BACKCOUNTRY CHILI MAC trail food, one pouch · tested TESTED 2026-11-03. Made at home and it worked as written. The nutrition is still worked out from package labels, not measured. Role on an expedition: dinner. A classic comfort food heavy-hitter for the trail. Quick-cook macaroni, lean ground beef gravel, black bean flakes, and cheddar powder in a savory tomato-chili sauce, topped with crunchy Fritos. PACK SPECS dry weight 193 g (6.8 oz) calories 830 kcal (4.3 kcal/g, 122 kcal/oz) water 280 g (about 1¼ cups) rehydrate 6-8 min macros protein 37 g, carb 92 g, fat 35 g method Freezer-bag cooking. Boil water only. shelf life Weeks in the pantry. All-in weight, with the oil/ghee and anything carried separately. Calories and macros are calculated from typical package labels, not measured. Soak time is for home; allow about half again as long above 10,000 ft. INGREDIENTS -- Dry pack -- 60 g quick-cook macaroni or small shells (about 1/2 cup; the 3-minute kind) 30 g dehydrated ground beef (trail gravel crumbles; 93/7 lean ground beef, cooked and dried; see Ahead of time) 20 g dehydrated black or pinto beans (crumbled flakes; canned beans, dried; see Ahead of time) 15 g tomato leather (crushed to powder) 18 g cheddar cheese powder (about 2.5 tbsp) 8 g dehydrated bell peppers and onions (crushed) 2.5 g chili powder (1 tsp) 1 g ground cumin (1/2 tsp) 1.5 g garlic powder (1/2 tsp) 1.5 g onion powder (1/2 tsp) 0.3 g dried oregano (1/4 tsp) 1.2 g salt (1/4 tsp) -- Crunchy topping -- 20 g corn chips (Fritos; in their own small bag) -- Trail fat -- 14 g olive oil or ghee (1 tbsp, in a small leakproof bottle; stirred in at the end) STEPS Ahead of time 1. Dehydrated ground beef (trail gravel): brown 93/7 lean ground beef with a pinch of garlic and onion powder, breaking it into fine crumbles. Drain and rinse under hot tap water to wash away surface fat (prevents rancidity and allows fast rehydration). Spread on mesh trays and dry at 145°F for 5 to 7 hours until hard and dry. Rehydrates in 4 to 5 minutes in sub-boiling water, tender and easy to chew. Pack at home 1. Weigh the dry pack ingredients into a quart freezer bag. 2. Put the crunchy topping in a small bag of its own and tuck it inside. 3. Press the air out, seal, and write "280 g water, 6 to 8 min" on the bag. 4. Carry the ghee, oil, and any soy sauce separately in small leakproof bottles or single-serve packets. At camp 1. Take out the chip bag. 2. Pour 280 g (1.2 cups) of boiling water into the bag and stir thoroughly. 3. Seal and insulate in a cozy for 6 to 8 minutes. 4. Stir in the oil or ghee, crush the Fritos over the top, and eat from the bag. EQUIPMENT - Quart freezer bags (freezer weight, so they take boiling water) - Kitchen scale and marker - At camp: a long-handled spoon, a cup marked for water, and a cozy or spare hat to insulate the bag FOOD SAFETY Home-dried meat (beef or chicken): cook it fully first, use the leanest meat you can find and blot off the fat, and dry it until hard. Fat goes rancid. Pack it within a few weeks of drying, or keep it in the freezer until the trip. STORAGE Weeks in the pantry. LICENSE CC BY 4.0: share and adapt freely, credit longproof and link to https://longproof.duckdns.org/recipes/backcountry-chili-mac.txt https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/