Put the ground beef in the clear plastic vacuum sealer bags in the portion size you want, with an O2 absorber and a desiccant to make sure, then put a bunch of them into a larger mylar bag and seal it. Then you don't have to worry about the vacuum sealer bags slowly leaking air over several years. Even if a couple of them break their seals they are still safe to eat.
Thanks for the video . The most flexible source of meat for long term storage. Like your straining trick. You can use it in so many different dishes, and our furry children love it to, LOL.
I'm new to freeze drying. I'm testing candy tonight. How come the meat dishes take do long? Do you have a chart i could get that shows times for freeze and dryer times?
Curious as to why you did not use a gravy separator to remove the oil and save you broth and add it back to your hamburger before freeze drying …I do understand it would take longer to freeze dry but save a bunch of flavor without having to add it back later…thank you for sharing your video I’m new to this …
There really was no broth to speak of when we drained the fat from the cooked ground beef. All the fat we drained in the pot would later turn hard. If there was any broth in the fat to put back in the beef, it would make the freeze drying process longer.
You invest in a lot of useful stuff for your homestead and you still buy store bought beef?? Find a local rancher selling 1/2 and whole beefs. We have bought a half beef two years in a row now and total cost from cow- processing is under $5/ lb. And grass fed is so much better than store bought grain fed beef. Just sayin!
Removing the fat makes no sense.. take a look at all the big brands, they all have a lot of fat in them. If you don't have fat, you don't have any energy in the meat. If you can't freeze dry the fat, then you ar doing it wrong.
I save the liquid from the meat, then put the liquid in jars and cool til the fat at the top hardens. Then I remove that top portion, melt it down, add bird seed and put them in square storage containers and cool them until they harden. Then we share them with the birds and squirrels in our yard. We have below zero temps that are lasting long, so the critters can benefit from our freeze drying prep.
Just FYI, the mylar is not just for light, but greatly reduces the oxygen transfer (which will spoil your food). Those bag you are using will not keep out oxygen and won't last that long for "long term" storage. You need Mylar and oxygen absorbers to keep your food from going bad. If you want to learn more about it, SchoolReports does a really good job on the how's and why's around freeze drying
I've sealed freeze dried foods in those clear plastic bags before but some would inevitably fail and often when I took them out to use them I would discover that the vacuum seal was gone and the food no longer any good. So now I've taken to sealing everything in jars. Jars are more expensive and take up more space but they can be reused indefinitely, including the lids. I also just got a vacuum sealer from Rain Country Homestead that allows me to seal food in just about any jar I have so long as the lid has a rubber seal on it. So now I save all of my old honey jars, spaghetti jars, etc. to use for storing freeze dried foods. Fortunately, I have a large pantry so using jars works for me. Thanks for the video. It's really motivated me to get a lot more freeze drying done!
Yes you have to be careful with the clear plastic bags especially if the dried food has sharp or pointy edges or if the packages gets handled roughly. Also be careful with the canning jar lids, I think the rubber lid seal is only good for a few years.
@@petebeasttexashomesteading Thanks for the heads up! I wasn't aware of that. I'll use mylar bags for long term storage and the jars only for things I plan to use up within the year.
@JRAinCA use 8 mil mylar bags as well as o2 absorbers, and put a bunch in a 5 gallon food pail with a gamma seal lid, pretty much will last indefinitely
How long is the freeze dried cooked meat shelf stable? If I use a dehydrator, can I make cooked ground meat shelf stable if I seal the meat in a food saver bag? If so, how long does it keep shelf stable?
@@mariettasmith6222 If the freeze dried ground beef is very lean and you drain what little fat is left out, then placed in vacuum sealed bags, it should last 25 years. Dehydrated beef would probably only last less than a year placed in vacuum sealed bags.
Glad you are enjoying the freeze dryer! There is truly a huge difference between the quality of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods. I don't have the budget or the space, unfortunately. But I have been happy with the bulk foods I have purchased. I am using more freeze dried foods versus GMO produce that has very low nutrition. And am converting all my camping meals to home-packed freeze dried versus the expensive $10 to $15 store-bought junk! Thanks The Great Out There
Everything I have read about long term storage including from Harvest Right, says the food saver bags will not hold a seal for long term especially at 4 mil. Recommended for long term storage is either 7 mil Mylar or glass jars. I apologize if this is wrong info but I would hate for you to loose your food stores because of the bags. Thanks for sharing.
I also hear that sucking the oxygen out of a bag is not as effective as an oxygen absorber primarily because by using an O2 absorber, you create an environment that is primarily Nitrogen, which is fantastic and actually superior to a lack of air. - Has anyone else heard this?
The meat is not fully dry. The machine is assuming it’s fully dry, but it’s not. You need to weigh each tray in grams and write the weight down of each tray. Then return it back to the Freeze dryer for more drying, about 2-3 hours. Then weigh the trays again. If the weight has drop from the last weigh in, you need to return them back in for more drying. Because moisture is still being removed. You keep weighing and drying till the weight has stop dropping. I do home made MRE’s and freeze dry raw meat like chicken breast and hamburgers. Good luck and God Bless.
Let me start by saying thanks for your videos, they help us newbies alot! I would like to know if you have rehydrated any of the ground beef you and your wife have prepared and if so how long had it been vacuum sealed and stored? I have a foodsaver vacuum sealer and the clear bags. Do you know if that will vacuum seal good enough to store like yall are doing? Thanks again!
If you have freeze dried your ground beef, then the food saver bags would work just as good as the clear bags we used in the video. From what I understand, these clear bags will store food around 5 years and mylar bags about 25 years. We have not yet rehydrated the beef but we might in a future video.
the two bottom trays look darker than the top two trays, is there an explanation for this? You make this seem much more simple and much easier than the channel "SchoolReports" If it is this Simple, im interested in doing this my self.
Guys with freeze dryers always get the best girls. This was super informative and helpful. Thank you. Never imagined we could do this on our own with the right equipment...!!
Can any one tell me what settings to set my harvest right at for fruit. I wanna do banana strawberry’s and raspberry’s. I need to no what to set the machine at. Please help guys ????? :)
If you have the latest software update, you don't have to set anything. Just make sure the fruit on the trays are frozen and put them in the machine when it tells you and the rest is automatic.
I don't feel this is a long term solution. There is still fat in that meat as it doesn't all strain out. We cook and can our burger in a beef broth for flavor amd ALL the fat raises to the top and we remove it from there and use it in recipes
I started feeding them raw but had a lot of issues with them throwing up all the time and it stopped when we cooked it. Who knows what nasty bacteria the chickens pick up in the meat processing plants.
That’s not how raw feeding works. You must’ve been doing it wrong. Dogs have different bacteria in their gut as a different species. Unless it’s rancid meat, dogs tolerate bacteria humans can’t. Dogs don’t get as much nutrient from cooked food. If you’re not feeding your dogs organs and bones with the protein, your dogs will be deficient.
Just did my first 'meat' batch. We did Some cooked ground taco beef and some store bought rotisserie chicken. They dried up quite well in 10 hours, which surprised me because I expected it to take longer. Anyway, it appears its so dry I could crumble it into dust; however, my hand felt a big greasy after touching it and the bottom of the pan had a greasy film. Does the grease affect long term storage? it was 90/10 beef.
It's impossible to remove all the fat so I wouldn't worry about it too much. The beef we did had a much higher fat content but we did drain as much as possible when we cooked it and it's still dry and crumbly.
Once my ground beef has rendered, i drain and take additional steps. I place the ground beef in beef broth and simmer covered. I skin of additional fat 4 5 6 times and then strain. Then its freeze dry time!......almost no fat at all!!👍👍
You check for cold spots or moisture in the food by touching it. It should be dry and light. The freeze dryer will give you the option for more dry time if needed.
Nice video on FD ground beef. Do you recall what the fat content of the meet was when you asarted, like 80/20 or did you buy lean ground beef. Also did you need to rinse the meat after straining it to remove a little more oil?
This was 73% ground beef so the fat was pretty high. No need to rinse the meat after straining it. Of the 30lbs we cooked, we removed about 6 quarts of fat from the meat. Of course 80% ground beef would have a little less.
Thank you for your video, I have a question, I freeze dried 9 pounds. It took a little over 71 hours and I still had ice crystals in some spots even though I put it back 4 times extra dry time (I have a large unit with five trays as well) What did I do wrong? I even rinsed the cooked beef after draining it for 2 hours. I am new to freeze drying and learning. Please give me some insight if you can. Thanks, Pam
Sorry for the late response. You might have over filled the freeze dryer. Make sure the food is not higher than the tray rim and that it's been in your freezer overnight and frozen solid before putting it in the freeze dryer.
Check out Harvest Right Freeze Dryers. Waiting on ours to be delivered! Really Like their Customer Service (They've gone over and above for us already!) Seem like a great group of guys. PS. Black Friday sale running right now!!!
Have you tried using an oxygen absorber with the vacuum sealer? If so, how did that come out. The folks at Harvest Right tell me that meat stored in a vacuum seal lasts only about 5 years, but that with an oxygen absorber and mylar bags 25. I was thinking about using both the chamber vacuum sealer and throwing in an oxygen absorber packet. Advice?
True the vacuum sealed ground beef in non mylar bags will last about 5 years and mylar 25 years. You would be wasting an Oxygen absorber if you vacuum seal the bag because vacuum sealing removes the air in the bag. But it wouldn't hurt either.
@@petebeasttexashomesteading yup. I am good for 1 year but think 3 is a better level of readiness. Just praying there is time before things get bad (God forbid) . 🦌👍🇺🇸
I know they drained most of the fat but I thought it would still go rancid if you try to store long term. How long will this be good for? Would love to try it out
What type of cart do you use to place your Harvest Right in for use? I just received mine and am looking for a cart, rolling if possible, in which to place it. Thanks
We just ordered a Cart on Amazon for our Medium FD that we have on order. (Hopefully Cart gets here first! LOL.) "QUDEISB Stainless Steel Table Two-Tier 30x24x34 Inch Steel Table Heavy Duty Worktable for Home Hotel and Commercial Kitchen Restaurant Business, Adjustable Height Table with Caster Wheels". ($122.99) We had a 30" wide space so we could put Vacuum Pump beside FD. We also wanted an adjustable lower shelf to put bucket on that would also go low to hold a plastic set of drawers (Sterilite) to put towels, Mits, Utensils etc... in. Uline also carries a LARGE selection of Heavy-Duty Carts (albeit a slightly higher price). Thank You Pete & Tanya for your wonderful Video and for sharing your knowledge with us!!! And thank you to all the people that responded with info about Vacuum Seal bags versus Mylar Bags. I have seen many different opinions on this subject and ALL input is Appreciated! Blessings.
I am going to try to take the liquids that were drained off and cool enough to skim the fat off the top and freeze dry the broth that is left. Good beef bullion!
When you cook the beef (unseasoned) strain the fat off into a bow or jar. Let it set until cooled. The solid is the tallow. The liquid underneath can be tossed. Store in the freezer or fridge. There’s lots of videos on UA-cam about rendering tallow from beef and lard from pork.
Appreciate the video curious if it would be best to boil the meat in water and scoop the grease off the top as best possible before running through strainer. as you allow the meat to drain your way, as the meat cools so will the grease preventing some to remain within. by boiling i would assume you would have more water content over all which will be drawn out during the freeze drying process.
Great video! About how long did it take to cook all of that ground beef? Did all 30lbs fit in that one pot? If not, how many lbs. fit in the pot? What size pot is it? How do you properly reconstitute it? Is there a ratio of dry to water? I listened to this video last week, but forgot to document things. We are just about to freeze dry some ground beef starting tomorrow. Thanks.
Toby is about 95lbs and Mia is about 85lbs. We feed them mainly chicken and beef with beans and some veggies. Here's a video I did on one of their meals. ua-cam.com/video/zjbHXIktKzc/v-deo.html
From what I understand they really don't need o2 absorbers if you use a chamber vacuum sealer because they pull a very high vacuum, but it wouldn't hurt.
It does put out some heat and it helps that I put a fan on one side to keep it cooler. You can't put the freeze dryer in a small room because the unit will get too hot and let you know on the screen that the room temperature is too warm. I would put it in a large room or garage if the temperatures are not too hot outside.
If the food you're freeze drying has pointy or sharp edges, then it could pierce the bag if handled roughly. Also if you're using the clear bags, try to get thicker bags no less than 4 ml thickness and mylar bags at 7 to 7.5 ml thickness.
Pete, it almost sounded as though you normally do not eat ground beef? What was the fat to beef ratio you used to freeze dry? I have not tried to freeze dry cooked hamburger yet (we have canned it), which entails running water over the hamburger after you drain it. However, I have cooked hamburgers on the grill and then subsequently freeze dried the cooked patties, which I suppose would be essentially the same thing. I was really surprised you didn't use your professional vacuum sealer in your last blueberry video? Cheers
I haven't eaten meat in over 15 years for health reasons. I do eat eggs and occasionally eat fish. I did use the primavac 305 in the video to seal the bags but you could also use a food saver vacuum sealer instead.
Pete, i have a question... When the process is complete, food is kept frozen. I take it out, it appears very dry. My steps: Working quickly, I remove one tray at a time, place in a canning jar with oxy and then vacuum the air out. Next day my food is limp and not so dried. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't mind offering your theories? Thanks so much for another great video!
Take the food out of the freeze drier immediately when the freeze drier stops because the trays will be warm still. If you can't just hit the warm tray button. If you take the food out of the freeze drier when the food is cold, all the humidity in the air will stick to the food like on a cold glass of water does on a hot day. Hope this helps.
@@petebeasttexashomesteading thank you so much! After i called the company i learned why it just keeps freezing and freezing. The styrofoam panel that sits on top of the tray holder came loose. They told me to use heat resistant 2 sided tape to stick it back on. Seems it was causing the sensor to be confused. I do have some chicken that i ran and put into jars while frozen. I stuck the jars in the freezer. When my tape arrives i will reprocess. Thanks again for your help. I truly appreciate it.
We put them in regular plastic vacuum seal bags because we plan on using them in the next 5 years. But if vacuum sealed in mylar bags, it will last 25+ years.
@@petebeasttexashomesteading great! Quick question.. my mom and I are going in on a harvest right freeze dryer. My question is, have you rehydrated the food that you have freeze dried and is the quality and texture the same as if it were fresh? Just curious! thanks so much
@Pete, how much heat does this put out? I ordered mine 2 weeks ago and considering placing it in a bedroom that has been converted to a food storage room. Thanks and love the videos.
A bedroom will be too small. You would need to run it in an open area like living room or kitchen. You could run it in a garage if the outside side temps are not over 80 degrees. The machine will alert you on the display when the room temperature gets over 80 degrees.
I have my freeze dryer in a spare bedroom (approximately 12 X12) that I have converted for food storage also. I have used it in that room for 1 year now and it works great with no over heating issues at all. I have a ceiling fan that I keep on and I also have a small fan blowing on the vacuum pump. Works great! 👍🏼👍🏼
I have a large in a bedroom, upstairs. I keep an AC unit in the window on auto, with a little usb input and exhaust fan (powered by a power brick) as well as a small fan on the pump while the system is being used. The room is my 'attic', with shelving and an extra freezer. This is our first summer with the freeze dryer, and it's been 90/100 often, without any real issues when I've used it. Only trouble I've had is a rogue storm knocking out power, then the room gets warm real quick. Happened once. ;)
When the freeze dryer is done, it will ask you if you want to add more dry time which you then can add more after checking the food. Ground beef done this way will store 25+ years in a mylar bag with O2 absorbers or vacuum sealed. You don't need O2 absorbers if you vacuum seal them because you are pulling all the oxygen out of the bag when you vacuum seal.
Question, I just did a full batch in larger FD. I used 17.25 lbs raw (mix of store bought and organic beef) I filled the 5 trays pretty full. Did you have leftovers from that 30 lbs that didn't go into FD batch? No way I would get 30 lbs in 5 trays. Thx.
@@mrpush2532The reason you couldn't fit the 30lbs on all the trays is because you freeze dryed it raw with all the fat. It's best to cook the ground beef to get most of the fat out. Fat does not freeze dry well and therefore will not store well either. Not sure how long it will last with the fat on it.
@@petebeasttexashomesteading Hi, sorry, I did cook the ground, drained, rinsed and pressed several times. No way I would fit 30 lbs of beef, even fattier beef, on 5 large FD trays. Granted my organic grass fed has less fat, I recorded pre and post rinse and press. I might have squeezed 20 lbs on 5 trays...but 30 no way possible. Thx.
The shelf life in plastic bags, which are oxygen permeable over time, will not be 25 years. You would be lucky to get 5 years if that. Mylar has a layer of plastic and a thin layer of aluminum foil which makes them impermeable for that 25 years if an O2 absorber is used and it is sealed properly. The amount of fat left on that meat without rinsing in warm water to get off the rest of the fat will also limit the shelf life. Fat cannot be freeze-dried so even a little bit will shorten the shelf life considerably.
@@melanierife1378 This is exactly what I was going to reply with. I think Pete should do more research before posting videos and spreading bad information. Also, buy a moisture checker, they are under $30 and you can be sure about your moisture content. I used to think my food was dry when it was done. It felt very dry but when I checked it with the meter sometimes it would still have a bit of moisture in it. I buy Mylar vacuum bags and I still use a 300cc oxygen absorber when I vacuum pack my food. I'd hate to think I have all this food ready to go and find out some of it went bad from moisture/oxygen.
No one seems to know how long home freeze dried meat will store for long term. Home freeze dryers have only been out a little over 10 years. But I have heard that you need to rinse your ground beef with hot water to get as much fat out as possible. Supposedly that will make it store longer. It does remove some flavor as fat is what gives meat flavor. But ground beef will be used in other dishes so flavor will be added. Thanks for the video.
Hey! The part store sells a digital thermo gun! Which can be used to see the temp on each tray after taken out,.. Scanning for cold spots or consistent temperature! Works great
Don’t need that if you do the weight method taught by school report another great FD channel. What he teaches is bullet proof. You let it go through regulate drying time then when it gets to extra dry time you cancel and weigh, then put back in for 2 more hours, cancel and weigh again, when there is no weight change in 2 hours your product is completely dry!!
I have the same freeze dryer (medium sized one). The freeze dryer takes all of the moisture out of the food through heating and cooling in addition to vacuum pressure over a period of time. The machine senses when it believes there is no more moisture in the food (approximate) and you can elect to continue the cycle if you still detect moisture after the initial process is complete. Depending on the moisture content of the food will have a direct effect on how long the process takes. Hope this answers your question.
@@cliffmolz8719 Thank you for going through the trouble and time to explain .I really appreciate that.All I knew the process is similar to what happens animals that die in cold windy environments
Hi ZeeZ, this video was about freeze drying ground beef for long term storage not how a freeze dryer works. There are plenty of videos that explain how they work. But thank you for letting me know and I'll mention how they work in a future video.
Put the ground beef in the clear plastic vacuum sealer bags in the portion size you want, with
an O2 absorber and a desiccant to make sure, then put a bunch of them into a larger mylar
bag and seal it. Then you don't have to worry about the vacuum sealer bags slowly leaking
air over several years. Even if a couple of them break their seals they are still safe to eat.
That’s what I do with all my
Vacuum, freeze dried food
This so far is the best information I've seen.
Thanks for the video . The most flexible source of meat for long term storage. Like your straining trick. You can use it in so many different dishes, and our furry children love it to, LOL.
Only regret I have with my Harvest Right is I bought the medium. Would get the big one if I could do it over.
I'd love to see a video of you taking a bag of that meat and turn it into tacos or something, just that process
For food storage
2:37 Love it!
Excellent video, thank you for sharing.
Thank you!! Very helpful ❤
Do you have any advice on freeze drying smoked brisket?
We love yalls videos!! Keep them coming please!!
Thank you 👍
Thanks for the informative video. What's the approximate life of the meat post freeze dried and stored?
I'm new to freeze drying. I'm testing candy tonight.
How come the meat dishes take do long? Do you have a chart i could get that shows times for freeze and dryer times?
Curious as to why you did not use a gravy separator to remove the oil and save you broth and add it back to your hamburger before freeze drying …I do understand it would take longer to freeze dry but save a bunch of flavor without having to add it back later…thank you for sharing your video I’m new to this …
There really was no broth to speak of when we drained the fat from the cooked ground beef. All the fat we drained in the pot would later turn hard. If there was any broth in the fat to put back in the beef, it would make the freeze drying process longer.
What is the cover you have over the opening of the freeze dryer? I didn't get one of those with my freeze dryer.
Harvest right used to give you an insulated pad but they stopped because they say it's not necessary.
Thank you….
You can write the date you dried them too for reference if wanted
Do you not need Oxygen Absorbers if you use a vacuum sealer?
No, you do not.
As Cliff mentioned, you don't need the O2 absorbers as long as it is vacuum sealed. It will be good for 25+ years when stored properly.
Thank you both. 😀
I can see if cooked it removes the fat. However I see people do it raw. How does the fat not make it go rancid.
You really need to cook out the fat or it will not freeze dry or store at all.
Pete, that's NOT a hamburger!
You invest in a lot of useful stuff for your homestead and you still buy store bought beef??
Find a local rancher selling 1/2 and whole beefs.
We have bought a half beef two years in a row now and total cost from cow- processing is under $5/ lb. And grass fed is so much better than store bought grain fed beef. Just sayin!
Removing the fat makes no sense.. take a look at all the big brands, they all have a lot of fat in them. If you don't have fat, you don't have any energy in the meat.
If you can't freeze dry the fat, then you ar doing it wrong.
I save the liquid from the meat, then put the liquid in jars and cool til the fat at the top hardens. Then I remove that top portion, melt it down, add bird seed and put them in square storage containers and cool them until they harden. Then we share them with the birds and squirrels in our yard. We have below zero temps that are lasting long, so the critters can benefit from our freeze drying prep.
Just FYI, the mylar is not just for light, but greatly reduces the oxygen transfer (which will spoil your food). Those bag you are using will not keep out oxygen and won't last that long for "long term" storage. You need Mylar and oxygen absorbers to keep your food from going bad.
If you want to learn more about it, SchoolReports does a really good job on the how's and why's around freeze drying
What's the URL for that site?
@@karlpierce3035 ua-cam.com/users/SchoolReports
I've sealed freeze dried foods in those clear plastic bags before but some would inevitably fail and often when I took them out to use them I would discover that the vacuum seal was gone and the food no longer any good. So now I've taken to sealing everything in jars. Jars are more expensive and take up more space but they can be reused indefinitely, including the lids. I also just got a vacuum sealer from Rain Country Homestead that allows me to seal food in just about any jar I have so long as the lid has a rubber seal on it. So now I save all of my old honey jars, spaghetti jars, etc. to use for storing freeze dried foods. Fortunately, I have a large pantry so using jars works for me. Thanks for the video. It's really motivated me to get a lot more freeze drying done!
Yes you have to be careful with the clear plastic bags especially if the dried food has sharp or pointy edges or if the packages gets handled roughly. Also be careful with the canning jar lids, I think the rubber lid seal is only good for a few years.
@@petebeasttexashomesteading Thanks for the heads up! I wasn't aware of that. I'll use mylar bags for long term storage and the jars only for things I plan to use up within the year.
@JRAinCA use 8 mil mylar bags as well as o2 absorbers, and put a bunch in a 5 gallon food pail with a gamma seal lid, pretty much will last indefinitely
How long is the freeze dried cooked meat shelf stable?
If I use a dehydrator, can I make cooked ground meat shelf stable if I seal the meat in a food saver bag? If so, how long does it keep shelf stable?
@@mariettasmith6222 If the freeze dried ground beef is very lean and you drain what little fat is left out, then placed in vacuum sealed bags, it should last 25 years. Dehydrated beef would probably only last less than a year placed in vacuum sealed bags.
Your thoughts on freeze drying raw ground beef?
Glad you are enjoying the freeze dryer! There is truly a huge difference between the quality of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods. I don't have the budget or the space, unfortunately. But I have been happy with the bulk foods I have purchased. I am using more freeze dried foods versus GMO produce that has very low nutrition. And am converting all my camping meals to home-packed freeze dried versus the expensive $10 to $15 store-bought junk! Thanks The Great Out There
Everything I have read about long term storage including from Harvest Right, says the food saver bags will not hold a seal for long term especially at 4 mil. Recommended for long term storage is either 7 mil Mylar or glass jars. I apologize if this is wrong info but I would hate for you to loose your food stores because of the bags. Thanks for sharing.
I also hear that sucking the oxygen out of a bag is not as effective as an oxygen absorber primarily because by using an O2 absorber, you create an environment that is primarily Nitrogen, which is fantastic and actually superior to a lack of air. - Has anyone else heard this?
Yes, you are correct. Those bags will loose the seal and should not be used. Always use OA.
Curious about this as well!
That’s correct the mylar layer stops the long term oxygen migration that ruins food.
Some vacuum sealers will use up to 7mil Mylar bags. I’d still put an oxygen absorber in the bag too.
Great video Pete, you and Tanya make an excellent team, very efficient. 👍👍💚🐂🐂☉
Thank you 👍
What is that cover you added before closing the door? I haven’t seen that before.
Harvest right used to give you an insulative pillow to cover the door but they've stopped because it's really not necessary.
The meat is not fully dry. The machine is assuming it’s fully dry, but it’s not. You need to weigh each tray in grams and write the weight down of each tray. Then return it back to the Freeze dryer for more drying, about 2-3 hours. Then weigh the trays again. If the weight has drop from the last weigh in, you need to return them back in for more drying. Because moisture is still being removed. You keep weighing and drying till the weight has stop dropping.
I do home made MRE’s and freeze dry raw meat like chicken breast and hamburgers.
Good luck and God Bless.
Let me start by saying thanks for your videos, they help us newbies alot!
I would like to know if you have rehydrated any of the ground beef you and your wife have prepared and if so how long had it been vacuum sealed and stored?
I have a foodsaver vacuum sealer and the clear bags.
Do you know if that will vacuum seal good enough to store like yall are doing?
Thanks again!
If you have freeze dried your ground beef, then the food saver bags would work just as good as the clear bags we used in the video. From what I understand, these clear bags will store food around 5 years and mylar bags about 25 years. We have not yet rehydrated the beef but we might in a future video.
Foodsaver bags are not air tight and won't keep FD foods dry for long term.
the two bottom trays look darker than the top two trays, is there an explanation for this? You make this seem much more simple and much easier than the channel "SchoolReports" If it is this Simple, im interested in doing this my self.
Guys with freeze dryers always get the best girls. This was super informative and helpful. Thank you. Never imagined we could do this on our own with the right equipment...!!
😁👍
Can any one tell me what settings to set my harvest right at for fruit. I wanna do banana strawberry’s and raspberry’s. I need to no what to set the machine at. Please help guys ????? :)
If you have the latest software update, you don't have to set anything. Just make sure the fruit on the trays are frozen and put them in the machine when it tells you and the rest is automatic.
Thank you buddy
Can you tell me about how much 1.5 lbs of ground beef is equal to freeze dried ground beef?
I don't feel this is a long term solution. There is still fat in that meat as it doesn't all strain out. We cook and can our burger in a beef broth for flavor amd ALL the fat raises to the top and we remove it from there and use it in recipes
Why not freeze dry raw like the way dogs are supposed to eat? Unnecessary process
I started feeding them raw but had a lot of issues with them throwing up all the time and it stopped when we cooked it. Who knows what nasty bacteria the chickens pick up in the meat processing plants.
That’s not how raw feeding works. You must’ve been doing it wrong. Dogs have different bacteria in their gut as a different species. Unless it’s rancid meat, dogs tolerate bacteria humans can’t. Dogs don’t get as much nutrient from cooked food. If you’re not feeding your dogs organs and bones with the protein, your dogs will be deficient.
Thanks Pete, I'm waiting on freezer to arrive. I just subscribed and I look forward to our YT friendship, Navy Mark...
Just discovered your channel. Now I MUST bing watch everything. Thanks for sharing you knowledge and expertise.
Thank you 👍
Just did my first 'meat' batch. We did Some cooked ground taco beef and some store bought rotisserie chicken. They dried up quite well in 10 hours, which surprised me because I expected it to take longer. Anyway, it appears its so dry I could crumble it into dust; however, my hand felt a big greasy after touching it and the bottom of the pan had a greasy film. Does the grease affect long term storage? it was 90/10 beef.
It's impossible to remove all the fat so I wouldn't worry about it too much. The beef we did had a much higher fat content but we did drain as much as possible when we cooked it and it's still dry and crumbly.
You should also rinse the meat before you freeze dry
I drain like you do but also take a metal bowl and press it into the beef to "help" the draining process.
Once my ground beef has rendered, i drain and take additional steps. I place the ground beef in beef broth and simmer covered. I skin of additional fat 4 5 6 times and then strain. Then its freeze dry time!......almost no fat at all!!👍👍
Why not store-bought instead of spending thousands and thousands on the equipments to do it yourself?
So I won't be dependent on the stores and make all kinds of freeze dried food my self for a fraction of what I can buy.
I just can mine. I make chili, taco meat, regular ground beef. Just pour it out, heat it up and you’re good to go!
How do you decide if it needs more drying time at the end of the cycle? Once you open the chamber it’s impossible to start drying again
You check for cold spots or moisture in the food by touching it. It should be dry and light. The freeze dryer will give you the option for more dry time if needed.
Love how you work together
We do use O2 absorbers on things we don't want crushed, but otherwise we vacuum seal.
Nice video on FD ground beef. Do you recall what the fat content of the meet was when you asarted, like 80/20 or did you buy lean ground beef. Also did you need to rinse the meat after straining it to remove a little more oil?
This was 73% ground beef so the fat was pretty high. No need to rinse the meat after straining it. Of the 30lbs we cooked, we removed about 6 quarts of fat from the meat. Of course 80% ground beef would have a little less.
I always rinse my ground beef to make sure there is little to no fat left. There is no oil residue on my trays after freeze drying.
Just got my freeze dryer and I’m excited
How long does it store?
Thank you for your video, I have a question, I freeze dried 9 pounds. It took a little over 71 hours and I still had ice crystals in some spots even though I put it back 4 times extra dry time (I have a large unit with five trays as well) What did I do wrong? I even rinsed the cooked beef after draining it for 2 hours. I am new to freeze drying and learning. Please give me some insight if you can. Thanks, Pam
Sorry for the late response. You might have over filled the freeze dryer. Make sure the food is not higher than the tray rim and that it's been in your freezer overnight and frozen solid before putting it in the freeze dryer.
How much extra dry and freeze time did you add in settings?
Where can my momma and daddy get a dry freezer at🤔🤔🤔 plzz and thx
Check out Harvest Right Freeze Dryers. Waiting on ours to be delivered! Really Like their Customer Service (They've gone over and above for us already!) Seem like a great group of guys. PS. Black Friday sale running right now!!!
Have you tried using an oxygen absorber with the vacuum sealer? If so, how did that come out. The folks at Harvest Right tell me that meat stored in a vacuum seal lasts only about 5 years, but that with an oxygen absorber and mylar bags 25. I was thinking about using both the chamber vacuum sealer and throwing in an oxygen absorber packet. Advice?
True the vacuum sealed ground beef in non mylar bags will last about 5 years and mylar 25 years. You would be wasting an Oxygen absorber if you vacuum seal the bag because vacuum sealing removes the air in the bag. But it wouldn't hurt either.
Yes. Same O2 absorber question. Also, how long is each packet good for if stored in those dark totes as mentioned?
No O2 absorbers needed as long as you use a vacuum sealer. The food is good for 25+ years.
@@petebeasttexashomesteading Roger that. Thanx. Ordered my harvestright today. 🦌🇺🇸
@@puskabeuford8667 Awesome 👍 you'll enjoy freeze drying and storing food especially as food prices are going up.
@@petebeasttexashomesteading yup. I am good for 1 year but think 3 is a better level of readiness. Just praying there is time before things get bad (God forbid) . 🦌👍🇺🇸
@@petebeasttexashomesteading real interested in a "gaserator" to build. Knew a friend of my dad who had a truck that ran off woodchips. Cool stuff.
I know they drained most of the fat but I thought it would still go rancid if you try to store long term. How long will this be good for? Would love to try it out
Agreed, I thought you still needed to rinse the meat with boiling water to make sure all of the fat was gone, or it would go rancid.
Great video and suggestions Pete. 👏👏🥩
Wow that's a lot of work. Many hours. Those machines to do all that has to be cha ching.
Great video.
about $4k for the machine he has.
What type of cart do you use to place your Harvest Right in for use? I just received mine and am looking for a cart, rolling if possible, in which to place it. Thanks
We are looking for a cart too. If anyone has a link to a cart for the FD
We just ordered a Cart on Amazon for our Medium FD that we have on order. (Hopefully Cart gets here first! LOL.) "QUDEISB Stainless Steel Table Two-Tier 30x24x34 Inch Steel Table Heavy Duty Worktable for Home Hotel and Commercial Kitchen Restaurant Business, Adjustable Height Table with Caster Wheels". ($122.99) We had a 30" wide space so we could put Vacuum Pump beside FD. We also wanted an adjustable lower shelf to put bucket on that would also go low to hold a plastic set of drawers (Sterilite) to put towels, Mits, Utensils etc... in. Uline also carries a LARGE selection of Heavy-Duty Carts (albeit a slightly higher price). Thank You Pete & Tanya for your wonderful Video and for sharing your knowledge with us!!! And thank you to all the people that responded with info about Vacuum Seal bags versus Mylar Bags. I have seen many different opinions on this subject and ALL input is Appreciated! Blessings.
Thank you. Waiting for my Harvest Right to show up soon.
Wonderful!
I am going to try to take the liquids that were drained off and cool enough to skim the fat off the top and freeze dry the broth that is left. Good beef bullion!
You are the lady he was so lucky have as his Wife?
It seems so 😀
I was going to ask about this
@@pjmtts No I am not that lady but it sure is a compliment to be mistaken for her.
The plastic bags do not prevent the oxygen from entering , you need to use mylar.
No O2 absorbers?
@@Former11BRAVO No needs for O2 absorbers , the bags are vacuumed sealed.
I would like to see a video of some meat that you had stored several years or longer ago. And have you reconstitute it and taste test it.
Is that vacuum seal better for longevity of the food than o2 absorbers in Mylar bags?
So is the pre-freezing in a regular freezer a necessary step?
No. It can shorten your freezing time in the freeze dryer but is not a necessary step.
Just found your channel, great video on freeze drying...👍🇺🇸
I ALSO RINSE WITH HOT WATER BEFORE I PUT IN FREEZE DRYER GETS ALL THE FAT OFF
That is outstanding. And you could use a bone broth that is pressure canned to store it longer term.
Where in East Texas are yall at? im in Diana,TX
Thanks Pete... we are working on this as well... do you know a way to store the fat?
Blessings 🌞
You could try freezing it but fat does not store well.
When you cook the beef (unseasoned) strain the fat off into a bow or jar. Let it set until cooled. The solid is the tallow. The liquid underneath can be tossed.
Store in the freezer or fridge.
There’s lots of videos on UA-cam about rendering tallow from beef and lard from pork.
@@melissam450 thanks Melissa, I have plenty of Lard and haven't done the beef tallow however. Blessings 🌞
Appreciate the video curious if it would be best to boil the meat in water and scoop the grease off the top as best possible before running through strainer. as you allow the meat to drain your way, as the meat cools so will the grease preventing some to remain within. by boiling i would assume you would have more water content over all which will be drawn out during the freeze drying process.
I guess you could do that but there's a lot of grease/fat in the meat. It was just easier for us to let it strain.
Do you not have to rinse the grease off the meat before freeze drying?
Great video! About how long did it take to cook all of that ground beef? Did all 30lbs fit in that one pot? If not, how many lbs. fit in the pot? What size pot is it? How do you properly reconstitute it? Is there a ratio of dry to water? I listened to this video last week, but forgot to document things. We are just about to freeze dry some ground beef starting tomorrow. Thanks.
Thanks, we cooked 15 pounds in a pot at a time and we used a 16 quart pot.
Curious how big are your dogs?
How much do you give them each in one feeding? Do you mix anything else in your dog food?
Toby is about 95lbs and Mia is about 85lbs. We feed them mainly chicken and beef with beans and some veggies. Here's a video I did on one of their meals. ua-cam.com/video/zjbHXIktKzc/v-deo.html
Just wondering if the vacuum sealed bags need an oxygen absorber?
From what I understand they really don't need o2 absorbers if you use a chamber vacuum sealer because they pull a very high vacuum, but it wouldn't hurt.
Does it really heat up your home with having it on the main floor, waiting on mine, trying to decide where to put it.
It does put out some heat and it helps that I put a fan on one side to keep it cooler. You can't put the freeze dryer in a small room because the unit will get too hot and let you know on the screen that the room temperature is too warm. I would put it in a large room or garage if the temperatures are not too hot outside.
I love your videos I have a freeze dryer in a vacuum sealer. Having trouble with the bags keeping vacuum.Do you have any ideas?
If the food you're freeze drying has pointy or sharp edges, then it could pierce the bag if handled roughly. Also if you're using the clear bags, try to get thicker bags no less than 4 ml thickness and mylar bags at 7 to 7.5 ml thickness.
Thank you good info
Thanks for the video! What did you do with the fat?
Why was the hamburger two different colors?
It could depend on the meat to fat content or how long it was exposed to air.
Pete, it almost sounded as though you normally do not eat ground beef? What was the fat to beef ratio you used to freeze dry? I have not tried to freeze dry cooked hamburger yet (we have canned it), which entails running water over the hamburger after you drain it. However, I have cooked hamburgers on the grill and then subsequently freeze dried the cooked patties, which I suppose would be essentially the same thing. I was really surprised you didn't use your professional vacuum sealer in your last blueberry video? Cheers
I haven't eaten meat in over 15 years for health reasons. I do eat eggs and occasionally eat fish. I did use the primavac 305 in the video to seal the bags but you could also use a food saver vacuum sealer instead.
Excellent video. Thank you
Thx for sharing
Pete, i have a question...
When the process is complete, food is kept frozen. I take it out, it appears very dry. My steps: Working quickly, I remove one tray at a time, place in a canning jar with oxy and then vacuum the air out. Next day my food is limp and not so dried. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't mind offering your theories? Thanks so much for another great video!
Take the food out of the freeze drier immediately when the freeze drier stops because the trays will be warm still. If you can't just hit the warm tray button. If you take the food out of the freeze drier when the food is cold, all the humidity in the air will stick to the food like on a cold glass of water does on a hot day. Hope this helps.
@@petebeasttexashomesteading thank you so much! After i called the company i learned why it just keeps freezing and freezing. The styrofoam panel that sits on top of the tray holder came loose. They told me to use heat resistant 2 sided tape to stick it back on. Seems it was causing the sensor to be confused.
I do have some chicken that i ran and put into jars while frozen. I stuck the jars in the freezer. When my tape arrives i will reprocess.
Thanks again for your help. I truly appreciate it.
Please post another video soon Pete
Pete how long will that meat last as long as it's not unsealed?
We put them in regular plastic vacuum seal bags because we plan on using them in the next 5 years. But if vacuum sealed in mylar bags, it will last 25+ years.
We’re in Tyler. How close are y’all? Just stumbled onto the channel!
Hi, we're around the Lufkin and Nacogdoches area.
@@petebeasttexashomesteading great! Quick question.. my mom and I are going in on a harvest right freeze dryer. My question is, have you rehydrated the food that you have freeze dried and is the quality and texture the same as if it were fresh? Just curious! thanks so much
Too bad about the fat...humans need fat!
There's still fat in it, just less
I might have missed it, but how long does the freeze dried beef store for?
25+ years
no extra dry time?
We only add extra dry time if we find the food still moist.
Where did you get your freeze dryer cart?
Harbor freight, it's the 24"x 36" metal cart.
But you'll have to put a piece of plywood on the bottom of the top rack so the freeze dryer is more stable.
@Pete, how much heat does this put out? I ordered mine 2 weeks ago and considering placing it in a bedroom that has been converted to a food storage room. Thanks and love the videos.
A bedroom will be too small. You would need to run it in an open area like living room or kitchen. You could run it in a garage if the outside side temps are not over 80 degrees. The machine will alert you on the display when the room temperature gets over 80 degrees.
Thanks!
I have my freeze dryer in a spare bedroom (approximately 12 X12) that I have converted for food storage also. I have used it in that room for 1 year now and it works great with no over heating issues at all. I have a ceiling fan that I keep on and I also have a small fan blowing on the vacuum pump. Works great! 👍🏼👍🏼
I have a large in a bedroom, upstairs. I keep an AC unit in the window on auto, with a little usb input and exhaust fan (powered by a power brick) as well as a small fan on the pump while the system is being used. The room is my 'attic', with shelving and an extra freezer. This is our first summer with the freeze dryer, and it's been 90/100 often, without any real issues when I've used it. Only trouble I've had is a rogue storm knocking out power, then the room gets warm real quick. Happened once. ;)
Hi, did u use any extra dry time on this full batch?
Also how many years will this store?
And why no O2 absorbers?
When the freeze dryer is done, it will ask you if you want to add more dry time which you then can add more after checking the food. Ground beef done this way will store 25+ years in a mylar bag with O2 absorbers or vacuum sealed. You don't need O2 absorbers if you vacuum seal them because you are pulling all the oxygen out of the bag when you vacuum seal.
Question, I just did a full batch in larger FD. I used 17.25 lbs raw (mix of store bought and organic beef) I filled the 5 trays pretty full. Did you have leftovers from that 30 lbs that didn't go into FD batch? No way I would get 30 lbs in 5 trays. Thx.
@@mrpush2532The reason you couldn't fit the 30lbs on all the trays is because you freeze dryed it raw with all the fat. It's best to cook the ground beef to get most of the fat out. Fat does not freeze dry well and therefore will not store well either. Not sure how long it will last with the fat on it.
@@mrpush2532 Forgot to mention that out of the 30lbs of 73% ground beef, we got 6 quarts of fat. You'll get let if you use 80% ground beef.
@@petebeasttexashomesteading Hi, sorry, I did cook the ground, drained, rinsed and pressed several times. No way I would fit 30 lbs of beef, even fattier beef, on 5 large FD trays.
Granted my organic grass fed has less fat, I recorded pre and post rinse and press.
I might have squeezed 20 lbs on 5 trays...but 30 no way possible. Thx.
maybe I missed it. what's the shelf life of it?
25+ years
@@petebeasttexashomesteading Wow! That would make it worth while for me. Thank you and thank you for the helpful videos. God bless.
The shelf life in plastic bags, which are oxygen permeable over time, will not be 25 years. You would be lucky to get 5 years if that. Mylar has a layer of plastic and a thin layer of aluminum foil which makes them impermeable for that 25 years if an O2 absorber is used and it is sealed properly. The amount of fat left on that meat without rinsing in warm water to get off the rest of the fat will also limit the shelf life. Fat cannot be freeze-dried so even a little bit will shorten the shelf life considerably.
@@melanierife1378 This is exactly what I was going to reply with. I think Pete should do more research before posting videos and spreading bad information. Also, buy a moisture checker, they are under $30 and you can be sure about your moisture content. I used to think my food was dry when it was done. It felt very dry but when I checked it with the meter sometimes it would still have a bit of moisture in it. I buy Mylar vacuum bags and I still use a 300cc oxygen absorber when I vacuum pack my food. I'd hate to think I have all this food ready to go and find out some of it went bad from moisture/oxygen.
No one seems to know how long home freeze dried meat will store for long term. Home freeze dryers have only been out a little over 10 years. But I have heard that you need to rinse your ground beef with hot water to get as much fat out as possible. Supposedly that will make it store longer. It does remove some flavor as fat is what gives meat flavor. But ground beef will be used in other dishes so flavor will be added. Thanks for the video.
Do not wash your meat with water , The fat is the nutrition
Hey! The part store sells a digital thermo gun! Which can be used to see the temp on each tray after taken out,.. Scanning for cold spots or consistent temperature! Works great
Don’t need that if you do the weight method taught by school report another great FD channel. What he teaches is bullet proof.
You let it go through regulate drying time then when it gets to extra dry time you cancel and weigh, then put back in for 2 more hours, cancel and weigh again, when there is no weight change in 2 hours your product is completely dry!!
Great vidro! Are oxygen absorbers needed for storing freeze dried meat in canning jars?
They are not needed if you vacuum seal the jars but otherwise yes they are needed.
Main question is how the freeze dryer works over that long time .You ignored this so 👎
I have the same freeze dryer (medium sized one). The freeze dryer takes all of the moisture out of the food through heating and cooling in addition to vacuum pressure over a period of time. The machine senses when it believes there is no more moisture in the food (approximate) and you can elect to continue the cycle if you still detect moisture after the initial process is complete. Depending on the moisture content of the food will have a direct effect on how long the process takes. Hope this answers your question.
@@cliffmolz8719 Thank you for going through the trouble and time to explain .I really appreciate that.All I knew the process is similar to what happens animals that die in cold windy environments
Hi ZeeZ, this video was about freeze drying ground beef for long term storage not how a freeze dryer works. There are plenty of videos that explain how they work. But thank you for letting me know and I'll mention how they work in a future video.
No mention of fat percentage? That is rather important.
It was 27% fat