Creating a “Real Burger” with Beyond Meat
So, about two months ago I realized I could not reconcile my love of wildlife with a diet consisting, large part, of farmed animals. As such, I made a switch to “mostly vegetarian”. I still eat meat, fish, and game. But only when I can find sources that 1) lived in the wild, 2) were wild caught, and 3) are sustainable. (After all, deer populations will grow to the point where they will die of starvation. Sustainable hunting is a good thing.)
This weekend, I found “burgers” from Beyond Meat at my local market. I had read that these mimic a meat-lover’s experience. So, I thought I would give them a try. Here goes...
Looking at the package, the look like beef (or bison) burgers:
They even have the “high-fat, gonna hit my waistline” nutritional value:
The ingredients are big of chemistry set as well. However, when I unwrapped them, they looked like meat. As such, I gave them the usual treatment: seasoning with Kosher salt and some pepper, and letting them come up to 60F:
While doing this, I prepped the accompaniments. I decided that if I was going to test test these against grass-feed beef, I would do a classic burger: good bun + mustard and ketchup + Vermont Cheddar + sauteed Vidalia onions + pickles. I prepped this while the “burgers” were coming up to temperature.
I then cooked in a cast iron skillet (for the same comparison). I also used some peanut oil, as a I would for a “real burger.” I did not need to use much, as these burgers release a lot of old while cooking (just like beef). Most of it has a smell of coconut (I did drain some off so I could get a good sear).
Like beef burgers, I tried to sear these. However, I did so at 425F (as I did not want to burn the vegetables). My new house has a touchy smoke detector. As such, I could not quite get the sear on both. One was ideal, one less so.
Here is how the “burgers” looked when all prepped:
They had a nice pink in the middle: the temp was 120F ( I never go to that 165F recommended by the FDA as I like my food to have some flavor).
The flavor was quite good. The burgers had that satisfying “fatty drippiness” you would get with beef. These will definitely make a good Memorial Day, 4th of July, or Labor Day substitute. Nice chemistry work by the folks at Beyond Meat.
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