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I dehydrate my own pressure cooked chicken for camping trips where I add them soups and stews. I cook the chicken in a pressure cooker (rather than baking it or poaching it) to make it more tender and hydrate better on the trail. I wonder if brining the chicken for a couple of days before I cook it and dehydrate it would make the chicken even more tender? If not, why? And, what else could make the chicken hydrate quicker and better?

Anna
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Brining is a process that hydrates...or forces liquid into the cell structure of the product...to slow or prevent dehydration. This would certainly slow your dehydration step, perhaps dramatically. Adding extra water and then eliminating as much as possible doesn't seem to make sense. Why not just dehydrate less in the first place?

Basing my thinking on the quick method for rehydrating dried beans, I would suggest using boiling water...or stock (maybe hard to come by on the trail)...to speed rehydration.

moscafj
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In addition to hydrating, brining also makes meat more tender. You could give your dehydrator a head start by placing the brined chicken on a rack with a tray under it and letting it dry out, uncovered, in your fridge. You might want to turn it once or twice as the top will dry faster. It will still be a long time in your dehydrator though.

JPyyyy
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