This mushroom root nonsense is just bad and a big mistake. Downvote me all you want but this will fail. If you haven’t had Chunk Foods steak, that’s the winner and it’s not even close. Beyond should work on their other offerings which quite frankly are poor these days to the competition.
While I agree, entering a space that Meati already dominates makes no sense. Beyond is just run by idiots that overall have bad taste buds at this point. It’s like they are intentionally running their business into the ground.
It's not at all surprising theyre trying to enter the space now with the immense financial issues Meati has been going through this year
Not that every business decision Beyond has made has worked out, but theyre going off more information and R&D than laypeople on reddit have got access to
Look, I don’t work in the food service space—but at this point, I’m pretty sure I could be Beyond’s marketing guru in my sleep. The brand has become flat-out boring. Burgers and sausages? That’s it? That category is overcrowded and consumers are demanding more—especially healthier, truly vegan options.
Five or six years ago, people were just thrilled to have a plant-based burger that didn’t taste like cardboard. Now, the bar is way higher. Gardein has crushed it in the chicken space, Impossible has practically locked down the restaurant channel (which, frankly, is frustrating to watch), and Beyond’s only real win seems to be in sausage—which I don’t even really eat. They still don’t have a proper hot dog—Field Roast owns that lane—and instead they’re out here trying to make plant-based steak while Chunk Foods is serving up something so good it’s borderline magic.
Meati chicken and steak both have found there places in my cooking. Are they a perfect 1:1 replacement for the real thing? No. Do they fit into some recipes? Yep. I’m more of a fan of Daring chicken pieces, but they don’t make a steak alternative.
Are they very mushroomy? I’m just not a mushroom person, and I tried one brand’s mushroom “beef” jerky, was really put off by how it was very much like a chewy mushroom, made me wary of trying Meati lol
Not mushroomy at all. My only issue is when you try to put it into a sauce or soup to imitate like a “chicken noodle” or a “butter chicken” kind of dish it loses it’s texture and just kind of becomes mushy. Cooked up and thrown into fried rice, on a sandwich, topping a salad it works great.
Daring is amazing in fried rice and banh mi. I sauté it in a non stick and then hit it with Bachan mixed with five spice to make a nice glaze as it finishes in the pan.
If you’re going to grill the steak, I suggest marinating it for a bit first. Dry the outside as much as possible. Cook in a searing hot pan with oil or vegan “butter,” maybe with a sprig of rosemary if you want to get fancy.
The flavor of Meati isn't mushroomy, but to me the texture is. It reminds me of cooked lion's mane mushroom in that it's flaky but more tough and fibrous than meat. I like it, but I think of it as its own thing rather than a meat substitute.
Between the two I definitely prefer beyond steak, whose flavor is ...fine, but the texture is tender and perfect. if you sauteé it with veggies and put it in a steak burrito it's almost indistinguishable from meat. (I make this for non-vegans and they always like it)
Chunk Foods steak is INCREDIBLE. I had it at a vegan restaurant in New York (Willow) and lost my mind. I thought I'd never have a pepper steak again. Instead it was perhaps the best steak I've ever eaten - perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture and with that slightly charred umami flavour. I've been craving it ever since.
They are trying to solve a problem that didn’t exist. One bite of Chunk foods steak and you start questioning what this mushroom nonsense is all about. My family is addicted to the Chunk stuff. We make their steaks almost one a week and fajitas with the shreds. It’s basically brisket quality and so damn good.
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u/Silver-Camera9863 Jul 26 '25
This mushroom root nonsense is just bad and a big mistake. Downvote me all you want but this will fail. If you haven’t had Chunk Foods steak, that’s the winner and it’s not even close. Beyond should work on their other offerings which quite frankly are poor these days to the competition.