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By Alisa Fleming on Dairy-Free Recipes, Entrees
With so many people trying the plant-based diet, I wanted to make sure we have a great meat alternative to reference as an option for recipes. Luckily, this vegan grain meat grind recipe was in our recipe queue. It’s a versatile vegan “ground meat” that was created by Tommy McDonald, the Head Chef of Field Roast – the vegan “meat” experts!
This ground meat is a workhorse for us here at Field Roast, and is the base for many of the recipes in this book. The reason I get so jazzed about our grind is that we use a double cooking process, which makes for a really tender, chewy texture that’s just begging to be folded into your favorite recipes at home. Essentially, the mixture is cooked for the first time while you’re making the meat grind, and for the second time in the recipe you ultimately use it in (meatloaf, roasts, sausages, etc.).
This ground meat is a workhorse for us here at Field Roast, and is the base for many of the recipes in this book. The reason I get so jazzed about our grind is that we use a double cooking process, which makes for a really tender, chewy texture that’s just begging to be folded into your favorite recipes at home. Essentially, the mixture is cooked for the first time while you’re making the meat grind, and for the second time in the recipe you ultimately use it in (meatloaf, roasts, sausages, etc.).This grain meat grind recipe is a sample from Chef Tommy McDonald’s cookbook, Field Roast: 101 Artisan Vegan Meat Recipes to Cook, Share, and Savor.
Homemade Vegan “Ground Meat” from the Experts (Easy Step by Step)
The recipe might look daunting at first, but Chef Tommy McDonald breaks it down with detailed instructions. And once you get the hang of it, it’s really just a few simple steps to make! Here it is in pictures:
Combine 4 Simple Ingredients.
Bring the Ingredients Together with Your Hands into Dough.
Wrap the Dough in Cheesecloth and Twine, and Submerge in Water to Cook.
Grind in a Meat Grinder OR Food Processor.
It can then be used in all types of recipes, from dairy-free lasagna to vegan “meatloaf.” You can even make a big batch to freeze and defrost as much as you need. Just keep in mind that it is a “ground meat” intended to be used in recipes, not eaten straight up. Cook it with your favorite taco seasonings or bake it in a casserole, as examples.
Salt Note for this Grain Meat Grind
I contacted Field Roast since some concern was expressed about the amount of salt and the saltiness. Here is what they said:
- The grind is not meant to be consumed alone, it is a subrecipe for sausages/burgers/meatloaf.
- The amount of salt and sodium from the vegetable base is spread across nearly 4 lbs of roast.
- Most importantly, the roasts are boiled in water, in cheesecloth, for about 90 minutes. The water does leech a good amount of salt from the grind logs (diffusion), which is why we add additional salt to the recipe. Alternatively, you could add half the salt to the water and half to the grind.
Nevertheless, you can start with less salt, if you are concerned about the saltiness.
Field Roast: 101 Artisan Vegan Meat Recipes
The Field Roast Cookbook isn’t brand new. It came out about a year and a half ago. But good recipes are timeless, and this beautiful, full color, hardcover collection is practically a must if you are interested in plant-based alternatives. It includes everything from making vegan charcuterie to classic brunch dishes and comfort food dinners. And there are ample tips and notes to ensure great results.
The collage below provides a mere taste of the recipes in the Field Roast Cookbook. The images include Chicken Fried Field Roast and Waffles, Leek Dumpkings in Dashi, Fennel and Garlic Ground Sausage, and Paella with Oaxacan Chili-Spiced Sausage .
(Please Note: I don’t recommend this cookbook if you are gluten-free. They are the grain-meat experts, so a lot of the recipe do use gluten.)
Special Diet Notes: Vegan Grain Meat Grind
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.
1.5 from 2 reviews
Grain Meat Grind (Vegan "Ground Meat)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Because it’s so versatile, feel free to double the recipe and freeze it, ground, in resealable plastic bags for up to three months.
Author: Chef Tommy McDonald of Field Roast
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: American
Serves: 3½ pounds
Ingredients
- 3¾ cups cold water
- ½ cup vegetable or vegan chicken base
- 4 cups vital wheat gluten
- 3 tablespoons sea salt (see Editor's Note below)
- 2 (24 x 18-inch) pieces cheesecloth, each folded in half to make a 12 x 18-inch piece
- Safflower or canola oil spray
- 8 feet butcher’s twine
Instructions
- In a large container, combine the cold water and base. In a mixing bowl, stir together the vital wheat gluten and salt, then add the base mixture, mixing until combined. You may need to use your hands to bring everything together. This dough should look a little rough and may have a small amount of excess liquid in the bowl.
- Divide the dough into two equal parts. Roll each half into a log about 8 inches long.
- Lay out the cheesecloth on a clean counter or cutting board. Spray with oil and place each roll onto its own piece of cheesecloth. Wrap the cheesecloth around the roll. Cut four pieces of twine, two about 10 inches long, the other two 18 inches each. Twist one end of the cheesecloth to make it tight against the roll, and tie this off with a double knot, using a 10-inch piece of string. Push in the roll on the untied end, and twist the cheesecloth until the roll is snug. Tie this off, using an 18-inch piece of string with a double knot, tying off a loop at the end to use as a handle. Tie the other roll in the same manner. Cut the remaining piece of string in half (you will have two 20-inch pieces of string). Tie each roll with string equidistant intervals down the roast, using a slipknot.
- In a large stockpot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Holding the tied-off ends, gently slip the rolls into the water. Allow to come back to a boil, lower the heat to medium, and allow to simmer for about 1½ hours, or until internally it reads 195°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove each roll from the water and allow to cool enough to handle. Using scissors, cut away the twine and cheesecloth and discard.
- Cut each loaf into 1-inch cubes. Run the cubes through meat grinder or meat grinder attachment (see Meat Grinder alternative below).
- The rolls can be stored in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag in the freezer, or can be ground immediately to use in recipes.
Notes
Editor's Note: We double checked, and the recipe is correct as published in the book. See the notes in the post above for why so much salt is used (a key reason is that a lot of the salt diffuses into the cooking water). Nevertheless, it might be too salty for some taste buds. You can reduce the salt, if desired. Keep in mind that the vegan Better than Bouillon broth bases have roughly twice as much salt as Orrington Farms brand. And note that the salt is not only used for flavor, it also helps to tenderize the "meat."
Chef's Note: When you first mix the ingredients together, do so with a spoon, but then feel free to dive in with your hands and get messy—it’s simply easier to incorporate all the ingredients this way. The first time you make the meat grind, you’ll likely feel like there’s way too much water in the bowl, but don’t worry:
the gluten will absorb the liquid as it sits and you’ll soon be left with a nice, uniform dough. If you do end up having excess moisture in the bowl, you’ll just lift out the dough and leave it behind—nothing to worry about.
No Meat Grinder? No Problem: I realize that a meat grinder isn’t exactly a mainstay in most home kitchens, so a good hack here is to use your food processor to grind the grain meat. To do so, slice up your meat into roughly 1-inch cubes and divide them into two groups. Because you want some differently sized bits in your grind for optimal texture, you’re going to process one group into more of a fine grind (resembling, say, orzo pasta) and the other into more of a coarse
grind (resembling a small bean). Once the meat is processed, you’ll go ahead
and mix both grinds together into a big bowl, and you’re ready to roll.
This recipe is reprinted with permissions from Field Roast: 101 Artisan Vegan Meat Recipes to Cook, Share, and Savor by Tommy McDonald.
