why are mine so dry to eat???
1680051
same experience! too bad - very disappointing as they weren't like this when I was growing up in the south
1112737
From both of those failed attempts sound like you are cooking them too long. Adjust your cooking time down by half and then add 30 sec to a min until they come out the way you like them. Also, you need to remember they will continue cooking for a min or two after you remove them from the microwave. You are adding some water, aren't you?
2233259
First of all, your landlord should take care of the humidity problem. Please run a dehumidifier for the health of you and your family. I find that even in my pantry that is on a concrete floor and seems humid to me, that the crackers stay pretty fresh. Try a set and see for yourself.
2050179
Hmm. Never have had a problem with low moisture or dry meat. I've never had the water pan run dry. The juices from the meat drain into the water pan, assuming it is correctly installed, so usually it overflows and runs into the grease trap drawer in the bottom of the smoker. A couple of questions & suggestions: 1. What temp are you using? Smoking at too high a temperature for too long is the most likely problem. I smoke pork butts on 235 F for about 16 hrs with great results. I usually have to empty the grease trap several times as the water pan overflows into the trap. Also, it could be that your thermometer or heat controller is defective. You can run a remote meat thermometer into the unit simply lay it on the grill where the meat would be to verify that the unit is maintaining the proper temperature. NOTE: Don't be worried if it is 5 or 10 degrees off from the display on the unit (50-100 degrees difference probably indicates a problem). 2. Are you closing the small circular exhaust on the upper left side of the unit? I keep this vent fully closed (as closed as it will go) during the entire cooking time. 3. Keep the wood chip feeder inserted at all times (except when actually adding chips). If the chip feeder is left out, it lets too much air into the unit and causes a variety of problems. 4. Make sure your door seals are in clean, in good condition, and sealing properly. You may have to adjust the door latch if it's too loose or too tight. 5. Don't open the door during cooking, unless it is really necessary 6. Smoke your brisket fat side up so the fat will drip down through the meat as it cooks off 7. Make sure you do not overfill your water pan. Even at max fill, the water pan should be mostly empty (there's a max fill line on the pan).
1077085
Matthew, I'm no expert. All I know is that when the packs are dry, feeling like crunchy dry sand when squeezed and pressed and I put them in an air-tight Tupperware box with water in a small container in the box, within a few days they are soft and pliable - having soaked up the humidity/moisture in the enclosed container. Seems you'll have to try a pack and hope they fill your needs. Letting them dry out may be your biggest challenge....watching VERY CAREFULLY in an oven? VERY iffy! Maybe laying in the sun - with frequent checks. Just a thought.
271807
I would make sure that the food is fresh. When I fill the feeder a small amount of food falls through. The only way I know the birds are feeding, is the decrease of the food in the feeder.
940317
Mine kind of do sort of like if i'm filling something in and there's a lot of fill in it kind of wears out until I give it a rest an just continue later. But I haven't had any of them dry out completely..
89501
That was just the opposite of my experiences. Mine were constantly hard (undercooked) no matter how long I cooked them, even tried soaking them overnight still no success, so it stays in back of my cabinet and took out my old pressure cooker and gone back to my old ways!!!
900156
I have had mine longer than that and I don't notice that they are stale or 'bad'. I'm thinking b/c they are freeze-dried, they will last forever.
1919321
Just make sure they are completely dry. I cut mine out individually, then stacked them together and they were fine.
2190886
Mine were dry...free of moisture. I see the seller responded, but I would still ask for new [providing they came to you that way]
2141347
are the nuts roasted? You just want dry / dehydrated. Turning to mush sounds like cooked / too soft nuts
3695
That is kind of weird. I have seen my cardinals, wrens and chickadees eat these. It took them a couple of days to figure it out. You might try soaking them to soften them up a bit, I read that somewhere, although I see another person here says they won't eat them if they are wet. Also, I mostly feed these in the winter.
2203867
That's an interesting question. I have noticed a little hardening after a couple of weeks but my cat still eats them right up (I hide them in her kibble and she can't tell the difference). My first thought would be to try those terra cotta brown sugar savers. You moisten them and them towel dry them and put them in bags of hardened sugar and they magically restore moisture levels. That may work with those chews? But I agree that the safest would be to contact the manufacturer and ask them. Good luck and please keep us updated if anything works!
1307086
They might dry out if you do not keep them moist. If you keep them moist they should keep indefinitely. Try keeping them moist and cool, that should help keep them fresh. @ years? I doubt it. But a year? absolutely.
238734
That doesn't seem normal. I cooked them similarly in about 3-4 hrs and they were very hot. Also, cooking them for 6 hours as the other answers stated will dry them out in my opinion. There's a fairly fine line to getting very moist ribs.
1940026
they are a little chewy after they moisten in your mouth, but still tasty, I think! You may be able to dehydrate them on low heat to crisp them more and still retain raw nutrients...?