When talking about survival, properly preparing your food can make all the difference.
Poor cooking, improper storage, or a lack of hygiene can put your health at risk.
In this article, discover 5 basic techniques for cooking and safely and effectively preserving your meat in the great outdoors.
1. Prepare the meat: cut well for better consumption
Start by breaking the joints to separate the ribs without damaging your knife.
Boil or grill the main pieces on the spit, and use the small leftovers to prepare stews, broths, or soups.
The offals such as the heart, liver, kidneys, or even the brain are edible after cooking.
As for the language, just boil it until tender.
2. Smoking meat: ancient method, modern effectiveness
Smoking allows you to preserve meat for several weeks without refrigeration.
Create a closed space with ponchos or a parachute cloth above a gentle fire.
Avoid softwood, prefer lightly green hardwood to produce a dense smoke.
Cut the meat into slices of 6 cm maximum, place them without touching each other, and monitor the heat.
One night is enough for a week's preservation, two days for several weeks.
3. Drying the meat: simple and without fire
Drying is another method to store meat. Cut it into thin strips, then leave them in the open air in a ventilated and shaded place.
Protect them from insects with a fine cloth or a mosquito net.
It is an ultra-light technique, ideal for travel or long expeditions.
4. Cooking fish and reptiles: some tips to know
Fish can be boiled with the skin to retain the fats, or cooked in a clay ball to keep their juice.
Before smoking, remove the head and the central bone.
For the snakes, cut off the head, gut the animal, then grill or boil it in pieces, like small game.
5. Treating birds: effectiveness and precautions
Avoid scalding the birds, as it reduces the nutritional value. Prefer to pluck them, then boil or grill the meat.
Keep the useful organs such as the crop, the heart, and the liver.
If the bird is a scavenger, boil the carcass for at least 20 minutes to kill the parasites.
Conclusion
Preparing, cooking and properly preserving meat is an essential skill for surviving in the wild.
By combining these techniques of traditional cooking and natural preservation, you will be able to make the most of your food resources, without risk to your health.
