Victorian Dog Biscuits

Hardtack (clack clack) for dogs made of dried bison and vegetables

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City/Region: London, England

Time Period: 1882

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The origin story of dog biscuits goes that in 1860, James Spratt, lightning rod salesman, saw some dogs fighting over hardtack (clack clack) at the Liverpool docks. He had a brainwave and developed his Meat Fibrine Vegetable Dog Cakes, marketing heavily to the well-to-do.

There’s no exact recipe for this, but I recreated them using an advertisement from 1882. While all of the ingredients are edible for humans, I had my friend’s dog taste test for me. Safe to say that Luna was a big fan.

“Meat ‘Fibrine’ Vegetable Dog Cakes (with beetroot).
These Special biscuits contain 35 per cent. of Meat, and are manufactured from the Best Scotch Oatmeal, Wheaten Meal, and other ingredients.”

— Advertisement for Spratts Patent Dog Cakes in The Greyhound Stud Book, 1882

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Ingredients:

• 1 lb bison meat, I used sirloin and ribeye
• 1-2 beets, enough to make 1 cup minced
• 2 medium carrots*
• 1 turnip*
• 1/2 small green cabbage*
• 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour
• 1 cup (145 g) Scottish oatmeal

*We’re going to measure out the amount we need after chopping and cooking, so these amounts are approximate. You can use any combination of dog-safe vegetables you like.

Instructions:

1. To dry the bison, slice it thinly and lay it in a single layer on the racks of a dehydrator and dry it at 165°F (75°C) for 6 to 8 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 205°F (95°C).
3. Peel the beets and mince them fine. Measure out 1 cup of the beets.
4. Chop the remaining vegetables. These are going to be blitzed in a food processor later, so the size isn’t important, except the carrots and turnips should be about the same size so they cook in about the same time.
5. Place the vegetables, except the beets, into a pot and cover them with water. Boil for about 7 to 8 minutes, or until the turnips and carrots have softened. Drain the vegetables, measure out 1 cup, and set it aside.
6. Mince the dried bison fine and measure out 2 cups.
7. Place the bison, 1 cup of boiled vegetables, and 1 cup of minced beets, into a food processor and blend it until it’s a sort of purée.
8. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and oatmeal together. Add the bison-vegetable purée and mix it together (it’s easiest to use your hands). The dough should be fairly dry, kind of like hardtack (clack clack).
9. After the dough has come together, knead it for a few minutes until it becomes fairly smooth. Roll it out to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, then cut it into squares about 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide. Gather the scraps, reroll, and cut until you’ve used up all the dough.
10. Use a chopstick or skewer to poke holes in each square in a 5x5 pattern or a 7x7 pattern.
11. Place the squares onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 4 to 6 hours or until they’re very dry.

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