Australian Hiker

Weight Dry 90 grams
Calories/Serve 393 calories

Cost $12.99

Back Country Cuisine Spicy Beef Nachos

Single Serve

Rating

Rating:	9 / 10
Value for Money	2.0 / 2.5
Taste	2.3 / 2.5
Convenience	2.2 / 2.5
Weight	2.5 / 2.5

Back Country Cuisine Spicy Beef Nachos Review

The Back Country Cuisine range of outdoor meals is probably the best known in Australia and are stocked by the majority of outdoor stores so are usually easy to find. Having said that Back Country produces a huge range of meal choices and many stores seem to select a ‘top ten’ so you are unlikely to find the full range in any one store. In addition to the large variety of twin serves, the company also has single serves (entrée size) although the single serve options don’t seem to have as large a variety at least as far as what the stores seem to stock. I’ve worked my way through pretty much the entire range and do find this adventure is a bit hit and miss. Everyone’s tastes are different and what we like/dislike isn’t going to necessarily match other people’s tastes.

Up until this review the Mexican Chicken was my favourite main meal offering from Back Country. In testing the Spicy Beef Nachos I was interested to see if it was going to change my mind; so how did it go?

The taste is excellent given I love spicy food and the texture with the beans and corn chips is great. This meal hits the mark and leaves you feeling warm and contented for a few hours after. If you don’t like spicy food, then keep clear as this option delivers a warm burning sensation on the tongue that we spice lovers crave. The taste is good and I did find it different enough to the Mexican Chicken option to be happy and with the new beef option, it means I can have both and not get bored with the taste.

The only real negative – and I’m being picky – is that an ‘entree size’ its bordering on being on a bit too small for a single person meal particularly if you like large serves.

These meals are very convenient and preparation only requires the addition of 188 ml of boiling water and a recommended 10-15 minutes to rehydrate. When I test meals I measure the water to ensure I match the recommendation and in this case it was spot on. It initially appeared a but on the wet side but when I added the corn chips it worked out perfectly. Back Country makes the measauring easy on-trail by getting you to add water to a specific fill line on the packet and this matched what I added.

The normal price sits around the AUD $12.99 RRP mark for a single serve pack with the twin serves working out more cost effective. Most of the larger chain stores offer member discounts or have regular sales so it’s worthwhile looking around. These products do have a long shelf life which means you can stock up when the sales come on line in anticipation of an upcoming trip. This meal also comes as a two person option which would work really well for a big eater or as a meal where you are adding dessert.

The meal comes in a bag that is well designed and the bottom opens out to provide a flat base for those minimalists who want to leave the bowl at home. The option exists to tear the top off the bag to allow easy access to the food but you if you have a long handled spork/fork/spoon you won’t need to tear the bag. My other reason for not tearing the top off the bag on-trail is that you minimise any mess and after you’re done, you can close the zip lock.

So what is the final verdict? I’m a big fan of mexican food so I came to this review with positive expectations and I wasn’t disappointed. If I’m honest, I’m hard pressed to pick the difference between this meal and the Mexican Chicken hence I’ve scored it the same. This will now sit in my hiking menu particularly for the cooler months when I want that warm feeling.

We Like

This is one of the Back Country Cuisine best meal options (at least from my perspective) and definitely one I will add to my meal rotation
Three year warranty which means you can buy these meals when you see them discounted thereby reducing the price. You also know the meals will always be edible
Minimal preparation time. All you are doing is rehydrating these meals so once you add boiling water, there’s only a 10-15 minute wait
If you eat from the bag there is only your eating implement to clean up. In fact, you may not even need to carry a bowl at all thereby limiting the weight you carry
A very large variety of meals from which to choose both single and double serves so it’s unlikely you will become bored unless you are on a really long hike
Freeze dried. This takes much of the weight out of the meals and helps to limit the impact on your body
Love, love, love the spiciness

We Don't Like

The main negative of any commercially preprepared dehydrated/freeze dried meals is the cost. The Back Country Cuisine meals are cheaper than their competitors which only offer twin serve meals however per person, this single serve meal is $12.99 which is not cheap. These meals are cheaper per serve when bought in the twin serve size
Single serves start being a bit small on longer trips when you’re burning through the calories. I will usually pack a mix of single and double meals on longer trips
If you aren’t into spicy food, keep clear of this meal

Best Uses

An easy to prepare meal whether it be for short or long trips when camping and hiking

Buy One

You can purchase the Back Country Cuisine Spicy Beef Nachos (single or regular) meal online from Wildfire Sports

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Other Versions

Investment

AUD $12.99 RRP single serve
AUD $19.99 RRP twin serve

Back Country Cuisine Spicy Beef Nachos as purchased

Bottom of the bag flattened out

Back Country Cuisine Spicy Beef Nachos bag opened and uncooked

Corn chips which you add just before eating which creates a great texture

Back Country Cuisine Spicy Beef Nachos rehydrated and bag torn down. The corn chips haven’t been added yet

Back Country CuisineBeef Nachos with corn chips added

Back Country Cuisine Beef Nachos rear of packet

Back Country Cuisine Spicy Beef Nachos artistic shot. In my case, I just crumble to corn chips and mix them in. The corn chips add a great texture which is one of the things I love about this meal

Disclaimer

This review was done with product provided by the Australian distributor of Back Country Cuisine