3-Days of Marching Rations

[Flavivs Aetivs]

It's a matter of heat. You have to get the heat high enough to penetrate the cysts their eggs hide in.

[M. Demetrius]

Evan's right. Just because the pot is boiling doesn't automatically mean the meat in it has reached 212F or 100C at its center. Really, for the most part, if it's 160 or so (71C) nothing will be alive in it. But that means the meat must be in the boiler, and stirred for a good while.

There's a very good chance not a few people got sick from diseases related to cooking, and some surely died from parasites like digestive track worms. There's even a mention of someone being wormy in the Bible--Acts 12:23.

[Kegluneq]

It's a matter of heat. You have to get the heat high enough to penetrate the cysts their eggs hide in.

Which would be easier if you were stewing meat for long periods, or frying very small pieces of meat, I assume.

Also, the gladiator diet is sounding pretty good right now

[arklore70]

Mithras, great visual on what the ration actually looks like.

Looking at that ration, I would have to have those tactically acquired augmented rations or I fear, but if for short periods, in order to move fast, and travel light, it will certainly keep you going, especially if you have built up fat to burn.

Might be worth trying to see what happens for a week.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Evan's right. Just because the pot is boiling doesn't automatically mean the meat in it has reached 212F or 100C at its center. Really, for the most part, if it's 160 or so (71C) nothing will be alive in it. But that means the meat must be in the boiler, and stirred for a good while.

There's a very good chance not a few people got sick from diseases related to cooking, and some surely died from parasites like digestive track worms. There's even a mention of someone being wormy in the Bible--Acts 12:23.

I think there's a few Roman texts that mention worms.

USDA Regulation regarding the killing of Trichinea worms by penetrating the Cysts:

Commercial preparation of pork products by cooking requires that meat be heated to internal temperatures which have been shown to inactivate trichinae. For example, Trichinella spiralis is killed in 47 minutes at 52° C (125.6° F), in 6 minutes at 55° C (131° F), and in < 1 minute at

60° C (140° F). It should be noted that these times and temperatures apply only when the product reaches and maintains temperatures evenly distributed throughout the meat. Alternative methods of heating, particularly the use of microwaves, have been shown to give different results, with parasites not completely inactivated when product was heated to reach a prescribed end-point temperature. The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations for processed pork products reflects experimental data, and requires pork to be cooked for 2 hours at 52.2° C (126° F), for 15 minutes at 55.6° C (132° F), and for 1 minute at 60° C (140° F).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that consumers of fresh pork cook the product to an internal temperature of 71° C or 160° F. Although this is considerably higher than temperatures at which trichinae are killed (about 55° C or 131° F), it allows for different methods of cooking which do not always result in even distribution of temperature throughout the meat. It should be noted that heating to 77° C (171° F) or 82° C (180° F) was not completely effective when cooking was performed using microwaves.

[Semisalis Abruna]

When carrying meat on our walks, I chose two alternatives: Dry ham like parma ham and sausage. I had no problems with them leaking fat etc when I wrapped in linen. I wonder if you wrapped cooked pork in intestine or stomach membrane, would it keep the fat from getting all over your kit?

Well preserved salt pork or beef is as solid as hard tack but needs soakng for a long time in plenty of clean water before you can use it. In WW1 the Royal Navy used salt beef packed in wooden barrels for the Crimean War and didn't record any ill effects on the men.