We have all now lived through a little apocalypse and we learned that many would not have survived if it would have been a zombie one because they went after paper products. The people that paid attention to apocalypse movies went for the non-perishable foods. One of these that was key to grab was canned meat. In honor of the zombie/apocalypse movie this Halloween into the fall season, we will be looking at different canned meats to see which is the best tasting and which you should avoid.
Armour Vienna Sausage Barbecue
Hands down one of my favorite canned meat products. It is super portable, yummy, and small in size. There are a few negatives though, like it is messy because of the sauce, the sauce is thin that allows it to spill easily, and normally you need something pointy to get them out. Still a great product.
Armour Vienna Sausage Original
These are the classic Vienna Sauages that make you wonder what is in them even though the ingredients are written on the label. These always remind me of my childhood where my grandmother would give me these and a mixture of ketchup and mustard to dip them in. If you get these I would recommend some type of sauce to go with them since their basic flavor may not be that appealing to everyone. I only eat these straight if I have no access to any possible sauce. I just don't recommend them with ranch.
Armour Vienna Sausage Jalapeno
To me this is Vienna Sausages have always been a quick meal food even though a lot of people find the even the concept of them gross. These ones had just the hint of jalapeno and really did not burn when you eat them plain. These I think would actually taste really good added to some baked beans to give them a little bite.
Armour Vienna Sausage Hot & Spicy
These are ok. Not really hot or spicy, I would say way less spicy then the average pepper sauce that you find at restaurants which has about the same thickness as the sauce on these. The sauce is way to thin. If it was thicker it may stick on the sausages better and be able to provide more flavor.
Libby's Chicken Vienna Sausage
These were super bland, but in a good way. They didn't have that metallic taste that a lot of canned meat has. Of the Vienna sausages this would be one of the ones I would go after if they didn't have the BBQ ones. Tried February 2023.
Spam
Generic Spam is really boring but can be used in many ways. I've put it in everything from fried rice and musubi to eating it with eggs and potatoes. At the same time if I am going to eat spam I will pick one of the special flavors or types over the basic every time.
Spam Oven Roasted Turkey
This was my first attempt to get my mom to get a Spam product. She always says that when she was growing up no one knew what was in Spam, that it was mystery meat. I told her she could read what was in it on the can. After telling her this for years I finally saw this on the shelf and convinced her to try it. Besides it being a little bland it fried up well and went good with eggs. At the same time it was super greasy and I've never had turkey that was that greasy except for Hickory Farms Turkey log meat. Those are greasy in a good way where as this was greasy in a not a good way. If you don't want to try the classic Spam this could be a good way to introduce yourself.
Spam with Real Hormel Bacon
While eating this my mother made the comment that it tasted just like the other Spam we had recently eaten (that would be the turkey Spam). I'm starting to agree with her with the different types of Spam we have been trying....they all basically taste the same. I don't know if it's the additives they but in it or what. Yah it was on the same level of goodness as the turkey Spam because it tasted the same.
Spam Maple Flavored
This really did have a Maple flavor. I would get this one again. I could see this one making good breakfast sandwiches or just with eggs and potatoes. I thought that it was the best Spam flavor I have tried yet, but my mother who tried it with me still likes the bacon one the best. I found this version of Spam at Safeway and tried it in September 2023.
Clark Deviled Ham Spread
I tried this one by itself straight first to gage the base taste....it basically tasted like how my dog food smells (and it looked like soft dog food as well). I did doctor it up with some spices, a little mayo, and cut up a small apple into it. With this it became edible, but not very apocalypse friendly. This would be one of the very bottom/worst products for the canned meat list. Tried June 2023.
Armour Potted Meat
One of the grossest things I have ever ate. Canned meat can be salty, but this was a salt bomb. The texture was gritty and meat should never have that texture. I even tried to doctor it up a bit by adding some Korean BBQ seasoning I had and added a little diced garlic. Even that could not save this. Tried in November 2023 and will never try again. Even if an apocalypse happens I'd eat worms first.
Brunswick Lemon Pepper Tuna Salad
I found this at the Dollar Tree when I was looking for snacks for a con. This will not fill you up since the can is super small and even the crackers don't help. The sauce is more like a slime in the can and is for the most part flavorless. They could have used zest or something to help drive up the lemon flavor and there was not even a hint of pepper. Tried September 2023.
Star Kist Solid White Albacore Tuna (In Water)
The in water really does make a difference. I grew up in a house hold where if you grabbed a can that didn't say in water you were told to put it back. Then I tried so not packaged in water and realized how slimy it can be. For tuna though I would say Star Kist is about average. It does feel a little dry if you try to eat it plain. At the same time you can dump it on salads if you don't want to add a lot of mayo to it. During an apocalypse this would be one of my target foods, but I would also try to stay aware of how much I eat since it does have mercury in it (small levels, but it can build in your system). This is something that people have to be aware of in general let alone if you are like me and would eat sushi for every meal if you could. For more info on eating canned tuna you can either google it or check out: https://www.edf.org/oceans/mercury-alert-canned-tuna-safe#:~:text=Canned%20white%2C%20or%20albacore%20(0.32,%2C%208%2Dounce%20portions) .
Top Picture From: https://grist.org/living/how-to-eat-local-during-the-zombie-apocalypse/
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