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What Exactly Is Vacuum Sealing?When you use a vacuum sealer, you’re reducing the amount of oxygen and air in the package. This is a process known as Reduced Oxygen Packaging. The advantage of vacuum sealing is that we’re removing the air inside the package, which means we’re also changing the environment in which different bacteria and microbes can grow. Of course, as with anything, there are advantages and hazards in the process, especially with potentially hazardous foods such as fresh meat, l …

If you’ve never had the chance to make sausage at home, you wouldn’t believe the experience you’re missing out on. Not only is it incredibly easy, but sausage tastes fantastic and can be made with whatever meat you have on hand, from venison to elk to squirrel - even typical beef or pork. It’s a great way to add some variety to your normal routine. Seriously - who doesn’t love homemade sausage?Types of SausagesSausages are either uncooked or ready to eat. They can be made from red meat (for exam …

We are never short of tips that's for sure. Dehydrating your food can't get any easier with a food dehydrator!LEM Staff Hints & Tips for Dehydrating Food Drying Guidelines: Drying times will vary depending on the room temperature, relative humidity and moisture levels in the food that you are drying. If the moisture level is high, the drying time will be on the high end of the range. Keep in mind that drying times are also affected by the amount of food placed on the dehydrator shelves. Ove …

The Taste of ChildhoodEvery year driving up to the dove fields, I would peek in my dad’s ice chest looking for one thing, Summer Sausage. This was one of those quick snacks we'd eat after a long hot day in the field, piled high with cheddar cheese on some cracks, paired with an ice-cold coca cola. This recipe was inspired by my childhood, one I’m passing down to my kids and now, you too.What you will need Meat GrinderSausage StufferSausage CasingsGlovesSmokerIngredients 8 pounds venison 2 pound …

Rosemary & Garlic Sous Vide DuckWild duck tend to be thought of as only good for poppers, this is because most hunters don’t understand how to cook them. Wild ducks hold so many different flavors dependent on what type of duck and what they are eating, so many recipes don’t work for all species. This is not one of those recipes, this recipe will work beautifully with any and all wild ducks. The maintained cooking temperature that comes from Sous Vide will yield a perfectly and never over coo …

Jerky and Food SafetyWhen raw meat or poultry is dehydrated at home - either in a warm oven or a food dehydrator - to make jerky which will be stored on the shelf, pathogenic bacteria are likely to survive the dry heat of a warm oven and especially the 130 to 140 °F of a food dehydrator. Included here is the scientific background behind drying food to make it safe and the safest procedures for jerky making.The origins of Jerky.This product is a nutrient-dense meat that has been made lightweight …

Ground Venison EnchiladasTake care to trim your venison grindProcessing your venison properly is an often overlooked factor when it comes to a delicious result. That starts with cutting the meat up to grind it. The best tasting grind is free of any silverskin or cartilage, so you want to be sure to trim that away. The cleaner your pieces of meat before you grind them, the higher quality your finished grind will be. Double passing the meat through a grinder (or better yet, using one that does it …

Invest in a meat slicer – it’s worth the tendernessFor this recipe, it’s imperative the meat is sliced thinly for two reasons. First, it helps the meat cook very quickly. But as a bonus, thinly shaving the venison also serves to offset any toughness. Toughness is generally measured by how much force we need to use to bite down on food – the thinner the piece of meat, the less work we need to do EVEN if that meat was tough to start with. So, thinly slicing meats is a GREAT way to offset toughness …

Last year we had the privilege of putting 6 deer in the freezer. People often ask us if we consume all the meat each year to which our response is, "of course!" Our favorite way to prepare venison is making it into jerky on our smoker. One thing about jerky is that it seems like you start with a pound of meat and end up with what seems is a bookmark...For the past several years processing meat took a lot of time. We used to cut meat by hand, and it would take several evenings to cut into the cor …

As you prepare for your summer grill-outs, take pride not only in your grilling setup but also in the food you prepare that makes it deserving of meat seasonings rich in flavor to feed your family and friends. Find all the flavor you need by turning to LEM.We feature Backwoods Select Gourmet Seasonings that are custom blended to deliver flavor to wild game and domestic meat. Local chef James Trent formulated these seasonings exclusively for LEM so that each blend offers a unique flavor profile. …