Prepping Tip: Hamburger Rocks (Literally)

Get Ready to Rock On, Prepper!

Beef. It’s healthy and hearty. It’s protein. It flat-out tastes good. We have a saying in our house… “Meat Good!”

And face it; it’s what’s for nightly dinner on many American tables. But beef may not be as readily available during a shortage or emergency.

Did you know that you can store it? Now I’m not just talking about plain old jerky. I’m talking about hamburger rocks. The dehydrated, cooked hamburger that, when rehydrated and cooked into sloppy joes, tacos, spaghetti, lasagna, or what have you, is hard to distinguish from fresh ground beef.

I’m going to tell you how to make Hamburger Rocks!

You’ll need a one-quart jar and lid for every six pounds of beef you will process. Yes, you can get six pounds of meat into a quart jar. Next, you’ll need to grind your beef in a meat grinder. I like to use a pot roast or a rump roast.

1. First, grind your beef. Remember, six pounds to a one-quart canning jar.
2. Then, fry up your beef in a cast iron skillet, and drop the cooked beef into a colander so that you can rinse it under hot water to remove as much of the fat as you can. Fat is what goes rancid.
3. Wipe out your skillet, put it back on the heat, and return the meat to the skillet. Your goal here is to dry the meat a little. You’ll see the steam leaving. Now is a good time to lower the heat to ensure you don’t burn the meat.
4. Now place the beef onto a cookie sheet or two and dry it at 200 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven. Stir the rocks every so often to facilitate drying. This should take no more than an hour or two.
5. These are now “hamburger rocks” and can be stored for the short term in zipper-lock style plastic bags or jars, trying to get rid of as much air as possible.
6. For long-term storage, can them by heating the jar in a 250-degree Fahrenheit oven while you simmer the lids.
7. Place the still-hot hamburger rocks into the hot jar, and seal the lid. You’ll hear a satisfying “pop” as the lid cools, indicating a good seal.

Rehydrate and Enjoy

To rehydrate your hamburger rocks, place one cup of rocks into two cups of boiling water and let them soak. Now, use them as you would regular ground beef. Who would have thought!?