As I mentioned in the previous recipe post, once you’ve fully transitioned to the carnivore diet, you are unlikely to snack often. However, if you’ve just started, have some healthy snacks handy will definitely help you stay on track.
Beef would be the best for a snack because its nutritional profile is better than pork or chicken, especially if they are from factory farms.
However, the main difference is ruminant meat like beef and lamb has a lower level of polyunsaturated fats than pork and chicken. They also have a better omega 3 to omega 6 ratio. For example, pork and chicken have omega 6 to omega 3 ratios of around 24 and 14 respectively compared to around 8 and 3 only for beef and lamb (see this post for a detailed nutritional comparison of different types of meat).
Because this snack recipe uses lean pork so you won’t have to worry about the high omega 6 in pork. Furthermore, not everyone likes beef or can afford to pay for it, especially lean beef. I also find that shredded pork actually tastes better than shredded beef.
Ingredients
- 700 grams of lean pork, for example, loin steak, fillet, rump steak, round steak, topside steak, silverside steak, diced pork, pork strips, loin roast, round mini roast, loin chop. If you can’t afford to get the lean cuts, get cheaper cuts and trim off all visible fat
- 3 tbs fish sauce. Fish sauce usually just has anchovy extract, salt and a little bit of sugar. If you don’t have or don’t like fish sauce, substitute with 3 tbs of soy sauce or 2 tsp of salt
- 1 cup bone broth or use water if you don’t have bone broth handy (see here for an easy bone broth recipe and many practical tips)
- Other optional seasonings:
- 1 tbs honey or sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- a pinch of pepper
I don’t mind a bit of plant-based seasonings but if you would like it to be strictly carnivore, use just pork, salt, and bone broth for this recipe. A thick bone broth will surely give the final product a depth of flavor.
Also once you’ve learned the basics, experiment with different seasonings till you get the flavor you like. My mother always insisted on the cinnamon, no garlic but must have onion while I usually don’t add cinnamon sticks but like roasted garlic and onion powder.
Here is a recipe for shredded beef version if you prefer beef.
Instructions
- Cut into pieces of 4-centimeter length, remove any visible fat or connective tissues
- Add fish sauce and optional seasonings (except for the cinnamon sticks), mix well and leave to marinate for 1 hour
- Transfer to pan, add bone broth and cinnamon sticks, bring to boil then simmer for 40 minutes
- Drain the pork but keep the remaining sauce
- Shred the pork chunks with your hands into large pieces or use a knife if you like to cut them into pieces of even size
- Return to pan, add the sauce, on medium heat, stir regularly till the shredded pieces are dry to the touch. The drier it is, the longer you can keep it
- Let the shredded pork cool completely before transfer to a glass jar.
The snack is good in the fridge for a week and up to 6 months in the freezer.
This is what I started with: pork, salt, fish sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar
Mix all ingredients and leave it to marinate for 1 hour:
Add bone broth, cinnamon sticks (if you like the flavor) and cook for one hour:
Shred the pork chunks with your hands or use a knife slice them to your preferred size:
Return to pan with any remaining juice and cook till dry:
This is the final product:
Store your shredded pork in a jar or a bag to enjoy!
Disclaimer: The information in this post is for reference purposes only and not intended to constitute or replace professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified medical professional before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle.