Does drying liver harm enzymes?

[Guest guest]

I have a Magic Chef food dehydrator. It uses low temperature heat and

a fan to dehydrate food on trays. I'm trying to get my dogs & cats to

eat raw liver/meat but they're not going for it. I had a bunch of

organic chicken livers I had frozen and sliced so I decided to

dehydrate them. After a day they were crispy and smelled pretty

good. The dogs loved them. Just wondering if anybody knows if the

enzymes are still active in the dried ones.

I bet my daughter would try eating them as she's pretty adventurous.

Does anybody know if that would be bad for her? I know WAP is pro

eating raw liver, but I can't get past the food poisoning thing. Was

always taught raw chicken was dangerous.

I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts!

[Guest guest]

I looked into dehydrating large batches of meat because I found a large,

inexpensive source of buffalo organ meats. I gave up because it just isn't

advisable to dehydrate meat unless you first heat it up to 160-degrees.

The dehyrator simply can't pull enough moisture out quick enough in order to

inhibit/prevent harmful bacterial growth. Even if you're making jerky, you

have to first heat the meat up to 160 for a period of time and THEN

dehydrate it. Personally, I would avoid using any 'low temp " on meat for

bacterial growth reasons. I'd avoid feeding any dehydrated meat to human or

pet.

Enzymes are not active over 140-degrees. Old-school thinking is

118-degrees, but Excalibur has some new studies with data showing that

enzymes are " alive " up to 140-degrees. They also have some good articles

at their site about the importance of dehydrating at higher temps for the

first couple of hours, in order to get the interior of the food up to a safe

temperature, and THEN lowering the temps for the remainder of the

dehydrating. Bacterial growth is an issue in all foods, but even more so

in meats.

Sharon, NH

On 1/3/06, haecklers <haecklers@...> wrote:

>

> II bet my daughter would try eating them as she's pretty adventurous.

> Does anybody know if that would be bad for her? I know WAP is pro

> eating raw liver, but I can't get past the food poisoning thing. Was

> always taught raw chicken was dangerous.

>

> I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts!

>

>

[Guest guest]

Is there a way to ferment or cure it first? Our ancestors used to

dry fish and that's more perishable than other meats. I've read you

can add meat to sauerkraut/kimchi but so far am afraid to try it.

Besides kimchi is too good to risk ruining a batch!

> >

> > II bet my daughter would try eating them as she's pretty

adventurous.

> > Does anybody know if that would be bad for her? I know WAP is

pro

> > eating raw liver, but I can't get past the food poisoning

thing. Was

> > always taught raw chicken was dangerous.

> >

> > I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts!

> >

> >

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

--- In , " haecklers " <haecklers@y...>

wrote:

>

> Is there a way to ferment or cure it first? Our ancestors used to

> dry fish and that's more perishable than other meats. I've read you

> can add meat to sauerkraut/kimchi but so far am afraid to try it.

> Besides kimchi is too good to risk ruining a batch!

>

I soak all the organ meats in lemon juice overnight or longer before

dehydrating. Brining might be fun and kimchee juice would be tasty, I

bet. I just made a batch of kimchee that is reportedly too

salty--first time using salt shrimp--so that could salvage it.

I set the dehydrator at 145 for a few hours then lower to whatever I

think I can get away with. I have had bits get a little mold in the

refrigerator before, but it was after about three weeks or more and it

was only...pancreas, no, it escapes me, but it wasn't the liver or

thymus, and the adrenal and thyroid get eaten very quickly, so I'm

guessing...pancreas--but maybe it was...nuts?

Sharon, does your inexpensive bison organ source ship?

(I know, but where would I be without trying?)

B.

[Guest guest]

> Enzymes are not active over 140-degrees. Old-school thinking is

>118-degrees, but Excalibur has some new studies with data showing that

>enzymes are " alive " up to 140-degrees.

>Sharon, NH

>

>

Hey, - did you see this? Remember when you called Happy Cow

creamery (my friendly neighborhood Holstein dairy) and he said he'd

found info at eatwild stating this? Hmmm.

Steph

--

www.praisemoves.com

The Christian alternative to yoga

[Guest guest]

I soak my meat for jerky in buttermilk (will be kefir when I get it) with

garlic and spices for a day or so before dehydrating, I don't preheat it or

anything after. Turns out fantastic and so very tastey!

On 1/3/06, haecklers <haecklers@...> wrote:

>

> Is there a way to ferment or cure it first? Our ancestors used to

> dry fish and that's more perishable than other meats. I've read you

> can add meat to sauerkraut/kimchi but so far am afraid to try it.

> Besides kimchi is too good to risk ruining a batch!

>

>

> --

> Mrs. () Siemens

>

> Blessed to be his helpmeet, 6 years and counting!!!

>

> Mommy to Zack (5) and Liddy (21 months)

>

> no fear, only faith; no guilt, only grace; no pride, only praise; no

> claim, only Christ

>

[Guest guest]

> Hey, - did you see this? Remember when you called Happy Cow

> creamery (my friendly neighborhood Holstein dairy) and he said he'd

> found info at eatwild stating this? Hmmm.

Steph,

http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/gen12a.htm

" As the air temperature rapidly rises to its high point moisture is

quickly evaporated off the surface of the food, and as the temperature

lowers the dryer surface pulls moisture from the center of the food

and becomes saturated again. Because of the continuous up and down

fluctuation in air temperature, and constant evaporation the food

temperature remains constant at a lower temperature.

After all the moisture is evaporated out of the food, the food

temperature will rise and then equalize somewhere in the middle of the

air temperature fluctuation. Once the food temperature rises one might

get worried and think that the enzymes are dead if he or she does not

understand the third critical aspect. Which is, that enzymes are only

susceptible to damage by high heat when they are in the wet state,

therefore once the food is dehydrated the enzymes have become dormant,

and can withstand much higher temperatures.

According to our discussions with Viktoras Kulvinskas on this matter

he said that we were right, and that, quote [sic] dry enzymes can

survive well up to 150ºF... "

The above indicates enzyme viability has a different outcome in

wet/dry foods. Still, I'm not convinced that milk is always best raw.

*dons one flameproof suit*

Further, your neighbor's claim intrigues me. Sadly, I've not learned

anything more on that subject. But dude, just before Christmas, was a

farmer selling pecans from his orchard for $5/lb. at my local market.

Now he's taking a break and won't be back till May. And I was short

on funds that day.

B.

[Guest guest]

Sharon-

>I looked into dehydrating large batches of meat because I found a large,

>inexpensive source of buffalo organ meats. I gave up because it just isn't

>advisable to dehydrate meat unless you first heat it up to 160-degrees.

>The dehyrator simply can't pull enough moisture out quick enough in order to

>inhibit/prevent harmful bacterial growth. Even if you're making jerky, you

>have to first heat the meat up to 160 for a period of time and THEN

>dehydrate it. Personally, I would avoid using any 'low temp " on meat for

>bacterial growth reasons. I'd avoid feeding any dehydrated meat to human or

>pet.

This comes from the same school of thought which requires that all

eggs be fully cooked, all meat be medium well, etc.

Sure, crap meat shouldn't be gently heated, but proper jerky is

marinated in an acidic medium before dehydration.

-

[Guest guest]

What spices do you use?

> >

> > Is there a way to ferment or cure it first?

[Guest guest]

Whatever strikes my fancy. Lots of garlic, some onion powder, lots of black

pepper, sea salt (just a bit) cayenne if I'm feeling spicy LOL, celery seed,

really just whatever I think will taste good! It usually smells like ranch

dressing when I'm done. It makes such a delicious jerky! If you go to the

groups homepage you'll find a PDF file on making jerky. I believe the author

used kefilli and I do basically what she does just with buttermilk (or

yogurt or kefir)

On 1/4/06, haecklers <haecklers@...> wrote:

>

> What spices do you use?

--

Mrs. () Siemens

Blessed to be his helpmeet, 6 years and counting!!!

Mommy to Zack (5) and Liddy (21 months)

no fear, only faith; no guilt, only grace; no pride, only praise; no claim,

only Christ