Stowaway Gourmet Comrade Doeganoff

Delicious. An excellent freeze-dried meal for one.

Wow, a venison freeze-dried meal available in the United States? Sign me up

On the strength of previous dehydrated red meats, I added an extra half cup of water and an extra five minutes of time. BIG chunks of tasty venison, big chunks of mushroom. This is a delicious meal, and just about the right size for a midday meal on a long day hike. It might feel just a little on the small side for a dinner on high-exertion backpack...maybe.

My only gripe is that the extra water and rehydration time didn't quite serve me. Even with the extra water and "cooking" time, some of the venison chunks were still a bit crunchy, while those same additions left the pasta a bit gluey. Oh, it tasted fantastic to this old former-Midwesterner, but the textures were a little disappointing.

At $18, it's a little spendy. But wow, is it tasty. If you're on a long trip, looking for something *different,* looking for a treat, this will do for you.

Update 2023.08.19
I prepared this on the first night of a multi-night backpacking trip, following the package directions more nearly exactly (1 and 1/4 cups water, 10 minutes total time with a stir in the middle). And this time, rehydration was perfect. All the venison was toothesome and tasty, and the mushrooms and the pasta were the perfect consistency.

And I can now confirm absolutely that this meal is not quite enough to satisfy at the end of a long-miles, heavy-load day, in front of another long-miles day.  I went to the tent just a wee bit hungry and woke up ravenous. Next time I'll know to take something by way of a brownie or some other tasty dessert to finish off the meal—because a meal of this quality deserves a delicious treat to polish it up. And there will be a next time.

Experience

Joshua has been hiking, backpacking, and car-camping for more than four decades. He is based primarily in the Pacific Northwest, but has hiked throughout the US, with forays into Hawaii and New Zealand.