Lab grown meat (Beyond Beef) tacos

The Cen-Tex Smoker · March 2020

Saw this at H-E-B and had to try it. It’s Beyond Beef ground “beef” by Beyond Meat.

First impressions:

it looks And smells a little weird right out of the bag. It does not smell like beef at all before cooking.

The cook- I was surprised that it crumbled up and browned up just like beef. A few minutes in and you couldn’t really tell it was not meat of some kind. The smell slowly turned into very much like ground beef as well. Really weird.

The meal- i have had the burger several times and it’s ok. Some are better than others and I found that I like it best at the fancy places with top shelf burgers. What you surround it with matters.

I figured the best way to try it at home was to add a lot of flavor. I looked at spaghetti but I decided on Ground “beef” tacos.

Made a homemade taco seasoning mix with sweated onions, chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, Mexican oregano. Also added some crushed tomato in chipotle adobo. It was, shall we say, flavorful lol.

The verdict:

first bite (me): odd but not terrible. As I ate it, it got better and better. In the end, I really liked it and would make again. I ate every bite and will likely have more later.

Janel went from horror to..”meh, don’t hate it but probably wouldn’t eat again”. She was vegetarian for 10 years in the 90’s and has a major aversion to fake foods and meat substitutes.

In the end, We both came around quite a ways after a few bites. The only way I can describe it is it “Tastes kind of of like Burger King meat”. I haven’t had BK in years but it had that kind of fake smoky flavor to it. It took the taco flavorings well (I’m not 100% sure the smoke flavor was not from the chipotle tomatoes) and the texture was actually pretty good. Not sure what kind of Franken-food sh!t they put in here but if this is just the beginning of this type of food, I think we are headed for some real world meat free options that most would be pleased with.

Grade: B- compared to real ground beef but really pretty good in the end. Would absolutely eat again as a meat free option. I think very few people would assume it wasn’t meat if they didn’t know upfront.

I make no judgement as to whether it’s healthier than ground beef or if it’s healthy at all. I would say calorie for calorie, it’s probably not any better for you than good ground beef. We both agreed that we would prefer using less really good pasture raised grass fed beef and lots of real, unprocessed veggies in the mix but I’m glad we tried it. I’m sure we will find another use for it and look forward to future ideation if it. They are pretty damn close already!

Give it a rip if you are so inclined. If planning on serving to vegetarians, I would ask first. Many of them have grown averse to meat texture and flavors after not eating them for a while. It’s really meaty in texture and taste so people who do not like meat will likely not like this.

lkapigian · March 2020

Very good!....a Stokholm Syndrome Burger

I will have to give it a try, I watched a few videos of them making it in a lab

The Cen-Tex Smoker · March 2020

lkapigian said:

Very good!....a Stokholm Syndrome Burger

I will have to give it a try, I watched a few videos of them making it in a lab

I think anyone who knows how to cook can get good results out of it. It takes flavor very well.

They also have “Beyond Sausage” hot italian links at my store. I have very low expectations but I have to try it after this. I had very low expectations for this too which is probably why my first few bites were a little weird. I really came around to it the more i ate.

nolaegghead · March 2020

I've tried Beyond Meat as burger patties. Bridget thought they tasted fine. I tasted some weird unnatural chemical and smell and couldn't finish it. I find the BK Impossible Burger to be fine, she thought they were weird.

Maybe all the taco seasoning and spices would mask that. I'm not against trying it again, but there has to be some benefit other than we didn't have to slay a cow.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · March 2020

nolaegghead said:

I've tried Beyond Meat as burger patties. Bridget thought they tasted fine. I tasted some weird unnatural chemical and smell and couldn't finish it. I find the BK Impossible Burger to be fine, she thought they were weird.

Maybe all the taco seasoning and spices would mask that. I'm not against trying it again, but there has to be some benefit other than we didn't have to slay a cow.

I think all the seasonings made a big difference. I bought it with that use in mind. Can't see making a burger from it at home.

Only other benefit (and frankly, maybe the only benefit) I can see is environmental. Beef is brutal on the environment. As the global population grows, I think having options that are not as carbon heavy will be a good thing overall. Even if people make it 20% of their diet or something like that it could be part of the solution

Eggcelsior · March 2020

I’m looking forward to actual lab-grown beef. Better living through chemistry!

nolaegghead · March 2020

Eggcelsior said:

I’m looking forward to actual lab-grown beef. Better living through chemistry!

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lab-grown-meat/

MO_Eggin · March 2020

Interesting article from earlier this week by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt on cooking with plant based meats - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/03/dining/impossible-beyond-meat.html

Botch · March 2020

I'm quite glad that I personally think a grilled portobello mushroom tastes better than actual beef, and makes a fine "burger" (and cheaper than either to boot).
Hmmm, portobello tacos...

The Cen-Tex Smoker · March 2020

MO_Eggin said:

Interesting article from earlier this week by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt on cooking with plant based meats - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/03/dining/impossible-beyond-meat.html

Thanks for the link. Saw that while on a plane this week but didn't have time to read it. I saved it and it was on my list to read this weekend. I haven't spent nearly as much time working with it as he has but I tend to agree with him based on my limited experience with it. I've had several burgers at restaurants (Mostly impossible) and I prefer them with bolder flavors on the burger. Smoked cheddar was my favorite, but there were some nice spicy aoilis and other toppings on others that I really liked as well. my least favorite was an "All-American" style with the standard mustard lettuce, tomatoes pickles. It just needs to be elevated a little more for my tastes.

The way he talks about it being best in a frying pan...I can totally see that. I haven't cooked with Impossible but the beyond beef behaved a lot like ground meat. I don't think most people would assume it was plant based but I do think most would wonder what the seasonings were or something like that. It's not 100% beef but with a little practice, it's pretty damn close.

caliking · March 2020

I'll start by saying that y'all are likely foremost among whom I consider "calibrated" i.e. peeps who I know that I should heed re: food related stuff. It's paid dividends thus far.

But... I can't get behind this "plant based" co-opting of meat cookery. Not saying that I don't see some benefit of less meat consumption. Just that I don't see the point of needing to say that it's like meat in whatever way.

As a movement, be bold. Own the plants. No more " it tastes/BLEEDS like beef... But isn't!" Vegetarians the world over, in many different cultures and countries, have made it past the whole "it's gotta taste like meat" business. I get the notion of the environmental toll of raising meat commercially, but believe that if one's morals are bothered enough to forego meat, then the yearning for the flavor of it is an oxymoron.

I'm with TFJ. I don't get the weird, in between, phase of wanting to eat meat-flavored substance, without actually eating meat.

PS - our diet is approximately 40% (or more vegetarian/ "plant-based". I think. I'm not good at math.

PPS - yes, I do feel much better now that I've gotten that off my chest.

PPPS - no, I don't think I've ever used so many qoutes or obliques in a single post.

GrateEggspectations · March 2020

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

nolaegghead said:

I've tried Beyond Meat as burger patties. Bridget thought they tasted fine. I tasted some weird unnatural chemical and smell and couldn't finish it. I find the BK Impossible Burger to be fine, she thought they were weird.

Maybe all the taco seasoning and spices would mask that. I'm not against trying it again, but there has to be some benefit other than we didn't have to slay a cow.

I think all the seasonings made a big difference. I bought it with that use in mind. Can't see making a burger from it at home.

Only other benefit (and frankly, maybe the only benefit) I can see is environmental. Beef is brutal on the environment. As the global population grows, I think having options that are not as carbon heavy will be a good thing overall. Even if people make it 20% of their diet or something like that it could be part of the solution

Came across this article yesterday in which they made butter from bugs rather than from cows. I think the big challenge with insect-based products is getting over the ick-factor, which is a very tall order in Western cultures.

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5488721

The Cen-Tex Smoker · March 2020

caliking said:

I'll start by saying that y'all are likely foremost among whom I consider "calibrated" i.e. peeps who I know that I should heed re: food related stuff. It's paid dividends thus far.

But... I can't get behind this "plant based" co-opting of meat cookery. Not saying that I don't see some benefit of less meat consumption. Just that I don't see the point of needing to say that it's like meat in whatever way.

As a movement, be bold. Own the plants. No more " it tastes/BLEEDS like beef... But isn't!" Vegetarians the world over, in many different cultures and countries, have made it past the whole "it's gotta taste like meat" business. I get the notion of the environmental toll of raising meat commercially, but believe that if one's morals are bothered enough to forego meat, then the yearning for the flavor of it is an oxymoron.

I'm with TFJ. I don't get the weird, in between, phase of wanting to eat meat-flavored substance, without actually eating meat.

PS - our diet is approximately 40% (or more vegetarian/ "plant-based". I think. I'm not good at math.

PPS - yes, I do feel much better now that I've gotten that off my chest.

PPPS - no, I don't think I've ever used so many qoutes or obliques in a single post.

Love it and I totally agree. Like I said, I highly doubt this is any better for you than eating ground beef. I just had to try it. I ate crickets when I had the chance (they were better than this) and when I saw this I was like "eff it, let's see what the fuss is all about".

And btw, I checked in on my leftovers this morning...very cat foody. Maybe it needs to be warm but...Can't do it.

I'm pretty much in the "eat more veg than meat and use really good meat when you eat it" camp. I had bacon from one our pigs this morning. It was glorious.

Eggcelsior · March 2020

Crickets are amazing. I’ve had them quite a bit in Mexico

Botch · March 2020

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:
I'm pretty much in the "eat more veg than meat and use really good meat when you eat it" camp. I had bacon from one our pigs this morning. It was glorious.

Most of my life I've kinda followed the Chinese food pyramid: one fist of protein, two fists of veggies, three fists of rice.
I don't wok much anymore, need to pick up on that. A package of two large cheekun breasts would make 4 meals for me, and just by changing the condiments you have four different meals, no leftover burnout.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · March 2020

Eggcelsior said:

Crickets are amazing. I’ve had them quite a bit in Mexico

Plus their little legs are like built in toothpicks!

KiterTodd · March 2020

One of them (Impossible Burger I think?) is made from soy. Lotta estrogen in them. Good for your boobies!

Lab grown meat (Beyond Beef) tacos

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