Smoke-dried meat and fish, hard as wood, simmered soft in soups. In the humid Liberian forest fresh meat spoils within hours, so it goes onto a rack over a low fire for days and comes off almost indestructible.
It needs a wood fire kept smouldering under a rack for days, and the drying is what preserves it; where the meat is wild game it also carries zoonotic risks that smoking does not remove.
What goes into it
- meat or fish, cut into pieces
- hardwood for smoke
How it is made
The pieces are laid on a raised wooden rack over a fire that is kept smouldering rather than flaming, and left for one to three days. Smoke and gentle heat work together: the water is driven off and the smoke leaves antimicrobial compounds on the surface. It ends dark, hard and light in the hand, and must be simmered at length to soften again.
How long it takes: one to three days over a smouldering fire
How it is eaten
Simmered soft in palm-butter soup, cassava-leaf stew and pepper soup.
History
Meat and fish are smoked on racks over low fires for days, a preservation method for the humid forest where fresh meat spoils within hours.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dry meat?
Dry meat is a charcuterie & cured from Liberia: smoke-dried meat and fish, hard as wood, simmered soft in soups. Meat and fish are smoked on racks over low fires for days, a preservation method for the humid forest where fresh meat spoils within hours.
How is Dry meat made?
The pieces are laid on a raised wooden rack over a fire that is kept smouldering rather than flaming, and left for one to three days. Smoke and gentle heat work together: the water is driven off and the smoke leaves antimicrobial compounds on the surface. It ends dark, hard and light in the hand, and must be simmered at length to soften again. It takes one to three days over a smouldering fire.
Can I make Dry meat at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It needs a wood fire kept smouldering under a rack for days, and the drying is what preserves it; where the meat is wild game it also carries zoonotic risks that smoking does not remove.
What goes into Dry meat?
Meat or fish, cut into pieces, hardwood for smoke.
How is Dry meat eaten?
Simmered soft in palm-butter soup, cassava-leaf stew and pepper soup.
