As a bonafide carnivore I love my meats, yet being of a healthy mind and a health and fitness author, I like to explore alternative products for both myself and you, the reader. I give my honest opinion of what I think of different products, however, each of us have individual tastes. Just because I may or may not like a product I have reviewed, it does not mean you will come to the same conclusions regarding tastes, smells and textures.

After a week on the road, I really wanted a good breakfast this morning. Beyond Meats plant based sausage Beyond Sausage Brat Original filled this need for me.

Coming out of it’s packaging, I thought these Brats appeared more like an actual meat product, than the burgers and the Hot Italian Sausages. This was just a very minor detail for me though. What I wanted to know was how they were going to cook, and then of course, how satisfying they would be. And of course, they had to be nutritionally sound.

I browned them in a cast iron skillet with a little extra virgin olive oil over a low medium heat. It did not take long before my kitchen was filled with the good smell of sausage being cooked. The sausages browned very nicely in the olive oil, the casings seemed to be a bit better than I remember the casings from the Beyond Meat Italian sausage product. The Brat casing seemed to be pretty similar to any other sausage casing, yet the product is 100% plant based.

Once cooked, I scrambled a few eggs and plated it for myself and my brother in law who was having breakfast with me. Howard is one who might normally turn his nose up to any type of vegetarian or vegan friendly product, and I did not mention that was what he was being fed.

I cut into my Brat and thought it appeared almost realistically meat like in appearance. Truth be told, if I did not know what it was, I probably would not have seen any difference. I bit into my first bite and was instantly impressed with the taste and texture. The only issue with the flavor was I thought it had more of a breakfast sausage sage taste than that of actual meat  Brat’s. For me, this was not a bad thing, if it had been a breakfast sausage, the seasoning would be perfect for my taste. I enjoy sage, but it does not take much to be too much for me.

The texture was very much like a good meat Brat, yet there was a very slight chewiness to it. This was a non-issue for me. I also liked that the Brats were not greasy at all. The moisture content was satisfactory, yet I believe they might become a little too dry if overly cooked.

I asked my brother in law how he liked the Brats and he said he thought they were quite good. He was silent for a second and then asked me if they were the plant based product I bought last week at the store. I said  they were, and he replied that he liked them pretty good and would not mind having them again. I have two remaining that I believe I am going to cook on my grill over charcoal later this weekend.

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: 1 cooked link

Calories: 190, 110 from fat

Total fat: 12 grams

Saturated fat: 5 grams

Trans fat: 0 grams

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 500 mg

Potassium: 230 mg

Total carbohydrate: 5 grams

Dietary fiber: 3 grams

Sugar: 0 grams

Protein: 16 grams

(based on 2000 calorie per day diet)

Vitamin A: 0%

Vitamin C: 0%

Calcium: 6%

Iron: 22%

Ingredients:

Water, Pea Protein isolate, Refined coconut oil, Sunflower oil,Natural flavor, Contains: 2% or less of: Rice protein, Faba Bean protein, potato starch, salt, fruit juice (for color), apple fiber, methylcellulose, citrus extract (to protect quality) Calcium Alginate casing

Overall, I find these Brats to be a good nutritionally sound meat alternative that can be found in Kroger grocery stores and their subsidiaries. They can also be bought online from several sources, and are now being served at some restaurants. You might find them a little expensive at $8.99 for a package of 4 links. However, when considering food costs, even if your groceries might cost a little more to eat healthy choices, this expense will be offset by not having unnecessary visits to your physician for any health issues which are a direct result of poor nutritional dietary habits. You can pay a little more in the store for quality foods, or you can had your hard earned money over to your doctor and your pharmacist later when you are suffering from heart issues, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and a whole host of other health problems related to your nutrition or lack there of. The choice is yours. Choose wisely.