Cut Into A Big, Juicy, Plant-Based Steak With Redefine Meat

Plant-based meat is taking over. We've already been deep in it ourselves, ranking the best plant-based nuggets and fish, keeping an eye out for every fast food Beyond or Impossible burger that drops. But so far, these innovations have taken the form of patties or other ground-up and smooshed together shapes, not quite fully resembling a real cut of meat. That is, until now.

Redefine Meat is introducing what they're calling "New-Meat" to restaurants, according to a press release sent to The Takeout, which will replicate whole cuts of meat like beef and lamb flanks. It's made possible with 3-D printing technology that seeks to replicate not only the look of a big ole steak, but also the texture and juiciness. Special attention is paid to the way the meat marbles, something that doesn't matter as much in a burger patty.

But does it actually live up to that goal? The high-end and Michelin-star chefs that the makers of the product spoke with say, "yes!" And some are putting their money where their fake meat-filled mouths are: they're introducing the ingredient to their menus.

These aren't places accustomed to serving a vegan customer, either. At one such restaurant chain, Marco Pierre White Steakhouses in the UK, there's hardly even a vegetarian item to speak of on the menu. That must mean this New-Meat stuff really is as good as they say.

Of course, this move isn't just to serve a specific diet. It's also a step toward sustainability. In the release CEO and co-founder Eshchar Ben-Shitrit says, "Redefine Meat has its eyes set on the real problem—not meat, but the way it's produced. We have a genuine solution that today, not in 2030, preserves all the culinary aspects of meat we know and love, but eliminates cattle as a means of production."

The rollout of these New-Meats is starting overseas in the coming months, specifically the UK, Israel, and the Netherlands, so it might be a while before we can get our hands on some cuts for a taste test here in the U.S. In the meantime we'll keep grilling, smelling, and, of course, eating the plant-based meats we do have, dreaming of the day we can bite into a big, juicy fake steak.