‘World’s first’ plant-based pork RIBS go on sale complete with edible vegan bones – so would YOU try them?
From a filet mignon steak to a whole sliced loin, mock meat maker Juicy Marbles has already released several vegan versions of popular meats.
Now the company has unveiled its third product: plant-based pork ribs with soy bones that can be air-fried and eaten like pork crabmeat.
The product is called ‘Bone-In’ Ribs and restores the ‘primal joy’ of eating boneless meat for vegetarians or vegans who lack the experience.
Unlike trendy slow-cooking methods that take hours, the ribs can be cooked in the oven in about 15 minutes, according to Juicy Marbles.
The company has yet to confirm the price of ‘Bone-In’ Ribs, but as with previous products, it is expected to be more than the real meat version.
‘Bone-In’ Ribs from Slovenian company Juicy Marbles has realistic ‘meat’ and a bonus snack: edible ‘bones’
The company says: ‘The bones are made from nutritious plant protein, which means they can also be eaten’
A limited batch of ‘Bone-In’ Ribs has already sold out, but Juicy Marbles is aiming for a general release in 2024.
“With so much surface area to caramelize and rich fat throughout, every bite delivers that perfect combination of crispy, melt-in-the-mouth crust and tender, juicy meat,” says the company, based in Slovenia.
‘The bones are made of nutritious vegetable protein, which means they can also be eaten.
“For a crunchy snack with more protein than jerky, you can fry, bake or air fry them.”
According to the Juicy Marbles website, the “Bone-In” Ribs are made with soy protein, sunflower oil, salt and water, as well as beetroot juice to give them a deep meaty color.
But it doesn’t list the separate ingredients for the “bones” and the “meat,” which have two completely different consistencies, promo photos show.
MailOnline has contacted the company for more information about how the product is made, which is suitable for marinating just like real ribs.
During the development of the new product, the staff had initially considered making boneless plant-based rib meat before deciding it would be “just a pile of meat.”
“Once we decided to go for bones, the first goal was to at least make them compostable,” the company said in a statement.
Unlike the trendy slow-cooking methods that take hours, “Bone-In” Ribs can be cooked in the oven in about 15 minutes, according to the company.
According to the Juicy Marbles website, ‘Bone-In’ Ribs are largely made from soy protein, sunflower oil and water
‘But once we developed them from proteins, we realized that they could also be eaten.
“We tried them raw and they didn’t taste very good, but once we sizzled them they swelled up and we all enjoyed a crunchy snack.”
Juicy Marbles sees it as its mission to develop plan-based imitations of meat that can easily be mistaken for the real thing.
In a recent Instagram messageit makes it clear that not everyone who goes vegan does so because they don’t like meat.
Many vegans even miss eating meat, but have given up because they are aware of their carbon footprint or want to improve their diet.
It is common knowledge among scientists that livestock farming is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.
Meanwhile, a diet high in red meat has been linked to health problems, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
But in general, Juicy Marbles products are suitable for everyone, even meat eaters who fancy something different for dinner.
With ‘Bone-In’ Ribs, the new aspect of eating bones is likely to catch the attention of vegans and meat lovers alike.
Juicy Marbles already released the first vegetable filet mignon steak, with striking lines of fat marbling made from sunflower oil.
Juicy Marbles already released the first vegetable filet mignon steak, with striking lines of fat marbling made from sunflower oil. Juicy Marbles says on her website, “The experience is exquisite. The texture is firm yet velvety’
Without a doubt, the best thing about the Juicy Marbles steak was the texture: the fake meat just falls apart
The mock steak costs around £10 per steak if you buy a pack of four and has a texture that mimics fibers in beef tissue, resulting in succulent bits that ‘tear away gently’.
In a review, MailOnline said, “I really don’t think many people will be able to say that this ‘steak’ is animal-free, especially when you top it with a hearty red wine gravy or peppercorn sauce.”
Last year, the company launched its second product: a 765g whole sirloin, priced at a hefty 45 euros (£40), which ‘bleeds’ with the addition of water and beetroot.
To make its mock meat, the company doesn’t use 3D printing or lab-grown the meat using cells taken from animals, unlike several rival companies.
Instead, it uses a secretive, patent-pending technology called the “Meat-o-Matic 9000,” which stacks proteins into linear fibers, mimicking muscle structures.
It is unclear whether this process was involved in the creation of the new ribs.