>Gerard Farrell wrote:
>I wish I could make pemmican. ... If you ask in a shop in Ireland for a
>Hydrator they look at you as if you have two heads. They've never heard of
>them!

    You don't really need a dehydrator to make the dried beef to make
pemmican. If you have an old-fashioned stove (according to US standards),
you may have a pilot light in the oven that helps the oven self light.
Usually that's enough heat to dry the meat (you don't want to cook it). Or
else use whatever setting is considered warm (about 150º F). Place your very
thin, unwashed slices of meat on cake cooling racks & place them on the
baking racks of the oven. You may want to use a sheet of aluminium on the
floor of the oven to help collect blood seepage. Rotate the cooling racks up
& down to give a more even heating to all the meat. The best time to do this
is after you have quit using the oven for the day & night and maintain the
drying process overnight. If the meat is thin enough, that should normally
be enough time to dry it. Of course, your being in Ireland may probably
bring up problems concerning humidity in the air, especially if you live on
the coastline.
    Hope this helps.
Mary Anne Unger