Recipe for Iron Ration?

[PanzerDivision666]

Hi guys, I got a question for you. The WW 1 "Iron Ration" consisted of a bar that was made of beef bouillion, and wheat, or something of this nature. can anyone give me the specifics about this ration, and does anyone know of a way to replicate the recipe?

[dirtbag]

"Iron Ration" (1907–1922)The first attempt to make an individual ration for issue to soldiers in the field was the "iron ration", first introduced in 1907. It consisted of three 3-ounce cakes (made from a concoction of beef bouillon powder and parched and cooked wheat), three 1-ounce bars of sweetened chocolate, and packets of salt and pepper that was issued in a sealed tin packet that weighed one pound. It was designed for emergency use when the troops were unable to be supplied with food. It was later discontinued by the adoption of the "Reserve Ration" but its findings went into the development of the emergency D-ration.

[donaldjcheek]

I don't believe it was made of bouillon powder. The original specification called for "lean meat from closely-trimmed beef 'hams,' cooked, dried and ground" mixed with "finely-bolted parched and ground wheat." These were thoroughly mixed and pressed into cakes of 3 oz net weight each.

It seems to me the resulting powder would have to be moistened slightly in order to press it into shape, but I have no idea how this was done.

The chocolate portion of the ration was a simple mix of cocoa powder and powdered sugar, pressed into 1 oz cakes. Once again, this probably took some moistening first, then some sort of dehydration.

The beef-wheat cakes could be eaten "as is," sliced and fried in grease, mixed with a pint of hot water to make a thick gruel, or boiled in 3 pints of water to make a soup. The chocolate cakes could be eaten as is or melted in 1 pint of boiling water to make a hot chocolate drink.

[Bypah]

That iron meat ration sounds like "pemmican".

[WolfBrother]

You might want to communicate with the guy at Repro-Rations. http://www.reprorations.com

This is an excerpt from his WWII German rations page:

German Rations in World War II
Rations for the German military were scientifically designed to provide high-calorie protein-rich rations that would carry a foot soldier through an arduous day. In addition there were several coffee and confection options to provide an energy boost when needed. The basic building block of the daily ration was the well-known "Halbieserne Portion" or "Iron Ration," which was carried by every German soldier. The ration contained one 300 gram tin of meat, and one 125 or 150 gram unit of hard bread.
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All of our items are fresh from the grocer's shelf, with authentically reproduced period labels. You can carry them, display them, and certainly eat them.

The only consideration I receive from him is the ability to purchase at normal posted prices.

[PanzerDivision666]

Hey Bypah- I was looking at your picture and was wondering if you made that pemmican, and if so, could you give me a recipe to work with? Been wanting to try making some of my own stuff to throw in my ruck and have never had pemmican before.
Teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry

[Bypah]

Hey Bypah- I was looking at your picture and was wondering if you made that pemmican, and if so, could you give me a recipe to work with? Been wanting to try making some of my own stuff to throw in my ruck and have never had pemmican before.
Teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry

Sorry, that was a pic I found on the web.
I had a recipe somewhere when I find it I will send it to you....

[donaldjcheek]

Panzer,

Classic Native American pemmican was a mix of dried meat, dried berries, nuts and rendered fat. The product made depended on availability; northern Indians would use moose, deer, etc mixed with blueberries or cranberries, but southern or plains Indians would use buffalo or deer mixed with wild plums, wild cherries, and pecans. Most tribes would then stuff the prepared pemmican into a cleaned out animal gut, similar to a sausage casing. Here are a couple of recipes I've used.

Classic Pemmican
-2 cups dried meat (beef or venison, no pork)
-1½ cups dried fruit (currants, dates, raisins, cranberries)
-unsalted nuts to taste
-shot of honey
-1 cup rendered fat (use only beef fat)
1. Grind dried beef until almost a powder
2. Mix in nuts & fruit; regrind if necessary to form lumpy powder
3. Cut fat into chunks and melt; strain and reheat, then strain again
4. In a large bowl, pour rendered fat over meat mixture and thoroughly combine by hand
5. Double bag in 4 portions. Mixture will last literally for years without refrigeration. Taste actually improves with age.
Note: vary fat content according to temperature in which it will be used - less for summer, more for winter.

Pemmican Jerky Sticks (Similar in flavor to Native American pemmican, but a lot easier to make)
-16 oz lean ground meat (beef, turkey, venison, etc)
-4 oz dried berries (raisins, cranberries, blueberries, etc).
-1 Tbsp Vegetable oil
-1 oz candied ginger (or ½ tsp powdered ginger)
-2 tsp meat tenderizer
-3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
-1 tsp black pepper
-½ tsp cayenne pepper
-2 Tbsp brown sugar
-¼ cup smooth peanut butter
1. Mix berries & ginger w/a bit of oil, chop fine in food processor
2. Add other flavorings and mix briefly; add ground meat and pulse briefly to mix
3. Pour mixture into large plastic bag and refrigerate for several hours; mix occasionally by squeezing bag
4. Load mixture into Jerky press and squirt out strips OR snip corner of bag and squeeze out thin strips onto screens of dehydrator or a piece of metal
screen laid on a broiler pan (need space for liquids to drop down below drying meat
5. Dry in dehydrator 8-12 hours, or in 150° F oven w/door ajar for 8-10 hours; strips should be dry but still pliable
6. Once strips are mostly dry, place them in a 225° F oven about 15 minutes to complete drying & curing

[donaldjcheek]

OK, I think I MAY have (finally) reproduced the WW1 "Emergency Ration" cake.

1. Take 1 pound of lean beef, trim away ALL fat and slice into thin strips; soak for about 1 hour in a solution of 2 Tablespoons salt dissolved in 16 oz warm water

2. Dry strips overnight in dehydrator (or in oven set to lowest temperature, with door left ajar). IMPORTANT: strips must be dry enough to crack when you bend them

3. Grind DRIED strips in food processor or blender into a powder (had to do this several times).

4. Mix 2 parts powdered meat with 1 part fine whole-wheat flour; add just enough water to make a thick dough, like bread.

5. Take a square aluminum pie pan and use ice pick to punch holes in bottom; fill pie pan with beef-wheat dough, pressing in firmly to remove any air pockets

6. Place second pie pan on top and fill with marbles, bricks, etc; anything to give it weight and press down on dough mixture

7. Dry overnight (or longer - depends on thickness of dough and how wet it is) in oven set to lowest temperature, with door left ajar. IMPORTANT: place a drip pan underneath pie pan

8. When THOROUGHLY dry, use fine-bladed hacksaw to cut into shape.

It doesn't look appetizing, but it reconstitutes well; makes a pretty thick gruel and a rather bland soup (depending on how much water you use). Instructions say you could slice & fry it as well. Definitely could use some salt & pepper.

The chocolate cake in the ration is easier: 2 parts powdered sugar to 1 part cocoa powder, mixed with just enough water to make a thick dough. Press into a mold (I used Altoid tins) and dry overnight in the oven, set to lowest temperature and with door left ajar.

[Hardtack]

I've wondered about this ration for a while too. I found regarding parched wheat, a blog that talks about a parching wheat for a coffee substitute. http://bisonsurvivalblog.blogspot.com/2 ... -meat.html One of the comments recommends sprouting the wheat before parching and grinding. This blog: http://www.onekitchenatatime.com/2011/0 ... rries.html that talks about the process. According to them "sprouting grains helps to reduce phytic acid in the grain, which blocks the absorption of minerals, like iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc. Sprouting also helps reduce enzyme inhibitors making them easier to digest. Vitamin C is produced, and vitamin B is increased."

For Finely bolted flour I found: Bolted Flour aka High Extraction Flour

Bolted flour contains almost all of the germ, and the softer parts of the bran. Bolted flour was historically sifted through a piece of cloth. It is now typically sifted through a metal or plastic screen. The higher the percentage the closer to whole grain flour it is. The total flour out of the sifter divided by the total grain in to the mill would give you the extraction percentage. 100% extraction is whole wheat. Home grinding and bolting wheat will get flavor that can't be beat.
Brew up some real coffee for the History of flour bolting http://www.angelfire.com/journal/millbu ... lting.html
It seems like they wanted high quality whole wheat flour in the ration.

Now for the meat, beef machaca might be somewhat close if ground up fine and you should be able to find it in Texas.