How to Dry Meat in the Wild

There may come a time in the future where you find yourself needing to preserve game in the wild. It isn't that difficult to do if you are properly equipped to hunt and dress your game. Drying meat is an age-old method of preserving the protein necessary for healthy living. Preserving meat is an integral skill when it comes to surviving in the wild and it is done with a few simple tools.

Things You'll Need

  • Wild game
  • Salt
  • Knife
  • Drying rack
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Instructions

    • 1

      Butcher the meat that you have obtained. Remove all of the skin, fat and bones and dispose of the internal organs. Trying your best not to cut into the muscle, remove all of the viable meat and cut it into the thinnest strips you can manage.

    • 2

      Salt the meat if at all possible. This discourages the flies in the area from landing on the meat. It also helps dry the meat properly, for storing it over a longer period of time.

    • 3

      Find a suitable place to dry your meat. The best option is to have a rack already in place, much like the ones used by Native Americans out of tied branches. If you cannot manage to make a rack, skewer it on a shrub branch that is picked clean of leaves.

    • 4

      Check your meat after about four days to see if it has throughly dried. It should feel a bit tough and leathery. Keep it stored where insects and other animals cannot get to it. Cook it, if at all possible, before eating it, preferably in boiling water.