The Best Stove Top Stuffing Mix Flavor Is Better Than The Traditional And Turkey Varieties By A Mile

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There are certain times of year that stuffing is an almost-mandatory dish on the dinner table, but that seasonality, frankly, sells it short. A box of Stove Top Stuffing Mix is inexpensive, takes little time to prepare, and makes an excellent accompaniment to all sorts of different meals. In fact, while one might expect the turkey variety to be the best, in our ranking of the various Stove Top Stuffing Mixes, the top choice was a flavor that many may have written off as unusual: pork.

Undoubtedly, stuffing and dressing, those nearly identical bready side dishes, are most closely associated with holiday feasts and stuffed birds for most of us — not pork roasts. However, our reviewer found that, at least within the Stove Top brand, there was a certain element to the Stuffing Mix for Pork that wasn't present in other varieties. More than the others, this box had a bold richness that made it a clear winner.

That positive review isn't unique either, with similar statements holding strong across the internet in the voices of consumers. Over on the Walmart website listing for Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Pork, the offering carries 4.7-out-of-5 stars and over 600 reviews. "I have been buying the pork stovetop stuffing for years," one customer raved. "It is my favorite. The combination of spices are just right." But what makes this particular mix so good? As it turns out, it doesn't have anything to do with pork.

With the word "pork" involved, it's perfectly logical to assume that this mix is made with pork broth, but, in this case, the product name indicates what it should be served with, not how it is made. In fact, this offering is "accidentally" vegan. That said, many of the brand's stuffing mixes do contain animal products. The turkey stuffing uses cooked turkey, and even the Traditional Sage Stovetop Stuffing contains cooked chicken. So, how is it that this stuffing comes out bolder than the others? It could be down to the umami boosters.

Looking at the ingredient lists for these Stove Top mixes, there are umami-boosting salts in all of them, but the pork variety has a unique upper-hand. Disodium guanylate and disodium inosinate are flavor enhancers present in all three mixes, but in the "for pork" package, they are paired with the OG umami booster monosodium glutamate, a.k.a. MSG. The presence of this extra salt is not the only difference, but these three umami-boosters working together could explain the bold flavor.

Without a deep dive into the specific recipes for each flavor of Stove Top stuffing, we can't pin down exactly what it is that puts the pork flavor at the top. We can say, however, that it is worth trying next time a meal calls for stuffing. And, if not, then maybe your favorite homemade stuffing recipes could benefit from a sprinkle of umami-boosting MSG.