Tyson's Chunk Chicken Foil Packets

[jljmonky]

Question first, you can read the reason if you need it.

What I want to know is if I eat chicken for lunch and dinner in the same day does anyone think the foil packs, if opened at lunch time, then put in a zip lock baggie and tucked in the middle of my pack will keep for a few hours until dinner when it will be added to boiling water and rice? If it doesn't "keep" will the boiling kill anything bad?

Planning my first big hike, 5 days, 50+ miles with 3 friends. Each of us are planning our own menu. I have planned chicken for 3 lunch meals and 3 dinner meals (planning for 6 days of food just in case). The foil packs each have 3.5 servings, so 235 calories. For lunches I am planning tortillas with salsa and dinner is chicken and brown rice. My concern is this, each packet weighs 7 oz. so to carry 6 packets is obviously 42 oz. so just shy of 3 lb.

[HiKen2011]

Question first, you can read the reason if you need it.

What I want to know is if I eat chicken for lunch and dinner in the same day does anyone think the foil packs, if opened at lunch time, then put in a zip lock baggie and tucked in the middle of my pack will keep for a few hours until dinner when it will be added to boiling water and rice? If it doesn't "keep" will the boiling kill anything bad?

Planning my first big hike, 5 days, 50+ miles with 3 friends. Each of us are planning our own menu. I have planned chicken for 3 lunch meals and 3 dinner meals (planning for 6 days of food just in case). The foil packs each have 3.5 servings, so 235 calories. For lunches I am planning tortillas with salsa and dinner is chicken and brown rice. My concern is this, each packet weighs 7 oz. so to carry 6 packets is obviously 42 oz. so just shy of 3 lb.

Depends on temps. Chicken does spoil fairly easy though, but if temps are cool enough I would probably chance it?????????????

[harryfred]

I have done it with out a problem. I have carried the open pouch of chicken till the next nights supper. It has a lot of salt and other preservatives. Deep in your pack will stay a bit cooler particularly next to a water bladder If you carry one. Also don't rule out getting with your buddys there is no sense in two of you carrying 1/2 a pack of chicken each.

[WingedMonkey]

It's fine for a twice a day or next day meal. My question is why would you want chicken in 6 meals in five days?
I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't "need" meat in every meal. If you check the lable you will see that pouched chicken and tuna (yes I eat them) offer low calories for the weight and almost no fat.
Look for some other ways to add flavor and calories to meals.

[Snowleopard]

This is something that's almost impossible to answer definitely. Certainly, it violates the usual food safety recommendations. Just eat it all in one meal and do something else for the other meal.

most cases of food poisoning can be prevented with proper food handling. To practice food safety, quickly refrigerate perishable foods such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy and eggs — don't let them sit more than two hours at typical room temperature or more than one hour at temperatures above 90 F (32 C). Uncooked foods, such as cold salads or sandwiches, also should be eaten or refrigerated promptly. Your goal is to minimize the time a food is in the "danger zone" — between 40 F (4 C) and 140 F (60 C) — when bacteria can quickly multiply.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-safety/AN01095
The food may not appear spoiled, but the bacteria have multiplied; it's just a question of how much the bacteria have multiplied and what toxins they have made. My guess would be that, in summer on a six day hike, you have a fair chance of getting sick. If you do this a dozen times you stand a good chance of getting seriously sick.

How often you'll get sick and how sick you get will depend on the temperature, on what bacteria are growing and on your immune system. If you have really cold glacial melt water (or snow) to keep it chilled you'll be OK.

If you do it anyway, aim for sterile conditions ( a lot easier to do in a kitchen than on the trail). Don't eat from the pack. Use boiling water to sterilize the spoon you use to remove the chicken from the pack. Use a clip to close the pack. Ideally pour boiling water over the closed pack and cool it down as fast as you can. Don't eat the leftover cold, heat it to HOT to kill any bacteria.

[AaronMB]

I'll second the cautions Snowleopard brings up above.

My biggest aim would be to keep any "new" nasties from getting into the chicken (ie: cross contamination coming from you; wash your hands first, etc). In short, I'd use the same chicken for lunch/dinner, if it was used the same day and it wasn't scorching outside. But, of course, doing this three times certainly increases your risk, technically.

Individual meal planing is good but since you're with friends, you might consider sharing/trading in order to avoid this situation...? Or perhaps rethink a meal or two? If you like tuna: single serving pouches are readily available and make for great tortilla wraps with a small packet of mayo or ranch; you'll get a bit of fat and carbs that way, too.

7oz/pouch seems heavy. I wonder if you can actually get smaller portions of canned chicken for less weight overall? (If you can have a fire where you're going: a nice hot fire + "soaking" cans in the coals overnight = easily crushable and packable cans the next day.)

[Procras108r]

1: Share with one of your buddies. If you truly think one complete packet is too much, maybe your hiking partners feel the same.
2: Partner with a hiking buddy to share kitchen duties. One cooks while the other gathers H20, firewood, preps sleeping area, etc.
3: Eat entire packet for one of the meals and go meatless for the other meal of the day.
4: You will be more hungry than you think. It is also great for your morale. Mangia, Mangia!

[DamnYankee]

Snowleopard is spot on with the warning of bacterial contamination and toxin by-products, 4 hours is the absolute most to let anything sit out at holding temp, and the trail certainly isn't your home kitchen that has been bleached clean. Nice dark pack + moist chicken = bacterial birthday party. My recommendation is not to do it.

United States Army Food Inspector

DamnYankee

[10-K]

I've found since I quit treating water last year I can eat danged near anything and not get sick.