Meat n' Cheese

alecto73 · Post by **alecto73** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 6:38 pm

I am an extremely simple eater when I'm hiking. This season I'm thinking of trying some kind of hard salami or something along those lines as a change of pace from my usual lunch (tuna). I love cheese and I pretty much always bring the little waxed Babybels but I wish they had something sharper. Looking for any thoughts on trail-suitable meats and cheeses? Getting kind of hungry thinking about it now...

drobarge · Post by **drobarge** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 8:08 pm

never tried them but I am going too....

http://www.packitgourmet.com/Snacks-c39.html?page=2

I saw your thinking of going in May, never really tought of heading up that early but now you have me thinking hmmm...

alecto73 · Post by **alecto73** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 9:36 pm

drobarge wrote:never tried them but I am going too....

http://www.packitgourmet.com/Snacks-c39.html?page=2

I saw your thinking of going in May, never really tought of heading up that early but now you have me thinking hmmm...

I just recently ordered the Dottie's Chicken & Dumplings, a Ramen Rescue, and the Market Pasta Puttanesca. I tried the dumplings and they were very good. I was looking at the choices they had for meats and that's where I was probably going to order from but I figured I'd ask around. Being such a camp-kitchen simpleton I'm always amazed at what people come up with.

My first trip to IR back in 2010 I went at the end of August finishing in September. I am climbing the walls to get back and I'm thinking RH to Windigo. Any place that I count as a "big" trip I try and do either before or after peak bug season. I hope May is early enough that they won't be bad but the winter so far here in my area has been disturbingly mild so I have concerns.

DonNewcomb · Post by **DonNewcomb** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 4:16 pm

My brother was looking in the deli for some salami to take on our recent trip. He asked the young gal behind the counter if she had any really hard salami. She said, "Yeah but you don't want that. It smells like dirty socks." He replied, "Bring it here." We laughed on our trip because she sold him the best imported Italian hard salami at a deep discount because she didn't like the way it smelled. As for meats and cheeses; sausage, ham and cheese were ways to preserve meet and milk before the advent of refrigeration. Good ham, bacon and cheese does not need to be refrigerated. Many sausages can be stored on the shelf. Summer sausage is so named because it will keep without refrigeration. There are many dried meats that work well too.

alecto73 · Post by **alecto73** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 8:55 pm

I'm married to a chef. The history of cheese and cured meats is not lost on me. What I am hoping for is some feedback from folks who have tried a lot more of them as trail foods than I have; 'this brand is good, that brand is terrible', that sort of thing. I'm also interested in clever combinations or preparations. Right now I'm planning on trying some of the meat choices I'm seeing at Pack-it Gourmet on my trips this year but I'm holding out hope that some connoisseurs will steer me in the direction of a life changing hard salami or summer sausage. I have been toying with waxing my own cheese since the cheddar I _really_ like is Cabot Seriously Sharp. I've had the Babybels out in warmer weather and they hold up pretty well but they don't compare to Cabot. I've only packed un-waxed cheese in cooler months. I've heard that string cheese doesn't get too mysterious in warm weather, but not much flavor there. I like really sharp stuff. I guess I will try some of the cheeses at Pack-it as well.

voyageur kin · Post by **voyageur kin** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 9:33 pm

I use Schweigert brand summer sausage ( sold at supermarkets in Mpls./ St. Paul and around the midwest) since they have a refrigerate "after" opening product. This usually lasts 2 days after I open it, even in the heat. Johnsonville also has a refrigerate after opening product. I use it in my morning eggs, mac & cheese and especially with ramen. As long as the package seal does not break, I'd use the sausage until the expiration date. I'm starting to experiment with bacon; Hormel sells shelf stable bacon bits that are awesome with eggs and in pasta. Not found in my area but you may have better luck finding further south is the dry cure non-refrigerated bacon. None of the above are exactly gourmet but after a hard day of hiking, I want flavor and filling. Good luck and happy eats!

alecto73 · Post by **alecto73** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 10:07 pm

Yeah, the sausage in mac n' cheese idea is particularly appealing.

DonNewcomb · Post by **DonNewcomb** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:04 am

I go for Jarlsberg as a semi-hard Swiss-type. I also like a good sharp Cheddar. Right now I'm working on a block of Tillamook which is not as sharp as I'd like. Any good Asiago adds a great flavor. It really depends on what flavors your looking for. With some of these semi-hard cheeses I suggest slicing them before packing. They can be a bear to slice with a pocket knife. For meats: summer sausage, hard salami, prosciutto, dry Virginia-style ham, sliced dried beef, jerky or dehydrated cooked ground beef are part of my regular backpacking fare. I sometimes scout for items in the Asian grocery. They normally have a lot of pre-refrigeration (dehydrated) items on the shelf.

alecto73 · Post by **alecto73** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:44 am

Any excuse to hit an Asian grocery is a winner. I'm going to have to do some experimenting with salamis to figure out my preferences. For cheese I just like flavor and about anything as long as it's sharp-sharp-sharp. I know I like Asiago but I never thought of bringing it. I'll try hunting down some Jarlsberg. If I do anything semi-hard I'll definitely pre-slice. My knife is a little guy, not much of a cheese slicer I don't think.

Post by **Ingo** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:58 am

Nelson Cheese super sharp cheddar. I'll bring several lbs back to N.C. when visiting family in Eau Claire, WI--there's a store there but not sure where else you can get it (well in Nelson, WI anyways)--any help from folks up there? I haven't resorted to ordering and shipping it (yet).

alecto73 · Post by **alecto73** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:12 am

From http://www.nelsoncheese.com/giftboxes.htm

Aged Cheddar Box
1 LB. WHITE CHEDDAR,
AGED 4 YRS.
1 LB. SUPER SHARP CHEDDAR,
AGED 7 YRS.

hmmmm...

shutterbug6 · Post by **shutterbug6** » Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:06 pm

Ingo wrote:Nelson Cheese super sharp cheddar. I'll bring several lbs back to N.C. when visiting family in Eau Claire, WI--there's a store there but not sure where else you can get it (well in Nelson, WI anyways)--any help from folks up there? I haven't resorted to ordering and shipping it (yet).

If you're ever on the island when I am I'd be happy to bring up some Nelson Cheese from Eau Claire. A few years ago I did some research on cheese and was surprised on what does not have to be refrigerated. Last time I was there I had in my arsenal of food sharp chedder, garlic asiago, and Laughing Cow spreadable on Ritz crackers. All of them managed to hold up very well after a week on the island.

Isabel · Post by **Isabel** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:39 am

I love Wisconsin Chipotle Cheddar Cheese, it tastes good and is quite cheap

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