drained
1 pound boneless pork shoulder
6 to 8 Flour or corn tortillas
1” x 1” x 3” piece of Cheddar cheese (optional)

At Home
Mix all of the ingredients except the meat and place them in the crock of a slow cooker. Trim the pork shoulder of all visible fat and cut it into two pieces. Add the boneless pork shoulder to the slow cooker. Turn the pork in the cooker so that it becomes well coated with the sauce. Cook on high for six hours or until the meat is so tender that you can easily shred it. Don’t remove the lid until the cooking is complete. When the meat is cooked, use two forks to shred it. If any gristle or fat is still present, remove it. Return the shredded meat to the sauce and stir well. Taste to see if more seasoning is required, adding as necessary, and remove the bay leaf.

Measure the pork mixture and write this measurement on a sticky note. Spread the meal on lined dehydrator trays and dry it for 7 to 12 hours. Place the dried mix, along with the sticky note, in a ziplock freezer bag. If you are taking cheese, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the bag with the dried mix. Package the tortillas in a large ziplock freezer bag, separating them with sheets of parchment paper.

At Camp
Add enough boiling water to the pork mixture in a pan to equal the measurement on your sticky note. Be sure to account for and add your dried ingredients to the rehydration container prior to adding the water. You can always add more water if you need to. Allow it to rehydrate for 20 to 30 minutes or until fully hydrated. Once the mixture is reconstituted, heat it up on a stove, being careful not to burn it. Remove the mixture from the heat and cover it with a lid. Meanwhile, toast several tortillas. Place a generous scoop of the pork mixture on each plate. Garnish with the toasted tortillas and grated cheese as desired.

Tips
If you don’t have a slow cooker, simmer the ingredients in a heavy pot over low heat for 2 or 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

It is important to allow dried meat more time to come back. If your meat dish doesn’t rehydrate all the way soaking in boiling water, simmer it over medium heat for a few minutes.