Peak Refuel Sweet Pork & Rice

A Hit.

This brand was new to me so I tried an entree on a recent backpack. I have used a competitor for decades (Mountain House). Similar preparation...just add water, stir, wait ten minutes, and eat out of the pouch.

I loved the taste and texture of the Peak Refuel Sweet Pork & Rice. It's definitely sweet, but also has some heat. I liked the balance. Each major ingredient was clearly distinguishable (chunks of tasty pork were a nice surprise), and not as much of a mush as MH can be.

PR items are only available in 2-person sizes, whereas some MH items are available also in a 1-person size, and a vacuum-packed ProPak version. PR packages are not vacuum-packed. Dimensions of the PR package sizes seem a bit larger but take up negligible more pack space, and may weigh slightly more than MH, but it is hard to compare apples to apples, so to speak since recipes differ. MH appears to have recently changed their packaging... not sure if their recipes have changed as well.

I am very intrigued and will try more Peak Refuel products. I will get the Sweet Pork & Rice again. Watch out, Mountain House!

An excellent balance of sweet and spicy. Surprisingly good.

I had eaten a Mountain House Sweet and Sour Pork not too long ago.  And it was waaaaaay too sweet. Like, I couldn't finish it sweet. So I was very wary of this offering, although I'd had good luck with Peak Refuel in the past.

I was happily surprised by the balance of spice to sweetness. Upon opening the package, HUGE chunks of pork greeted me. I followed the directions to the letter, and the pork shredded out nicely when stirred, fully rehydrated. The vegetables all managed to come through in spite of the spicing. It was very, very good.

But there was something off about the texture. It wasn't the meat, or the veg, or the rice. Something about the sauce just didn't "feel" "right" in my mouth. I'm afraid I can't be any more precise than that. It certainly did not deter us from finishing the meal!  nd we will probably snag this one again, as it does make a great change.

But....  Something....  Something kept this from being 4.5 or even 5 stars.

Background

Cooked and ate this at 2300 feet during a recent backpacking trip.