On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:53:03 -0600, Keith Thomas <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> One answer to part of both your questions, Wally, is that pemmican has  
> an indefinite shelf life, even without refrigeration.
This is IF you are careful to dry the meat thoroughly, and render the  
liquid
out of the fat.  Same thing with butter and ghee.  Butter goes bad at room  
temperature
because of the liquids in it.  Ghee is "rendered" butter and keeps for a  
year at
room temperature if not longer.

The fat rendering process is done when all the liquid gets out of it, and  
it
just starts nudging above the boiling point of water.  Take off the stove  
then and
let cool.

> What you say about cooking the fat is true, but it's truth depends on  
> the temperature at which you cook the fat. I am not a raw-foodist myself  
> and eat a daily total of 600-700g (about 1/1/2 lbs) meat freshly (if  
> lightly) cooked twice a day.
Of course fresh raw fat is delicious, and good for you.  The point of  
pemmican
is that it's a long-keeping travel food, and for that reason you have to  
process
it so that it will keep.

	Lynnet