There is a chance that you have captured meat in the wild but you know that it can be complicated to preserve the meat so that you will have enough food during your whole stay. Tossing out the meat that you cannot eat will not be a good idea because you are wasting away proper food that can taste great if you only know how to preserve it.

The best way in order to preserve meat when you are out in the wild is to make it into a jerky. If you are not sure how you are going to do that just yet, here is the process that you have to remember: Preserving meat in the wilderness

1. Have All The Right Tools

That is right; you may need a few tools to make sure that you will be able to preserve meat in the wilderness. The things that you need include the following:

• Smoke Rack – This is where you are going to place the meat that you have to smoke.

• Fire – Think about it, how you are going to smoke if you do not have fire with you. Of course, there are other options but if you are concerned about time, using fire can make smoking faster.

• Sunlight and Wind – Like mentioned earlier, if you cannot create fire, you can also make jerky with the meat that you have gotten by exposing it to sunlight and wind.

2. Measure the Height of Your Rack

From the area wherein you are going to put your fire, you have to make sure that your meat is far away. If it would be too close to the fire, there is a big chance that you will accidentally cook the meat.

Cooked meat is only good if you would eat it immediately. If you would store cooked meat, there is a chance that botulism will occur and you might get food poisoned as a result.

3. Flavor the Meat

If you know that meat will not taste much without spices, you may want to look for spices that you can naturally find in the wilderness. Of course, if you have brought your very own spices beforehand, this can help make the meat taste better. A little bit of salt and pepper will go a long while.

4. Leave the Meat to be Smoked for About 48 Hours

Do remember that 48 hours is usually the maximum amount that you can smoke your meat. There is a chance that it will be harder for your meat to be in jerky form if you would cut the pieces thickly. If you leave it much longer, this might already proceed in cooking the meat even if the fire is far away from the rack where you have placed your meat on.

5. Check Your Jerky from Time to Time

You can usually tell if the meat is already done when there is an obvious change in appearance. While most meat tends to look a bit pinkish, smoked meat that has turned into jerky will be in a darker color like reddish brown. They are also harder and they tend to retain the shape that they are in.

Here's a video on how to preserve meat in the wilderness.

You have to remember that knowing how to preserve meat in the wild is highly essential because this will let you have the meat that you need for a certain period of time.

For additional resources on wilderness survival needs, our friends at Real World Survivor provides a few tips. 

Preserving meat under outdoor circumstances can be challenging (especially when it's your only source of protein). Now that you are equipped with how to manage your meat resources, it's time to practice and master the skill. So go out there and have some funy!

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