In preparation for my favorite weekend of the summer, my annual pig roast, I am trying to clean up my diet to make room for the mountain of roasted pig bits I’m sure to ingest. That was my inspiration for a trip to a local natural market to see what I could find. Canned vegan wiener-ma-bobs turned out to be just what the (sadistic) doctor ordered.

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I really had no idea what to expect when I opened the can. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around why you would can a faux hot dog instead of using more typical packaging, but that was part of its appeal. I opened the can and the smell was not unpleasant. It smelled like any canned soup I have ever opened. What greeted me once I got the lid off was the pointy ends of eight franks.

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I dipped my finger into the broth and the canned soup comparisons was very accurate; sip some of the liquid from a can of vegetable soup and you have the same thing. I drained off most of the liquid and plunked two of the franks into a microwave-safe dish and started cooking. A close visual inspection of the inside of one of these pink beauties revealed a very hot-dog-like texture.

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Two minutes later and I had some hot franks and a plate with ketchup and mustard ready to roll for my tasting pleasure.

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I found the indents from the can particularly appealing. I cut off a bite and dove in for an an unadulterated taste. What can I say? The website describes these as resembling a Polish sausage with a spicy taste. I would describe them as resembling a corn dog without the dog. Outside of an inherent saltiness there was nothing in these wieners that resembled a Polish sausage, or anything even close to a hot dog. The flavor reminded me of corn meal. Think of the texture of a tamale without any of the delicious flavor inside. Ketchup and mustard just reinforced the “corn dog without the dog” comparison.

Loma Linda Big Franks are firmly in the “You Don’t Have To” camp. If you eat a vegan diet and want to have something on a bun at a picnic, I seriously hope there are better products out there than this.

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3 Responses

  1. Deborah Stephenson

    You are obviously a meat eater, while I am not. That means you have expectations a meat-eater would have while a vegetarian or vegan would have other expectation. That has a lot to do with sensory perception.

    Now… having said that, I will tell you that the first time I ate these, I WAS a meat-eater. I loved them! As a 30 year vegetarian and 6 month vegan (it took awhile to give up cheese) I love them even more.

    What you did was to get rid of the best part of the meal when you drained off the broth. Cooking them in anything else changes the flavor. (Kind of like tofu or gelatin takes on the flavor of what you put in it or cook it with.) Simmered in a bit of broth so they stay juicy, these are incredibly good.

    I admit they don’t taste like polish sausage, but they make a perfectly acceptable substitute for hotdogs. (Better in fact, because they are lower in calories and a lot healthier than those hormone-laced assorted ground up animal bits and sawdust that hotdogs are made of.) They actually taste remarkably like Vienna sausages (the broth is similar to the broth used in those as well). I loved those little canned weenies as a child so these are a major walk down memory lane for me.

    You can use these sliced in beans or any other dish you might think would go well with bits of hotdog in it. I definitely recommend them. I buy them by the case from Amazon to save money.

    Try them again but give them a fair trial this time.

    Reply
    • Mark

      I’m a meat eater for sure, I can’t see how I would give this a fair trial. To my tastes they are absolutely nothing like the thing they are trying to replicate.

      Reply
      • Philip

        That’s because you and i quote,

        Mark: I drained off most of the liquid and plunked two of the franks into a microwave-safe dish and started cooking.

        What she said and i quote,

        Deborah Stephenson: What you did was to get rid of the best part of the meal when you drained off the broth. Cooking them in anything else changes the flavor. (Kind of like tofu or gelatin takes on the flavor of what you put in it or cook it with.) Simmered in a bit of broth so they stay juicy, these are incredibly good.

        did you read that part? maybe you missed it anyways now i have NOT tried these but i will be and judging by your assessment of how to prepare these i will be giving them a try.. the right way. I am currently a meat eater and i knew Vegetarian food isn’t like American fattening food..of course you have to prepare it a certain way or leave the flavor in.. what did you think was going to happen to the taste if you removed it? it is different in the sense it’s healthier.

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