Dehydrating Cooked Shredded Pork

Okay, I know you are probably wondering, why in the world would someone dehydrate meat that isn't for jerky? Well, I'm gonna tell you. I can store it on the shelf (if stored properly), it frees up space in my freezer (this is a big one for us), it is travel friendly, and it uses less canning jars (which less face it, that's a big one).

Last week Pork Shoulder was on sale for $1.29 a pound. We have been trying to buy more meats but with the prices going up, it has been getting difficult to stock up. So I bought a little over 8 pounds and took it home, put it in my Instant Pot with some veggies and water, and set it for 3 hours. I got an amazing bone broth (cause ours was bone-in) and then shredded the rest for that night's dinner and the rest got shredded really small and put in the dehydrator.

Safely Dehydrating Meat: Dry only lean meats and blot off any oil during the drying process. It is the fat in meat that can turn rancid as it reacts over time with oxygen. Heat and light accelerate oxidation, so store in a cupboard away from heat.
​Storing Dehydrated Meat: As long as the meat you dry is low-fat, it will keep well in jars with oxygen absorbers or in jars that are vacuum sealed with the FoodSaver accessory. I have stored dehydrated meat for up to a year in jars. If you want to go longer than a year, or if you just want peace of mind, you can vacuum seal the dried meat in vacuum bags, and place the meat in the freezer. When taking dried food out of the freezer, allow the food to return to room temperature before opening the bag. Otherwise, condensation may form on the food.
Excerpts taken from www.backpackingchef.com

I dehydrated it on the silicone trays at 155° for 4-6 hours. Checking it and testing the doneness. This batch was relatively clean with not a lot of oil and fat resting on top of the pieces. That doesn't mean it didn't have any in it. Once I "squished" a piece between my fingers and there definitely was a little oil that was left of my fingers. Since we are going to be using this over the next month or so, I am not going to be too worried about this going rancid before I can use it.

For extra safety I will be vacuum sealing my jars and adding oxygen absorbers. I will also be keeping mine in our closed pantry that is quite cool (especially this time of year).