Australian Hiker

Dry Weight 175 Grams
Calories/Serve 360 Calories

Cost $11.99

Back Country Cuisine Venison Risotto

Single serve

Rating

Rating:	7.8 / 10
Value for Money	1.5 / 2.5
Taste	1.6 / 2.5
Convenience	2.2 / 2.5
Weight	2.5 / 2.5

Back Country Cuisine Venison Risotto Review

The Back Country Cuisine range of outdoor meals is probably the best known in Australia. These meals are stocked by the majority of outdoor stores and many people consider them the staple meal choice for outdoor activities. Back Country has 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 single serves (entrée size/single person), the company also has twin serves although the single serve options don’t seem to have as large a variety at least as far as the stores I visit. However the Venison meals aren’t that common in Australia so you may find them hard to source.

The Back Country Cuisine Venison Risotto meal tastes good for a risotto and has a good ratio of meat to vegetables. I have an issue with eating risotto but found in this case the mix was fine enough and it went down quite well. I don’t add salt to my food so I found this meal too salty (more so than any other Back Country meal). It’s not that I don’t like salt, I do, but I wouldn’t want to eat this every night.

With many of the Back Country Cusine freeze dried meals I suggest reducing the amount of water added as the recommended amount of water often leaves the meals a bit on the wet side and this meal offering is no different. The packet recommends to add 250 ml of water but I reduced the amount to 210 ml which was spot on. I also suggest increasing the rehydration time to around 12 minutes rather than the recommended ten minutes.

The normal price sits around the $11.99 mark for a single serve pack which works out to be more expensive than the twin serves that usually cost around $16.99. Most of the larger chain stores offer member discounts or have regular sales so its worthwhile looking around. These products do have a long shelf life so you can stock up at the sales come in anticipation of an upcoming trip.

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 you won’t need to tear the bag. My other reason for not tearing the top off the bag is that you minimise any mess and after you’re done because you can re-zip the zip lock for clean disposal.

So what is the final verdict? As a singe serve meal I would be happy to eat this meal if it was on offer but the Outdoor Gourmet Wild Mushroom and Lamb Risotto is far superior and more filling although admittedly its a double meal.

We Like

Three year warranty which means you can buy these 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 10-12 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
Single serve option provides just the right size for solo travellers on a short trip. Twin serves for those big eaters or couples

We Don't Like

The main negative of any commercially preprepared dehydrated/freeze dried meal is the cost. These meals are cheaper/serve when bought in the twin serve size than the single serve entree size
Single serves can be a bit small after a couple of weeks on the trail
The recommended amount of water to add is off (see recommendation above)

Best Uses

An easy to prepare meal whether it be on a short or long trip for camping and hiking

Buy One

You can purchase the Back Country Cuisine Venison Risotto meal online from Wildfire Sports

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