Meat+Poultry - June 2022 - 35

the protein or gluten. The texture of seitan
is described as " meat-like " with a robust
flavor. Seitan is high in protein, low in fat
and cholesterol free and is the basis for the
company's popular vegan Updogs.
" We've never really considered ourselves
like a meat analog type of a brand, " said
Natalie Slater, marketing manager at Upton's
Naturals. " But we are based in Chicago, and it
might sound silly, but Chicago-style hot dogs
are something that we all grew up eating and
that are really near and dear to our hearts.
" After 20-25 years of eating plant based,
we all sort of came to the group consensus
that nobody had really nailed a Chicago-style
hot dog. There are a lot of veggie dogs on
the market that are soy based, and you know
they're a little bit closer to the kind of Oscar
Meyer, pork-based hot dog. They're a little
softer and squishier and we really wanted
something to resemble the famous Chicago
kosher beef hot dog that snaps when you bite
into it.
" So that's when we started working on what
we ended up calling Updog. "
The wheat gluten-based hot dog is seasoned
with a lot of the flavors found in the Chicagostyle
hot dog such as celery salt and mustard
seed among other seasonings.
But what really makes the Updog unique
is the algae-based coating that crisps up when
grilled or cooked on the stove top, Slater said.
" It gives you that familiar 'snap' of a hot dog
and natural casing, " she added.
Barvecue, Cornelius, NC, developed a
protein blend that incudes whole soybean
and sweet potato. The company makes
three products - Pulled BVQ, Naked BVQ
and Carnitas - that are flavored with real
wood smoke.
" You know authentic barbecue is wood
smoked, " said Lee Cooper, founder of
Barvecue. " So, we tried smoke flavors and
everything just because, as you start to scale,
that's what people are going to come after you
with because it's a cheaper alternative. But
there's no comparison to an authentic wood
smoke, whether it's plant-based or meat it's
just different.
" And so that's been our focus: first learning
that process for plant-based proteins and then,
trying to scale that process and maintain that
consistency, quality and that authentic wood
smoke. So that is what we do and it's what we
do different in the plant-based space. That's
why we had to build our own plant - to have
that ability to do that. "
Barvecue opened the largest plantbased
smokehouse in Cornelius in October
2021. The 10,000-square-foot production
facility, called Carolina Smokehouse,
started production Oct. 12 with a goal
to produce 800,000 lbs of plant-based
Barvecue brand barbecue products
per year.
EYES ON OPTIONS
Plant-based meat alternatives are a frequent
mealtime solution for individuals looking to
reduce their animal protein intake, according
to the 2022 Power of Meat report prepared
by San Antonio, Texas-based 210 Analytics.
The report stated that 60% of Americans have
prepared plant-based meat alternatives at
home in the past year, with 15% reporting only
trying it once.
Manufacturers of plant-based meat
alternatives believe great taste and a variety
of products for consumers to choose from are
the key to encouraging repeat sales and trial -
especially among flexitarians who over-index
with 16% saying they frequently prepare plantbased
meat alternatives, according to the latest
Power of Meat report.
" We're definitely going after the flexitarian, "
Rotem-Wilderman said. " In fact, so much so
that some vegetarians that we have on staff,
if it's too meaty tasting, they'll react 'this is
too much like meat.' What we're really going
after is better for you, better for the planet, not
making tradeoffs. "
Cooper and Zack Werner, co-founder and
chief operating officer of Barvecue, wanted a
great-tasting center-of-plate option that just
happened to be plant-based. Their sights were
set on a plant-based pulled " pork. "
" People eat food because it tastes good, so
that's been a big mission of ours, " Cooper said.
" We also wanted something that's healthy, and
so there's a big focus on simple ingredients
that people can understand " such as apple
cider vinegar, canola oil and a proprietary
spice blend.
Following on the success of the Updog,
Upton's Naturals is considering other products
to add to the company's portfolio.
www.meatpoultry.com | 06.22 | MEAT+POULTRY 35
Upton's Naturals developed
the Updog out of a desire
for a vegan version of the
Chicago-style hot dog.
http://www.meatpoultry.com
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