Enjoying a snack break on Isle Royale.Since I didn't write about food yesterday I decided to share one of my favorite backpacking recipes with you.  Last year in April we were getting ready for a backpacking trip to Isle Royale.  In our preperation I tried a bunch of recipes for jerky and dehydrated meals.  This was one of our favorites while we were on the trip.  Enjoy!

Root Beer Jerky
1 pound lean meat, cut into strips
3 cups root beer
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
¼ teaspoon pepper
Over medium heat, reduce root beer to 1 cup. Remove from heat and add all remaining ingredients. Let strips marinate at least 1 hour. When marinating longer, place in the refrigerator. Drain in a colander, place on a mesh-lined dehydrator tray, and sprinkle the top of the strips with a little salt. Dry at a minimum temperature of 145 degrees to 160 degrees.

From Food Drying with an Attitude by Mary T. Bell (2008).  On a side note Mary Bell will be speaking at the La Crosse Public Library on Saturday at noon.  For more information check out the La Crosse Public Library's website and the Green La Crosse website.