Making your own dog/cat treats is not only satisfying it is also a healthy alternative to purchasing many of the commercial dog/cat treats.
Making your own dehydrated meat treats is also incredibly simple.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
You will first need to purchase one of the many food dehydrating appliances available on the market. A good example is the Sunbeam DT001E Healthy Food Dryer which retails for $99.95 AUD. This food dryer comes standard with 5 trays.
Next, you will need to purchase the meat. I personally use mince but you can also use steak, chicken breast etc.
MAKING YOUR TREATS:
If you are using steak or chicken breast ensure you cut the meat as thin as possible to ensure the mince cooks/drys properly all the way through. When using mince you simply make patties with the mince and flatten them as thin as possible and place them on the trays . The great thing about making your own dehydrated meat treats is that there are so many meat choices from chicken and turkey to beef and pork. You can also choose to make your treats as healthy as you like as by purchasing the trim options.
Spread the meat out on the trays with gaps between each mince pattie or slice of meat.
Drying times vary depending on the model and make of the food dehydrator you purchase so ensure you check the manual that comes with your dehydrator. When using the Sunbeam DT001E, approximately 700 grams of mince takes 12-13 hours to cook. The greasier the meat ie pork, the longer you should leave the meat to cook. So instead of 12 hours you would leave it for 13 hours. The best way to use your dehydrator is to run it when you know you are going to be home for the next 12-13 hours. You don't really want to leave a cooking appliance running when you are not at home.
THE FINISHED PRODUCT:
The finished product will be crisp, pleasant smelling, flat treats that can easily be broken into smaller pieces for a reward or broken up and put into your pet's food to add extra flavour.
STORING:
Dehydrating is a natural way of preserving foods so no added preservatives are required. To keep the dehydrated meat treats for longer periods, store them in the fridge in a bag or other container of your choice.