The only thing I don't like about Sam's Yams is the price. $12-14USD for a bag of the big ones that nominally contains a pound, but doesn't seem to have all that many yam chews in it. So I've determined to make my own.
I'm no expert; I've only done this 4 or 5 times, but here is my current Charlie-approved recipe. It uses a food dehydrator, but if you're willing to set your oven on low and leave it on a long time, that should work fine too. My first couple of batches were done with an oven.
Step 1. Get a bunch of yams, a cutting board, and a sharp knife. I go for the really big yams because Charlie is a big dog and I want them to be like chews. If your dog is smaller, you might want to use smaller yams.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1g4nb8aJInf1A0ifxu0jvnJsumBElbf-JFDhNo1GEegrB-oVndjDi_bWlk87PRMApHug5577UJ8eQyOukxUmGfOAIEvAsGUmoOnzcv1n0p-MQ7wRR6ycgpdPbyS92lXaxdXjMg/s400/1+IMG_0298.jpg)
Step 2. Wash the yams and make sure the dog approves their quality. Note: make the dog give the yams back.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsxFoEYLtwQYmCdgVQlkXmeMXor5iDDbDjK9CoySUuGIUCGyVOmIUKq6JJpiteRln6TA9tySDlpeqoK5sOI_Q2A93aGjWkz1A27SrmqVBufsqiKug5AtSS9uBwAE6wcYeXyAUog/s400/IMG_0284.jpg)
Note 2: make sure the dog stays back while you cut the yams.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5c-nOcvlX6PPpgmIGtmmOH_RtDDe31eP1UqQT7OhAKhoae2bRyULflXmR4Q2Ic64uGDsNsB60zg_NLjuZ-QXedDfqd1A5wFyxqx-HY8uRAkrrPnYxKjzwam_I5cAlcIchOKRLHQ/s400/2+IMG_0288.jpg)
Step 3. cut a smallish slice off one side of the yam. This creates a flat solid base, so the yam won't roll around as you slice it.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT7yySezvHfWY87-WEr9z21wISeTwd4-Hy1pmK3hwGSYHx6JW6wwTGI90Ib0m0F6_vqw1ffOr7W9R8dMlRuIbU0CcHmPyYGu_ileaNK5lyta1yDEB41Rjs1eFcGzBh0uWqh6nsrQ/s400/3+IMG_0289.jpg)
Step 4. Place the yam on the flat side you created and start slicing. I make slices between 1/2" - 3/4" (i.e. about 1.5 cm) thick. Note that the bigger and thicker the slices, the longer it will take to dehydrate them.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWv_mlvC2CbYXl5bJihJtxew-Z61E13lMcUGOb1FPMKMvU3K_Fk6loenKzy2zBMIeGyPTYxXlef5DkQeAkPR671rQRRCQuUdP2Hnnrm1RkxsvD7OdesZJ-UnC5u0auObmiGqaIgw/s400/4+IMG_0293.jpg)
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Step 5. Blanch the yams as follows. Arrange the slices on a microwave-safe plate.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmvr58IW_X_jL7q2tIq_nghQGm59Xll66HU6DPGHUpwvpvhRtroSRjeGN-ZKYy2Yji6UmB893Cfog_3wejXOcMsGJc-qKQHbNWW-p5-pLAR7nHT0uFJ15Q3EihCa4MxuRPJ8Opg/s400/6+IMG_0297.jpg)
Microwave on full power long enough so that the yams smell good and are a little soft. I think it would be ok to do less, but I zap them about 4 minutes on one side, then flip and do the same on the other side.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyOqb7Wtci2PdTOdSroBD3b8_hO514D3qTscmxaxOpbhLoPxF40Bs5SJkySPbiP4Oh-4wjNkhdduI5WIehtqY6HF3rPdkPQ1xMtqyrn29XMkexOYt6TXRX0OvIeP1SpOLP2qIhJA/s400/7+IMG_0286.jpg)
Remember: quality approval at every step!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibQ3CwZwTjYpmp1SWHO-T4E3tAvvoB1UR97yByjp3f8106sFzS9Sj1I9YkQ5bIwPvY0aCdrO4PRjf2dAxKR9-F4pN0VyrE5H6HfJl_FCghDKMMnNfjllDAbymyno1vCyKyNEOQww/s400/7.5+IMG_0287.jpg)
Step 6. Place the yams on a dehydrator tray. (Alternatively you could put them on a cooling rack to put in the oven.)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOzz23C-S9sPqXKvsRosha1CWo0XRK16bJs6V7XhLSL9RZ74KtFldrOZDjM1IaPqbxJZDOq0HQH_FpiORZ884Pr8tGXu03fmIOGgEuDG34rKuHq-Q6gcbPS5-WFTII3q0DDOdlA/s400/8+IMG_0296.jpg)
Arrange the slices so there's good airspace between them.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sQtFm4a4XFQRKUtybLWfVsjiQ9ZRnYknrWvHnHKtjZxpIjIKeGHlRfq8iRWERCMoKHJZ6ATkek5xOp8Of9aWD8gSzHTI30zYygg_q0T9P3VLDJNAFBFaVTXsjHddSJOhqdV37w/s400/9+IMG_0307.jpg)
Step 7. Set the dehydrator (or oven) to 140' F (I think that's 60' C) and dehydrate for 10-20 hrs. After 10 hrs, start checking the yams and remove slices as they become dry. (The dehydrator manual says you know they're dry enough when you rip a slice & don't see beads of moisture form). Some of these slices were ready after 10 hrs, some took a lot longer.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4kRDH3Oj53A_P25l91og1XKlB4zmq3r9v_nvj4W9F3IejFB6ehHpd5D5UzUYdocJBK1TXf-6oEqlk05N2Lhwhyphenhyphenjom1MwEVsBne0GzemxTiDlEmbPDD8yHZB4AFvu-Z_MzSRuEA/s400/10+IMG_0301.jpg)
When they're done, they'll look leathery like this but still be pliable. The smaller end slices usually curl up.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYnY5gFZ-GqA5P3TwkbWufMGZxOiDQ5MwW8s8X7IC1WXKRg2Vt0J3kh1SNJos535Iiehd72FHqVWjbh5bjugFlzKZH1dRZZnL0CGw430X1MqE238nheYkHiKw7rCjxn7gzlyWOA/s400/11+IMG_0343.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSIkyTk9LVjaQPih1p5RI0fdWYnNwss017YTZOo3dMGYDjq0ZteaIwH2VwYaeEBsA980Qrvx07PxGJxtl6SPRodE1Q2FXqzrGf_TZQrn_OTK6FND5kGt5kJ43q_t0PpypKnZZKA/s400/12+IMG_0344.jpg)
Final Step: Test the product
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqnhfL4LqaKjYBf4CxMJAw364M7HeoVRSH7xwNhj308BARrqRlUzX97Tw8hI_1-YsigEjgnHWf3IsXHLzqsnrD6D3Ik6w4bJ6O5MmdipH7KyWALxbDRXBottpX77KUi86FnGKSQ/s400/13+IMG_0304.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCNnoXshssgI6nEeEar6oY8MnVth4gsqd_UsHsAHRTq0Jzg9yUEuV6LUZBSFkctSR3P_-0_0DoQrxu-Pyuh0gB2y0eieihLDWG06K03eJYIhOaUCV11gImXKoRm55vrGoLQaitQ/s400/14+IMG_0305.jpg)
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