Brisket Chili, Rehydrated
Smoked spice, freeze-dried beef, and a pot of chili that gets built from dry weight.
- calories
- 690
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 125
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- 600 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
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Car camping
- Gluten free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried beef | 3 oz | stands in for cubed brisket; bacon bits carry the smoke |
|---|---|---|
| Real bacon bits | 1 oz | the shelf-stable kind in a pouch, not the cooler |
| Tomato powder | 1/3 cup | replaces two cans of fire-roasted tomatoes |
| Dried onion flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Beef bouillon | 2 cubes | |
| Chili powder | 2 tbsp | |
| Smoked paprika | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Cumin | 1 1/2 tsp | |
| Onion powder | 1 tsp | |
| Brown sugar | 1 tsp | |
| Cinnamon | 1/8 tsp | sounds wrong, is not |
| Cayenne | 1/4 tsp | |
| Salt and pepper | 1 tsp each | |
| Instant refried bean flakes | 1/2 cup | thickener, and the reason it eats like chili |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Pour 600 ml of water into the pot with the beef, bacon bits, and onion flakes. Bring it to a boil.
- Cut the heat to a low simmer and hold it there ten minutes. The beef needs the time more than anything else does.
- Stir in the tomato powder, bouillon, and the whole spice mix. Simmer five more minutes, stirring so the tomato powder does not sit on the bottom and scorch.
- Off the heat, rain in the bean flakes a spoonful at a time until it thickens. Add the oil.
- Cover and wait five minutes. It tightens up as it sits.
The original is a Dutch oven project: cubed brisket seared in bacon fat, then an hour and a half braising in broth, ale, and two cans of tomatoes. None of that survives a pack. What does survive is the spice profile, which is where the recipe actually lives — chili powder and smoked paprika doing the heavy work, brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon rounding off the edges the long braise used to round off with time.
Tomato powder replaces the cans and drops about two pounds of carried water. Freeze-dried beef will not shred like brisket, so the bacon bits are non-negotiable: they put back the smoke and fat that the searing step used to provide. The bean flakes are the structural piece. Without them you have spiced broth with meat in it, and it will not sit right after a long day.
Packing
Spices, tomato powder, bouillon, and onion flakes go in one bag as a single premix. Beef, bacon bits, and bean flakes ride in their own bags so you control when each one hits the pot.
Variations
- A handful of corn chips crushed on top is the closest thing to cornbread out here.
- Powdered cheese or a chunk of hard cheddar stirred in at the end adds 150 calories and kills the tag list.
- Swap the beef for a second half cup of bean flakes and a scoop of TVP for a lighter, cheaper pot.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/brisket-chili