Big-Batch Trail Taco Meat
Cook two pounds of seasoned beef at home, dry it, and carry six dinners in a bag.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 113
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 350 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Car camping
- Canoe / raft
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Extra-lean ground beef | 2 lb | 93/7 or leaner; fat is what makes dried meat go rancid |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | 1 large, diced small | |
| Bell pepper | 1, diced small | |
| Chili powder | 3 tbsp | |
| Cumin | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 2 tsp | |
| Smoked paprika | 2 tsp | |
| Salt | 2 tsp | |
| Tomato powder | 1/3 cup | rehydrates into sauce; canned tomato does not travel |
| Instant refried bean flakes | 1 1/2 cups | 1/4 cup per serving, stirred in at camp |
| Flour tortillas | 12 small | two per serving |
| Olive oil | 6 tbsp | 1 tbsp per serving, in a dropper bottle |
Method
- At camp, bring 350 ml of water to a boil, then take the pot off the heat.
- Dump in one bag of dried meat mix and stir. Cover and wait eight minutes. Stir again halfway through or the bottom cakes.
- Put it back on low heat for two minutes if it is still chewy. Add water a splash at a time, never all at once.
- Stir in the bean flakes to thicken, then the oil.
- Spoon into tortillas. Warm the tortillas one at a time on the empty pot lid if the stove is still lit.
Bulk cooking is the whole point here. One skillet at home turns into six dinners that weigh five ounces each, and the work happens in a kitchen instead of in the dark with a headlamp. Lean beef matters more than flavor at this stage: fat left in the crumbles will turn on you in a warm pack within a week.
Dried ground meat rehydrates unevenly, which is why the bean flakes go in last. They pull the loose water into a paste and hide any crumbles that stayed stubborn. Tomato powder does the job canned sauce would, at a fraction of the weight, and the oil at the end puts back the calories that draining removed.
Packing
Brown the beef with the onion and pepper at home, drain it hard, blot it with paper towels, then stir in the spices. Spread thin on dehydrator trays at 145F for 7-8 hours until the crumbles snap. Divide into six bags with 1/4 cup bean flakes and a scoop of tomato powder each. Tortillas ride flat against your pack frame.
Variations
- Skip the tortillas and pour it over instant rice for a gluten-free version.
- A packet of hot sauce and a squeeze of lime powder cuts the fat.
- Double the bean flakes and eat it as a thick chili when the tortillas run out.
https://projectmealplan.com/meal-prep-ideas-for-large-families