Salmon is sure to please your cat's finicky palate. It's easy to make, stores for several months and is a natural protein snack. A home dehydrator makes it easy to maintain a steady supply of nutritious treats for your cat.
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Preparing the Salmon
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Buy wild salmon. If you can't find wild, try to get farm raised salmon from suppliers that feed their fish a wild salmon diet. Check your dehydrator's capacity so you know how much to buy. Some will dry up to 15 pounds at a time. Buy frozen salmon and thaw until it is firm but not hard. This makes slicing easier. Freezing also kills parasites. Slice the salmon on a diagonal across the grain for tender treats. Cut the strips one quarter inch thick. Leave the nutritious skin on.
Hot Marinade
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To destroy pathogenic microorganisms, the USDA recommends that meat be heated to 160 F before the dehydrating process. An easy way to do this is using a hot marinade. Add one tablespoon of olive oil per cup of water to make a marinade. You'll need 2 to 3 cups. Bring to a full roiling boil. Add salmon strips a few at a time and allow marinade to boil again. Remove pan from heat and remove fish with tongs. Lay in single layers on drying trays without overlapping the strips. Reboil marinade and repeat until all the fish have been dipped in the boiling water.
Drying and Storing
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Adventurers and trekkers dried meats by the sun, campfires and ovens long before dehydrators. If your oven can be set to a low enough temperature, it will dry your treats. It takes 6 to 8 hours to dry the salmon at a temperature of 150 F. Turn the strips over half way through the drying time. To test for doneness, let a piece cool. Bend it. It should crack but not break. Check for moist or underdone spots and continue drying if you find any. When done, allow the salmon to cool. Cut into kitty treat size pieces and store in zip-lock bags in the refrigerator overnight. Check again for moist or underdone spots and continue heating if necessary until the strips are completely dry. Stored in unopened freezer bags, these keep for weeks without refrigeration. Stored in the refrigerator, they keep for one to two months and longer in the freezer or in vacuum packs.
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