Dried Venison and Hominy Camp Stew
An all-dried winter stew: jerky, hominy, squash, and prairie turnips, rehydrated in one pot.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 94
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 90 min
- total time
- 100 min
- water
- 700 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
- Campfire coals
- Liquid fuel
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dried hominy | 3 oz | soak it in the pot from morning on |
|---|---|---|
| Dried timpsila (prairie turnip) | 2 oz | dried parsnip or dried potato slices if you have no timpsila |
| Dried squash | 1 oz | kabocha or butternut, sliced thin before drying |
| Dried onion or leek | 1/2 oz | crumbled |
| Dried venison, jerky, or bapa | 3 oz | unsweetened, torn small |
| Beef or venison bouillon | 3 cubes | stands in for the trotter broth |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- In the morning, put the hominy and timpsila in the pot with about 700 ml of water and let them sit all day. Cold soaking cuts the fuel bill in half.
- At camp, bring the pot to a boil, then hold it at a low simmer over coals or a throttled stove.
- After 45 minutes, add the squash, onion, jerky, and bouillon. Stir.
- Simmer another 45 minutes, until the hominy splits open and the timpsila go soft. Add water if it drops below the solids.
- Salt and pepper at the end. The bouillon is already salty, so taste first.
This is a long-simmer stew built entirely from dried food, which makes it a good fit for cold weather and a fire you are sitting next to anyway. The original leans on a rich trotter broth for body; on the trail that is not happening, so bouillon carries the salt and the hominy carries the thickening. Dried meat gives you protein but almost no viscosity, so the starch has to do that work.
The timing matters more than the technique. Hominy and prairie turnips are the slowest things in the pot, so they get a full day of cold soak and a head start on the simmer. Squash, onion, and jerky go in late — they only need to soften, and jerky held at a boil for ninety minutes turns to thread.
Packing
Hominy and timpsila share one bag since they soak together. Squash, onion, jerky, and bouillon go in a second bag added later. Label them or you will dump the jerky in at hour zero and boil it to string.
Variations
- Dried corn instead of hominy. It cooks faster and stays sweeter.
- A packet of instant mashed potato at the end if you want it thick enough to eat with a spoon standing up.
- Powdered bone broth in place of the bouillon for more body.
https://foragerchef.com/dried-venison-soup-with-timpsila-bapa-wohanpi