Yves Barbecue Beef Skewers
While I'm not a big fan of "faux" meats, there are some really great products out there these days: Gardenburger BBQ Riblets and Chick'n Grills, Morningstar Bacon Stips and Sausage Patties, Yves Canadian Bacon and Pizza Pepperoni are all favorites.
With hubby not being a vegetarian, I am increasingly tempted to try some of the faux beef options. He loves Gardenburger's BBQ riblets, so last night we tried Yves new Meatless Barbecue Beef Skewers.
I was surprised on removing them from the package that they looked nothing like the kidney-shaped pieces on the front photo, but were instead a smooth and shiny single log on a skewer. Even more surprising, they had no smell when I removed them from the package. Described as "seasoned to perfection" and clearly in some kind of sauce, I expected a BBQ smell. I sniffed and smelled a dull seitan smell. Hmm...
The cooking instructions were also surprising: "lightly brush with oil, cook at medium heat for 12-15 mintues, browning all sides." 12-15 minutes seemed like an awfully long time - most other products are very careful to remind you to cook them for only a couple of minutes. I used my stovetop grill pan and grilled the skewers along with chunks of onions and green peppers. I then made up a big taco salad (beans, cheese, salsa, guacamole) as a substantial side dish.
Needless to say, we needed the substantial side dish. The skewers were rubbery, with a strong plain seitan flavor. I doused them in salsa, but we still couldn't eat them. They were also very visually unappealing. Maybe a very flavorful BBQ sauce would have worked wonders here, but we were too put off to keep trying.
If someone had a good experience with this new product, I'd love to hear about it. I should point out that Yves Barbecue Beef Skewers aren't vegan, as they contain egg ingredients.
posted by Catherine at 9:36 AM
16 Comments:
My husband and I tried these for the first time last weekend and were very disappointed. We thought that maybe putting them into a stew would moisten them up, but I probably won't bother to buy these again.
Anon - I won't buy them again either. I think they were also quite expensive.
Triple yuck. I found them to be quite spongy. I was weirded out by the "log" shape too.
OK Yves...back to the kitchen!
These are definetly not worth the money to make them we couldnt eat them either. It is also really irritating when food looks nothing like the packaging.
I made them tonight and loved it. I did not feel like lighting up the grill, so I just heated them in a skillet. The product has run together as you all described, but it was easy to separate and it cooked up fine, and the final result was similar to what was pictured. I spent about 20 minutes over the heat, and let it blacken in spots. The texture was nice. Served it up with a bit of BBQ sauce on the side. The texture was what made it for me.
My family looked on in horror and I couldn't stop laughing when I took these out of the package and put them in a pan. They look exactly like bowel movements on a stick!! I cut them up and they actually don't taste too bad, but they are probably the grossest looking packaged product I've ever seen!
Babaluba - we, too, had a similarly reaction (except we didn't think they tasted good).
Anon - thanks for your comment. I'm glad you had a success with these. Perhaps cutting them up plus a longer cooking time plus BBQ sauce is the way to go.
I may have forgotten a childhood mudpie incident, but at this point I think that one of these skewers was probably the most disgusting thing I have ever put in my mouth.
I tried these recently and loved them, though I agree they look awfully unappetizing from the box. I skewered onion and green pepper chunks on skewers and grilled everything on a Foreman grill, then ate it over whole wheat couscous made with Knorr vegetarian broth. The texture is very meat-like, so some may find that unappealing, but I do suggest giving them a try.
Yves, is a good product...provided that its the bbq "beef" skewers. The lemon chicken made me litterally ill. The key to the BBQ beef...is to place a small amount of oil in the frying pan and let them cook until they look bbq. Then you can pull it apart like "ribs". It also taste wonderful if tofutti sour cream. My Kroger stopped carrying it and I am slightly saddened by that.
I think Yves should state clearly on th ebox that the key to enjoying these so-called "riblets" is to PULL THEM APART. You wouldn't believe the difference in TASTE and in TEXTURE (surprisingly like real beef) that doing this makes. Just heat them in the microwave for a few minutes, slide them OFF of that RIDICULOUS skewer, and peel apart. Really, they are SO much better this way - also smothered in your favorite BBQ sauce.
And by the way, just forego their nasty lemon chicken skewers - they are about the worst faux meat product I have ever tried in my 14 years of vegetarianism.
i bought the souvlaki veggie skewers, they are AMAZIng i put them on a pita with a be dof rice, tzitziki and light feta and some veggies, they are actually quaite good, although I have never tired the beef.
OK. I tried the beef and chicken. My boyfriend did not like the chicken. I actually liked it. So, I made the beef - the key to this product is taking the meat off of the skewer. I cut up the meat in to small pieces. In a sauce pan, onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Once they have cooked I add the meat. Let everything cook together for about 15 minutes. Add salt, pepper and garlic to taste. Finally, I add wasabi dijon dressing over the entire mixture, (like two tablespoons) but you can use any sauce that you really like. By adding a sauce or dressing, it adds a little moisture to the mix. I let that simmer for about 5 minutes and then serve. It is really great.
Yeah, these are super gross. They seriously look like poop! And the taste and texture isn't any better.
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