Canned Food Challenge Day 4: Barbeque Vienna Sausages

February is National Canned Food month and canned foods are a great way to stay prepared for any disaster or SHTF event. So, for all of February, Chowmageddon is all about eating out of cans--not all three meals, every day, but one meal per day. Soups alone could meet this requirement, but who wants to eat soup every day?

If you've ever had kids, you may remember the day they first ate solid food. In particular, you may remember these little "hot dogs" that came in a babyfood jar. Vienna Sausages appear to be the adult equivalent of this, although they come in a slimy paste that reminds me of a scene from Ghostbuster (the original, not the recent, lame remake).

While vienna sausages may seem gross and disgusting, there is a nice alternative: BARBECUE Vienna Sausages--or the generic equivalent from the local grocery.

I generally keep four of these in my desk drawer at work--for when I forgot my lunch and don't have time to run out. Served with a side of crackers, they won't exactly fill you up, but they're a helluva lot better than nothing. 

Overall ratings:

PRICE:

While these little BBQ gems are really cheap (generally $.59 a can), they don't really give you that much to eat, so I'm not sure if they're a great value, or just a good one. If you want to save a few cents, you can go generic--my local grocer's brand is just $.49 a can.

SHELF LIFE  

Not really sure when I bought the ones I have in my desk now... two years ago? three? They expire in 2020, and I'll surely eat them before then. I keep a stockpile at home, in the bunker pantry, and will just bring in more when I run out. 

EASE OF PREPARATION

No can opener needed for this one. Just lift the ring and pull. They don't even need cooking. In fact, I'm not sure if they'd be very palatable if cooked. The only bad thing is you need a fork to pull them out, or you're going to have to dump them onto a plate or into a bowl or something. I just use a fork, thereby avoiding dirtying up any dishes. Very convenient. 

NUTRITIONAL VALUE

Man cannot live on Vienna Sausages alone. Come on, they're little cocktail weenies in something that barely qualifies as BBQ sauce. These are purely in the snack or side-dish category.

VERSATILITY

There isn't really much you can do with these, versatility-wise. I guess you could serve them with cooked rice. I like mine with crackers. Later this year, I'll experiment with making my own Frank n Beans with some, but I suspect they are going to dissolve away during cooking...

TASTE

These are not a substitute for meat. They are pasty and mushy, and without the BBQ they've been soaking in on the shelf, they'd barely be edible. These are more of a hint of meat. A meatish snack, really. Better than eating bugs or tree bark, but really, I'd rather have a bag of jerky or a can of chili.