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Podcast Episode 11:
Pork Dehydrating Basics -
From Lean Cuts to Bacon

SEASON 2

Susan Gast, founder of Easy Food Dehydrating

by: Susan Gast / Author, Blogger at Beesville Books, Bored Boomers, and a Food Dehydrating Fanatic!

Pork Dehydrating Basics - From Lean Cuts to Bacon

Pork Dehydrating Basics Podcast, Season 2, Episode 11

Thanks for checking out this Podcast Pork Dehydrating Basics - From Lean Cuts to Bacon

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00:04
Hello, and welcome to Easy Food Dehydrating, the show that teaches you how to safely dehydrate and store fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables along with cooked meats. Let's get going!

00:20
Alright.

Let's get ready to dive into something, a little different maybe than what you're used to. Yeah. Dehydrating pork.

Pork. You know, I always always thought dehydration was all about beef jerky. Mhmm. And, you know, maybe some dried fruit. But pork, that opens up a whole bunch of possibilities.

It does. And we're not just talking, like, you know, your typical pork chop.

Oh, yeah.

We're gonna be looking at everything from the lean loins all the way to that, like, you know, melt in your mouth, pork belly. Pork belly.

00:52
And even bacon.

Yo. You had me a bacon. I am so ready for this.

Okay. Great. Well, we're gonna be looking at a resource today, from Susan Gast. She's got a website called Easy Food Dehydrating.

Okay.

She's been a food preservation enthusiast since 2010.

Oh, wow. Okay. So she knows her stuff.

Yeah. She does. And and she's got a lot of good information on specifically pork.

So let's, let's unpack this a little bit. Okay. Why would we even wanna dehydrate pork in the first place?

Well, I mean, pork is delicious on its own, right? But when you dehydrate it, you're really concentrating those flavors down, and you're... you're making something. Right.

And you can take it with, you know, camping or backpacking. Yeah. Or, you know, just have around the house as a snack. I'm seeing, like, gourmet, premade... Yeah.

You know, dehydrated pork snacks.

Exactly. Yeah. Camping meals, like, all prepped and ready to go in my pack.

Yes. I love it. Sick!

Okay. So where do we start?

01:45
Okay. So she really breaks it down. She starts with the lean cuts, like pork loin and and pork chops.

K.

And and she's got this great tip about slicing against the grain.

Why is that important?

Well, if you think about it, when you slice against the grain, you're actually shortening the muscle fibers.

Okay.

So that way when it dries, it's not super chewy. It's... it's more tender.

Makes sense. Yeah. Yeah. Nobody wants tough jerky. No.

What if I don't have, like, a fancy dehydrator? Am I just out of luck?

No. No. No. She's got a hack for that too.

Oh, I love a good hack.

Yeah.

Tell me more.

02:17
Okay. So you can actually use your oven.

Okay.

You set it to its lowest setting, and then you put the pork on a wire rack.

Mhmm.

And then you prop the door open a little bit with, like, a wooden spoon. Okay.

So that the air can circulate.

So it's kinda mimicking that dehydrator.

Exactly.

That's amazing. I always thought a dehydrator was, like, an essential piece of equipment, but now I can kinda play around without having to buy another thing.

Right.

I love that.

Yeah. And and one thing to note about that that oven method, you you do wanna make sure the pork's already cooked.

02:48
Okay. So we're not talking raw meat here?

Not for this method. No.

Got it. Okay. So we've talked about lean cuts. Let's go to something a little more indulgent. Pork belly.

Yes. The pork belly adventure.

Alright. So what do we need to know?

So pork belly has higher fat content.

Okay.

So you do wanna trim any, like, excess fat off.

Okay. So nobody wants, like, greasy jerky.

Right.

Yeah.

Right. And then for the temperature, she recommends a hundred and forty five degrees, so a little bit lower.

Okay. Why is that?

It has to do with the fat rendering.

Rendering.

03:20
So as the fat renders, you don't want it to be, you know, like a greasy mess. You want it to kinda melt into the meat.

So it becomes part of it.

Right.

Oh, man. This sounds so good.

Yeah.

So it's like melt in your mouth, pork belly.

Exactly.

Jerky. Oh, man. And speaking of melt in your mouth, we can't forget about the king of deliciousness: bacon.

03:38
Yeah. So I bet some people are wondering, like, will that mess up your dehydrator? Yeah.

Will it be a smoky disaster in my kitchen?

Right.

But Susan says it's perfectly safe and effective as long as we remember how that fat renders at a lower temperature.

Right. Pork fat renders at a lower temperature.

Right. So low and slow. Got it. Okay. Now I know you've been doing some research of your own.

I have.

I have a good culinary adventure story.

03:59
Okay. So I found this Reddit post, and this person was talking about making jerky out of raw pork belly.

Raw pork belly.

Yeah. And get this, they marinate it first.

Woah. Hold on now. I'm a little scared, but very intrigued.

Right. So that that does raise some food safety questions.

Yeah.

I mean, dehydrating at a low temperature isn't the same as, like, cooking it to a safe temperature.

Right. So we're gonna have to dig into that a little bit further.

Arf.

Okay. But that's for later in the show. Yeah. Stay with us.

This raw pork belly thing, it's, definitely a little bit out there.

Yeah. I'm with you on that. Like, on the one hand, it sounds incredible, like, super flavorful.

Right. Melt in your mouth, you know, creation. Yeah. But on the other hand, I also don't wanna end up with, you know, food poisoning.

Right. Exactly. And and that's why we, you know, we have to be careful about taking that Reddit post as, you know, the the be all end all.

Yeah. For sure.

Especially when we're talking about something as important as food safety.

Absolutely. Yeah. Okay. So how do we balance, you know, that adventurous spirit with being, you know, safe and responsible?

05:05
Well, I think we start by going back to the basics. And and, you know, Susan, in her book, she really emphasizes safe dehydration temperatures. Yep. And in storage for all these different types of foods, including pork.

Yeah. You know, throughout her website, she's always saying, like, hey.

I want you to experiment in the kitchen. Right.

But let's make sure you're doing it safely.

Exactly. Yeah. That's why she's such a good resource. She's got years of experience, and she's clearly passionate about, you know, helping people preserve food safely.

Absolutely. So what are some of Susan's, like, golden rules when it comes to safe dehydration?

05:41
Well, first and foremost, she stresses using a food thermometer. Okay. You know, to make sure whatever you're dehydrating reaches the proper temperature. Right.

[Note from Susan: No, I do NOT use a thermometer as we are NOT cooking the meat. I think the Podcasters misunderstood; it's a case of setting the DEHYDRATOR to the correct temperature.]

To kill any bacteria.

So even though we're not, like, traditionally cooking. Mhmm.

You know. Right. The meat, we're still using that heat to make sure it's safe to eat.

Yeah. It's all about controlling that heat to get the texture and the flavor that you want and, you know, ensuring that it's safe to eat.

And then as far as storage goes, she she recommends storing your dried pork in airtight containers. Okay.

In a cool, dark place.

That makes sense. Light and moisture can really, you know, degrade the food over time.

06:19
Exactly. And and she even recommends putting oxygen absorbers in with it. Oh, wow. For long-term storage.

So we're really talking about, like, these delicious snacks that can last for months. Yeah. It's like having a culinary time machine.

It really is. And, you know, I'm thinking about all the different types of pork. Mhmm. And the different ways you can season it and dehydrate it. It just opens up so many possibilities.

Absolutely. It's like a blank canvas of flavor.

Yeah.

I'm already thinking, you know, crumbled bacon jerky in my trail mix or... Yeah.

Yeah.

Rehydrating some dried pork loin, you know, that I've seasoned and throwing that into a stir fry.

Yeah. There you go.

I mean, the possibilities are endless.

They really are. And this has really, like, changed my mind about dehydrated food.

Like, Like, I always thought it was kinda bland and boring. But Right. Now that we've been talking about this, I'm like, oh my gosh.

Yeah. It's a whole new world.

It is.

Okay.

So we've opened this door now. Yeah.

Of dehydrated deliciousness. But let's circle back.

07:12

Sponsor Message
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07:59
To that raw pork belly for a second.

Right.

Because I still feel like that's, you know, pretty uncharted territory.

It is. And, you know, we still need to do a little bit more research on the safety of it.

Yeah.

But but I think the fact that it's even a possibility... Mhmm. Really speaks to the, you know, the potential of food preservation. Yeah.

It's like a culinary invitation to, you know, push the boundaries.

Exactly. It's the status quo.

Yeah. And and, you know, but we do have to be careful about safety.

Yes.

You know, we don't want to encourage anybody to do something unsafe.

Absolutely.

But I love this idea of, like, within safe boundaries. Right.

There's just this huge world of exploration. Yeah.

And discovery. Exactly.

And that's what's so exciting about this.

It is.

It's not just about learning specific techniques.

Right.

But it's about getting people to think outside the box. Yes.

And get creative in the kitchen. Exactly. And it doesn't even have to stop at pork belly.

Right.


08:56
We've got fruits. We've got vegetables, meats. Alright. What other unexpected ingredients could we be dehydrating?

Right. Like, what about dehydrated mushrooms. Oh. That you've marinated, you know?

Like a burst of umami.

Yeah. Yeah.

Or or fruit slices. Oh, yeah.

That you've infused with herbs and spices.

Wow. My mind is officially blown.

Right?

Yeah. It's like we've unlocked this whole new potential for our dehydrators.

Yeah.

I mean, it's not just about snacks anymore. Right.

Right. We we've been talking a lot about jerky and and trail mix and things like that.

Yeah.

But, you know, dehydrated pork can be great for, like, meal prepping too.

Oh, tell me more.

09:36
Yeah. So, you know, you could dehydrate pork and then have it ready to go to throw in soups or stews or even, like, pasta sauces.

It's like a secret weapon in the kitchen.

It is.

Like, when you just need to whip something up. Well, let you get all these ingredients ready to go.

Yep. And and you know what's funny thinking about this?

It makes me appreciate those, you know, home cooks throughout history. Oh, yeah.

Who were dehydrating foods.

Mhmm.

I mean, this isn't a new trend.

Right. It's a method that's been around for a long time.

Exactly. It's like this, you know, ancient culinary wisdom.

Yeah.

And we're just, like, rediscovering it now.

Right. And we have even more tools now. Yeah.

With people like Susan Gast. Yeah.

Putting all this information online on her website. Mhmm.

10:16
And that Reddit community too. Yeah. There's just so much information out there.

So much to learn. Yeah. Okay.

So let's do a quick recap. Okay.

For our listeners.

K.

10:25
What are some of the key takeaways from our pork dehydration extravaganza?

Alright. So first of all, we learned that pork is a really versatile meat to dehydrate. Right.

You know, you can do everything from those lean cuts. Yeah.

Like the loins and the chops. Mhmm. All the way to the pork belly.

The delicious pork belly.

Yeah. And and, of course, we can't forget about bacon. Of course not.

Everybody loves bacon.

Who doesn't love bacon?

Right.

And and we talked about temperature control.

Yes. Very important.

Like how the lower temperatures give you more of a chewy texture.

Right.

Higher temperatures, that nice crispy crunch.

Mhmm.

We also talked about slicing the meat against the grain. Yeah.

Right, to make it more tender.

Makes a big difference. Yeah.

And we even learned that you can use a regular oven... Right. To dehydrate things.

If you don't have a dehydrator. Yeah.

As long as you make some adjustments.

Exactly.

And then we kinda went down this rabbit hole. We did.

Of dehydrating raw pork belly.

Which is still a little bit mysterious.

A little bit. Yeah. We need to do more research on the safety aspects of that.

Yeah.

11:26
But But we know there are people out there doing it.

Yeah. And it really highlights the importance of having a resource like... Yes. Susan Gast.

Susan's website.

And her website.

Easy Food Dehydrating.

Yes. Which is a fantastic resource.

So informative. Yeah. She's got great information, not just on pork, but on dehydrating, all kinds of things.

Yeah. It's a great resource.

And she's a big advocate for food safety.

Yes. That's so important. Yeah. Yeah. So you know we love that.

Absolutely.

So as we wrap up this depth dive. Okay. We really wanna leave our listeners. Mhmm.

With this sense of wonder and excitement about the possibilities of food dehydration.

Yeah. It's not just about preserving food. Right. It's about flavor.

Mhmm.

It's about creativity. Yeah. It's about, you know, taking advantage of all these amazing ingredients that are out there.

Absolutely.

So to our listeners, we challenge you to go out there Yeah.

Explore the world of dehydration... Mhmm. With that newfound sense of curiosity.

Yeah.

What unexpected ingredients are you gonna transform? Mhmm. What culinary masterpieces are you gonna create?

Right.

The possibilities are truly endless.

Yeah.

Happy dehydrating.

12:35

Closing:
Thanks for listening to the Easy Food Dehydrating podcast.
Visit Easy-Food-Dehydrating.com for much more information on how to dehydrate food and the best way to safely store it.

Head on over to our Podcast Host to see a list of all our Easy Food Dehydrating episodes... or go to our hub page on this site. Please note that for your convenience, the episodes on our site contain the Podcast transcripts, too!

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