Backpacking on the Carnivore Diet

[ThorM465]

I'm trying to work out a meal plan for 3-4 day excursions this elk season in WY that allows me to stick to the carnivore diet. I'd like to expand my menu beyond salami, cheese, and cold pemmican bricks. I'm going to take some homemade trail mix, but I'd like to limit it. We plan to subsidize our meal plan with some fishing while we're out, I'm not sure how well this will work out.

Has anyone taken homemade beef bone broth backpacking with you? If it's frozen when I throw it in the bottom of my pack, how long should I expect it to last before it turns? I'd like to take 2x 6oz packets per day and use some of it to warm up the pemmican brick.

Has anyone tried the Keto Bricks? Are they edible? I've tried the RXbars, but I have to be 48hrs into a fast before those are edible.

Any other recommendations?

 

[S.Clancy]

I used to make my own meat bars, they were pretty good. I will say that carnivore and backpacking is gonna suck, that food will be heavy, unless you forgo alot of protein and just eat fat. In that case, I love PB, cashews, macadamia nuts, etc.

 

[BFM]

I haven't gone yet but I ordered some freeze dried ingredients to try and compile my own hot meals. Eggs, cheese, sausage, ground beef, pork.
Packitgourmet.com sells single ingredients and cook in bags.

 

[KHNC]

Packit gourmet is my goto for general dehydrated meals. They are excellent compared to the others i have tried.

 

[Harvey_NW]

Has anyone taken homemade beef bone broth backpacking with you? If it's frozen when I throw it in the bottom of my pack, how long should I expect it to last before it turns?

I haven't, but I wouldn't trust a liquid form of broth to keep well for very long at moderate temps considering bacteria and mold start multiplying and growing rapidly once exposed to oxygen. This is about the cleanest broth/collagen powder I've been able to find here. There are others like this and this that have a couple extra ingredients, but are still clean and net 0-1g carbs that might be much easier to deal with. I try to keep a mostly carnivore and low carb daily diet, but I've just decided that as long as I'm backpacking and burning the carbs off, I'm not giving up my mountain house dinners. It's pretty tough and even the "keto" or "carnivore" marketed options tend to have almost as much filler crap in them if you read the ingredients. Best of luck, hoping this thread will generate some more tips and options.

I used to make my own meat bars, they were pretty good.

How did you make these? I've been trying to figure out how to make shelf stable meat bars similar to Epic brand, but there's a very limited amount of credible info out there about curing anything besides muscle meat. I was going to try curing burger and pressing into patties, and then smoking dry and vacuum sealing.

 

[S.Clancy]

I haven't, but I wouldn't trust a liquid form of broth to keep well for very long at moderate temps considering bacteria and mold start multiplying and growing rapidly once exposed to oxygen. This is about the cleanest broth/collagen powder I've been able to find here. There are others like this and this that have a couple extra ingredients, but are still clean and net 0-1g carbs that might be much easier to deal with. I try to keep a mostly carnivore and low carb daily diet, but I've just decided that as long as I'm backpacking and burning the carbs off, I'm not giving up my mountain house dinners. It's pretty tough and even the "keto" or "carnivore" marketed options tend to have almost as much filler crap in them if you read the ingredients. Best of luck, hoping this thread will generate some more tips and options.


How did you make these? I've been trying to figure out how to make shelf stable meat bars similar to Epic brand, but there's a very limited amount of credible info out there about curing anything besides muscle meat. I was going to try curing burger and pressing into patties, and then smoking dry and vacuum sealing.

I used to make them with ground meat, ground nuts and dried fruit. Use a good marinade and dehydrate. Then vac seal. They were always good for a week to 10 days min.

 

[ThorM465]

I haven't, but I wouldn't trust a liquid form of broth to keep well for very long at moderate temps considering bacteria and mold start multiplying and growing rapidly once exposed to oxygen. This is about the cleanest broth/collagen powder I've been able to find here. There are others like this and this that have a couple extra ingredients, but are still clean and net 0-1g carbs that might be much easier to deal with. I try to keep a mostly carnivore and low carb daily diet, but I've just decided that as long as I'm backpacking and burning the carbs off, I'm not giving up my mountain house dinners. It's pretty tough and even the "keto" or "carnivore" marketed options tend to have almost as much filler crap in them if you read the ingredients. Best of luck, hoping this thread will generate some more tips and options.

That's a good point. My home made beef bone broth is a gelatin at room temp. My Wife tells me that I use to many bones and make it to concentrated. However, I like that way. Anyways, I wonder what that does to its stability. Starting frozen, sitting in the bottom of my pack in WY in late Oct at 8k to 11k ft of elevation I wouldn't think it would ever get above 60 degrees on a sub 72hr excursion. Maybe I should take enough for the first 48hrs and make due with water on the 3rd and 4th day. I might be able to vacuum seal it. Worst case I'll store and transport it in my Wife's breast milk storage bags.

 

[Harvey_NW]

That's a good point. My home made beef bone broth is a gelatin at room temp. My Wife tells me that I use to many bones and make it to concentrated. However, I like that way. Anyways, I wonder what that does to its stability. Starting frozen, sitting in the bottom of my pack in WY in late Oct at 8k to 11k ft of elevation I wouldn't think it would ever get above 60 degrees on a sub 72hr excursion. Maybe I should take enough for the first 48hrs and make due with water on the 3rd and 4th day. I might be able to vacuum seal it. Worst case I'll store and transport it in my Wife's breast milk storage bags.

That just means you're making it right haha, mine is only liquid after pressure canned in the jar. Once opened, it will gel back up. It might keep a bit longer if you packed them frozen just before going in, interested in hearing what you end up doing and how it goes!

 

[TaperPin]

What’s the worst thing that could happen?

 

[ThorM465]

That just means you're making it right haha, mine is only liquid after pressure canned in the jar. Once opened, it will gel back up. It might keep a bit longer if you packed them frozen just before going in, interested in hearing what you end up doing and how it goes!

If I survive I'll report back.

 

[wesfromky]

You could always slum it up a bit with shelf stable store bought bone broth in a cardboard container. Like https://www.kettleandfire.com/products/grass-fed-beef-bone-broth

 

[ThorM465]

You could always slum it up a bit with shelf stable store bought bone broth in a cardboard container. Like https://www.kettleandfire.com/products/grass-fed-beef-bone-broth

How do they make theirs shelf stable?

 

[wesfromky]

How do they make theirs shelf stable?

Likely a canning process of some type would be my guess, but I don't know for sure. It is on the shelves though, and usually has at least a couple year "Best by" date.

 

[Harvey_NW]

Likely a canning process of some type would be my guess, but I don't know for sure. It is on the shelves though, and usually has at least a couple year "Best by" date.

I would imagine it's no different than canning broth at home, it's only shelf stable until it's opened and exposed to oxygen. That's why those boxes have a disclaimer to refrigerate after opening, and use within a short amount of time.

 

[ThorM465]

I wonder if I put it in plastic containers while it's still hot and immediately place it in the deep freezer if that would suffice?

 

[wesfromky]

I wonder if I put it in plastic containers while it's still hot and immediately place it in the deep freezer if that would suffice?

I don't think that would work - as was mentioned above, it is only shelf stable until opened. But, I would guess it would be OK to use half one day, and half the next if you were out in cooler temps. The small boxes are 16oz, so only a severing or two anyway.

 

[ThorM465]

I don't think that would work - as was mentioned above, it is only shelf stable until opened. But, I would guess it would be OK to use half one day, and half the next if you were out in cooler temps. The small boxes are 16oz, so only a severing or two anyway.

I would put it in 6 or 8oz containers and use the entire bag when opened for the first time after freezing. I wonder if I could find a shrink wrap that would fit over the screw on lids?

 

[wesfromky]

I would put it in 6 or 8oz containers and use the entire bag when opened for the first time after freezing. I wonder if I could find a shrink wrap that would fit over the screw on lids?

I don't think it works like that. The canning process kills everything inside the sealed container, but once you open it, it would be just like bone broth you made.

 

[fmyth]

That's a good point. My home made beef bone broth is a gelatin at room temp. My Wife tells me that I use to many bones and make it to concentrated. However, I like that way. Anyways, I wonder what that does to its stability. Starting frozen, sitting in the bottom of my pack in WY in late Oct at 8k to 11k ft of elevation I wouldn't think it would ever get above 60 degrees on a sub 72hr excursion. Maybe I should take enough for the first 48hrs and make due with water on the 3rd and 4th day. I might be able to vacuum seal it. Worst case I'll store and transport it in my Wife's breast milk storage bags.

As soon as it reaches 40 deg F bacteria begins to grow rapidly.

 

[wesfromky]

I would put it in 6 or 8oz containers and use the entire bag when opened for the first time after freezing. I wonder if I could find a shrink wrap that would fit over the screw on lids?

Saw these at the store today - might be worth checking out.

https://www.amazon.com/Bare-Bones-Instant-Beverage-Friendly/dp/B07T15BBGP