Often called the original MRE, pemmican is considered the ultimate survival food. Created by Native Americans and adopted by European explorers of the New World, pemmican is a concentrated blend of fat and protein from lean, dried meat.
The word “pemmican” is derived from the Cree root word “pimi” for “fat” or “grease.” Traditionally, the meats used in pemmican included bison, moose, deer and elk. Beef can be used as well. The secret to pemmican’s long shelf life is in properly rendering the fat from the meat. The pemmican can be stored in airtight containers without refrigeration in a cool, dark and dry place. If made and stored property, it can last for years or even decades. There are reports of some pemmican lasting 50 or more years.
Rubaboo is the name for a stew made of pemmican and any wild vegetables at hand. Boiled in a pot of water, the chunks of pemmican would fall apart. Additions – the likes of onion, turnip, asparagus, parsley, sage, bullrush root, cattail heads, dandelion root, wild parsnip, wild carrot, mushrooms, pine nuts, daylily roots, or wild rice, would turn it into an appetizing stew. Believe it or not, when made properly Pemmican does not taste too bad. Okay, you probably wouldn't want to serve it for Sunday dinner, but I bet you'd be surprised at how "not bad!" it actually tastes. Next time you cook a pot roast or make some stew, save that stuff that hardens over on the top (the rendered fat) and try your hand at a batch of pemmican.
Let’s look at the steps to making pemmican. 
Take equal parts of rendered fat, dried meat (jerky) and dried berries. If you don't add berries the amount of meat can be as much as doubled, to taste. Chop up the meat into small bits and crush it into a powder. If you are not in a primitive situation, a blender works well. Crush the dried berries down to a powder of similar size. Take about a third of the fat and mush it in your hands so it is pliable. Place the fat on the pile of meat powder, turn it over and place it on the pile of berry powder, then begin working the meat and berries into the fat, disbursing them as evenly as possible. Add some more fat to the ball and place it again onto the meat and berries and work it all together. Continue this process until all the fat, meat and berries are worked in. Knead the mixture until it is thoroughly and completely combined. If you can see any white "spots" or clumps of fat, continue kneading until these have all been eliminated. Pemmican does not require refrigeration. Simply store it in a cool place in an air tight container or vacuum packed when possible. You can store it in a refrigerator for an even longer storage life. Pemmican is energy dense, slow to digest and should be consumed slowly in small portions.
One question you may have is a concern about the fat going rancid. First, don’t use pork fat or coconut oil. Instead use beef or sheep fat unless buffalo or venison fat is available. 
A local co-op butcher might have the healthiest choices in terms of organic meats. You may be able to acquire the fat for free in certain places. When rendering (melting) the fat, be careful not to burn it or make it smoke. The warmer the climate you are going to be using the pemmican in, the less fat you need in it. This is also true for the time of year. Use less fat for the summer time, more for winter.
Label what you make, especially if you try different recipes. The key points for making pemmican are to make sure that you render the fat (suet) properly and to make sure that the meat and fruit you put into the recipe are very dry, not cooked or partially dry. Cut up your fat in small pieces and place the fat into the crockpot. Set the crock pot or stove top on low heat. Cook until you’re left with mostly clear or golden liquid (there’ll be bits of hardened stuff on top). Remove from heat and strain into a mason jar through a metal strainer lined with a coffee filter, paper towel or cheesecloth. I usually add enough fat to the recipe to keep holding everything together.
You can also use a dash of honey according to taste. Experiment to find the recipe that works well for you. Label the pemmican you make with the ingredients and proportions you used, so you will know what combinations work well and how you might want to tweak a certain recipe a little in the future. Comments are always welcome and please be sure to hit the “Like” button at the bottom of this post.
