Meat Entrées

Recent Meat Entrée Reviews

AlpineAire Pork Jambalaya

A solid and pleasant offering from AlpineAire. Spicy, filling, quick and easy backpacking food. I have to say, AlpineAire is...not absolutely consistent in their quality. Some of their meals are excellent; most are at least good; and some are just bland, rarely shading as far as bad. This is one of those that are solidly good—just missing out on excellence. Preparation:Standard freeze-dried preparation, really. 2 cups of boiling water and 12 total minutes of waiting, with an extra stir in the… Full review

Peak Refuel Biscuits & Sausage Gravy

This is a serious, and seriously good, breakfast—one of my absolute go-to's. I love this meal. It's almost as good as a good restaurant biscuits and gravy—much better than some of the sad, heavy, gloopy stuff I've had at less-reputable diners, ha ha.    camera fogged up with steam, ha ha Preparation and Taste:I followed the package directions; 1 and 1/3 cups boiling water, stand 10 minutes. I also followed their "pro tip" and crumbled up the biscuits before adding the water. I my opinion,… Full review

Mountain House Rice & Chicken

Mountain House Rice and Chicken is an easy to prepare freeze-dried meal that actually tastes very good. I would have given it 5 stars, but it is a bit pricey, so for that it gets 4 1/2 stars. I enjoyed a Mountain House Rice and Chicken meal on a recent kayaking trip.  It is tasty and filling and very easy to prepare. Please check out my little video to see how easy it is to make: Full review

Mountain House Chicken Fried Rice with Vegetables

Not restaurant quality, but not bad. A decent size for a mid-hike meal or a breakfast. I picked this up because I LOVE fried rice. Now, I know better than to believe that this could equal a restaurant offering, but I did rather like the look of it. Preparation:Pretty standard stuff. Cup and a half of boiling water. 9 minutes with a stir in the middle. I accidentally gave it 10 minutes, and it honestly could have done with maybe another extra minute or so as some of the rice was just a little gritty. Full review

Peak Refuel Chicken Pesto Pasta

This was a very satisfying meal, full of flavor and energy.   More food from a recent trip. Long trip, lots of meals, takes a while to get through them all, ha ha. This one was very successful. Nutrition/Energy/Satiety: This is a solid meal. 920 calories in the full package—great for those big-miles days.  Sodium is pretty moderate at just 900mg/39%rda in the whole package.  The cheese sauce does mean quite a lot of fat (82%rda), and it has more protein than carbs (43g vs 42g respectively),… Full review

Peak Refuel Chicken Coconut Curry

As the other reviewer stated, PEAK REFUEL, has become my favorite backpacking freeze-type meals for overall quality/ satisfaction in the field. Does need more water added than instructions say. I added 1/2 cup more water or would have been too dry/undercooked. All good and simple easy instructions. No matter which meal chosen, Peak One hits the right consistency with tasty outcomes. Full review

Peak Refuel Chicken Coconut Curry

An excellent curry. Just straight up good, filling, solid quality. Another curry, this time from Peak Refuel (which is fast becoming my go-to freeze-dried favorite).  Preparation, Nutrition and Satiety: Followed the directions on the bag: 1 and 1/3 cups boiling water and a 10-minute rehydration (with an extra stir in the middle, just for giggles).Rice and chicken and carrot chunks rehydrated fully, everything tender and flavorful. I think it could possibly have used a couple more tablespoons of… Full review

Mountain House Buffalo Style Chicken Mac & Cheese

An interesting take on Mac & Cheese. Solidly spicy, reasonably filling, but ultimately not quite as good as the usual box-made stuff. One more look at a freeze-dried Mac & Cheese, this time with extras in the shape of chicken and "buffalo" sauce. Looks pretty straightforward. Another basic Mountain House offering. Preparation and Nutrition: Tear open the bag, remove the oxygen absorber, pour in 1 2/3 cups boiling water, stir, and wait. Simple. 580 calories is not too shabby for a meal. … Full review

Backpacker's Pantry Chicken Larb

A tasty rendering of a traditional spicy southeast Asian chicken and rice meal, well worth stocking up on. Larb: a Laotian or Thai spicy salad consisting of ground, chopped, or minced meat and vegetables. I've never encountered this dish before, and after trying Backpacker's Pantry's take this previous lack of experience saddens me.  I was intrigued by the idea of mint as part of a main dish. How strong would that flavor be? How would it balance with the garlic and the chilis? Nutrition info: Gluten-free… Full review