Robert,

I've just finished off a batch of pemmican on a fishing trip (it didn't go
over too well with my fishing buddies, which left more for me). Here are my
answers to your questions:

>How "powered" must the jerky be?  I think one problem I had was my dried
>meat was to course.

I put the jerky in the blender - it's too hard for my food processor to
handle, especially if I dry it thoroughly. It comes out pretty powdered,
with a few chunks that the blender misses.

>  By "rendering" the fat, does that just mean cooking it on medium heat until
>it is liquid?  One big mystery to me was, What in the world is a rind?
>After my failed experiment, I'm guessing it was the dried up looking
>leftovers from the melted fat. What should the rendered fat look like when
it >is done?

You've got to render (heat) it very slowly, over very low heat, or it will
burn and create an unpleasant taste. On my stove, that means somewhere
between 'Warm' and 'Low', and it takes awhile. If its bubbling and
crackling, you're probably cooking it too fast. I render it when I've got
some time (Cowboys games work for me :+) ), and keep checking and pouring
off the liquid and cutting up and turning the fat pieces so they'll liquify
as much as possible. The hard pieces that are left over, I guess are the
rind. Be sure to strain the liquid. The liquid is light amber in color, and
I store the extra in the fridge, where it will turn white. I tried
someone's suggestion to use the fat remaining from broiling burgers and it
didn't work for me - not enough liquid produced and it tends to be burned
after my broiler gets through with it.

> the big pieces on the bottom burned.  My finished product, after
straining >and reheating, was brownish clear.  Is this because of the
burning?  Is this >why it tasted funny? Should it be completely clear?

The more burned it is, the browner it will be.

>Finally, what should the final product looks, smell and taste like?  What
>consistency?  I imagined slightly greasy balls or patties of meat, suitable
>for use as finger food, with a napkin.  What I got was a muffin pan filled
>with a coarse glop that could only be eaten with a spoon or fork.

That's from too much fat. You should use just enough liquid to slightly
saturate the jerky. I use about 3 parts jerky to 2 parts fat (by weight,
not by volume), and add raisins or dried cherries. My final product is
fairly soft but holds its shape well at room temperature, and is somewhat
greasy to the touch. My last batch for the trip had less fat, and it turned
out fine - just drier and a little more crumbly. It tastes pretty neutral,
which is why the berries/raisins work well to flavor and sweeten it. (I
love the taste of it by now - our fishing guide last week tried some, and
his response was: "Hmm....that tastes....interesting. I think I'll just
nibble on it later." I suspect it ended up on the bottom of the Henry's
Fork when I wasn't looking.)

If you can't get it to work, let me know and I'll send you a sample from my
next batch, just to see what someone elses looks and tastes like.

Sam