6 Gourmet Shelf-Stable Meats to Consider

Last week, I wrote about 6 shelf-stable canned meats to consider. It was controversial: ancient canned meat memories got stirred up, I didn’t mention salmon (that’s because I detest it), and let’s not even mention nitrates. And at the ol’ Prephappy homestead, we tried deep frying Vienna sausages and tweaked our spam and eggs and rice recipe for a future blog post. But after a week of talking about the merits and demerits of shelf-stable meats, I’d like to stop and consider gourmet shelf-stable meat. “Wha??? Isn’t Spam considered haute cuisine,” you ask? Yes, it is. For sure. But there’s a whole world of luxury, gourmet shelf-stable meats awaiting us. There’s something to be said for a little luxury. In the event of a prolonged emergency, you’re gonna want some shelf-stable bacon and crab cakes. Let’s begin, shall we?  

Sardines

An excellent choice, madam or sir. Sardines are all about luxury. They’re packed in oil, so they’re high in calories-per-square-inch. This is a place where you want to spend more: you get what you pay for in terms of sardine quality. The sardines by Crown Prince are skinless and boneless, which is a safe way to wade into sardine-ville. They pair well with marinated fresh veggies (think of an antipasto plate). If you buy some and really detest them, keep them aside for barter. I’m sure you’ll be able to find a good home for these little babies.  

Wild Albacore Tuna, No Salt Added

Another stop along the fish trail leads us to wild Albacore Tuna with no salt added. We eat this for lunch at least once a week – sometimes mixed with some eggs from our neighbors. It’s very tasty and with no salt added, it’s healthy too. The only place I’ve found this for a reasonable price is on Amazon. Take advantage of the 15% discount on this item through the subscribe and save program. I have 18 cans delivered to me every other month, and I have them in reserves as well. Fish is brain food, and in a survival situation, you’ll need all the brain support you can get. And this is the best stuff you can buy.  

Claw Crab Meat

Moving from fish to crustaceans, we head over to the crab pot. Crab meat is a luxury in any circumstance, but post SHTF, this is something that will go a long way as a morale-booster. Save it for a special occasion or for a holiday. And this is another good one to have it in your barter box. You’ll be soooooo able to trade up on this. You can get a case of it on Amazon – pure luxury crab is hard to find (most stores carry lower-quality stuff in cans), so Amazon is a good choice for this one.

A Case of Canned Bacon

There’s nothing more luxurious than bacon, let’s face it. If you don’t have access to a pig and the skills to turn said pig into tasty bacon, it could be one of the things you’ll want most in the meat department. But a can or two won’t work: you’ll need a case in order to make your crowd happy happy happy. Amazon sells it by the lovely case, and I have one sitting in a dark corner of my food storage. I plan on pairing it with crab meat and home-made mayonnaise (I have a recipe in my lessons that uses shelf-stable ingredients) for post SHTF crab cakes with bacon. With something like that available, I think you’re going to be just fine.

Jerky

You can make your own (try London Broil for this as it has a lower fat content), or you can put some commercially-produced jerky away for a quick go-to in case of an emergency. It rehydrates well, so it can be used in things like fried rice and soups. I like my jerky softer – my teeth are getting old. The one from Golden Island with Korean spice is available both on Amazon and at Costco. Costco will have a better price, so get it there if you can. The price on Amazon has dropped about $5 recently, so I’m thinking of adding another to my stock. Plus, it has no nitrates in it, so there you go. Perfect survival jerky.  

Oven Roasted Turkey Spam

Booyeah. Spam rears its beautiful head again. And not just Spam, but turkey Spam. And not just turkey, but oven roasted turkey. All the goodness of Spam, but in an oven roasted turkey flavor. It’s been hard to find in my area, but I’ve sometimes seen it at BiMart. It’s at Amazon, but I’m waiting for a better price on a case. Keep some cranberries in stock (we can up our own every autumn) and along with some mashed ‘taters, you’ve got a holiday meal covered. Hat tip to Randy and Kris who suggested this in a comment on last week’s Spam vs. Ham article (thanks you guys!).  

There you have it, 6 luxury meats for extra strength when fighting off zombies – or those poor souls riding their bikes and smoking on a Tuesday morning when they should be, ahem, working and saving like good squirrels. We’ll miss them one day. Sure. Besides salmon, what did I miss? Leave a comment below!  

Nancy Smith gives free preparedness lessons via email and blogs at Prephappy.com.