>Rendering ten pounds of suet was no easy task--very messy and took all >day and into the night. I didn't care much for the aroma either. >Grinding jerky into a powder is impossible with my food processor and >only a little better with my blender. What I got was shreds, and could >only do it in very small batches. The end product was a rather >greasy-tasting, cococut cluster-textured, unchewable sort of thing. >Where did I go wrong? I've managed to eat it all, but I'd really like >to do it right on this second try. I make it plain, with no fruit. >(Crohn's and candidiasis keeps me aways from fruits most of the time.) when i do jerky i cut the pieces of meat the same direction the fibers are going and remove most of the membranes . so it is easy to remove the membranes left once dried ( brrak the piece and peel the elastic membrane. for certain parts like the lower part of the legs i leave the membranes beacuse it is too muh work to remove them . when i do the powder in the blender i have to scren the shredded menbranes from time to time to be able to get a powder. ( it is time consuming ) the amount of meat i put in the blender at on time is crucial ( too much or too little and it is not working properly. once you got the powder the fat will mix with it very well and will obtain a smoother texture (and less fatty appearance). the native must have done a very coarse textured pemmican .powdering the primitive way must not be as easy than the blender . ( to relativise your struggle) may be the work of doing it was as important than the pemmican it self to get good health. jean-claude > >Any of you pemmican proponents care to step in and encourage me? I'd >love to be more enthusiastic about making it, since it's such a great >convenience food for the backwoods and long trips. I welcome your great >stores of fat/jerky knowledge, and thank you in advance. > >Lois