Unknown Meat Substance - What Is It?

[DonRocks]

I recently had dinner at a *horrible* Mexican restaurant - I ordered a burrito with "fried pork," and my friend had a "chicken enchilada."

Both meats appeared to be exactly the same, and I've had this substance before, but can't remember where or when.

The meats were vaguely cubed into small pieces. They were neither tough, nor tender. They looked somewhat stringy but could have just as easily been tofu on the palate. The color was a pinkish-grey, and we both agreed that it tasted like Alpo.

I just can't believe that this was pork *or* chicken; yet, it was meat, of that I am sure. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

Seriously, if I imagined what dog food would taste like, it would be this. What did I eat?

You know what? As I type this, I remember where I've tasted this meat before: in cheap Irish beef stews. It's inevitably buried in gravy or sauce, but it certainly doesn't taste like beef. Is there a canned product that has these characteristics?

[PollyG]

The color was a pinkish-grey, and we both agreed that it tasted like Alpo. 

When I was in college, our food service occasionally served Swedish Meatballs.  At the time, there was an Alpo can illustration that looked like a dead ringer for that entree.  But we never tasted it.

Really bad carnitas, perhaps?

[The Hersch]

We called it "mummy meat" when I was in college.

[DonRocks]

When I was in college, our food service occasionally served Swedish Meatballs.  At the time, there was an Alpo can illustration that looked like a dead ringer for that entree.  But we never tasted it.

Really bad carnitas, perhaps?

We called it "mummy meat" when I was in college.

I think mine might have been billed as "carnitas," but my friend's simply said "chicken."

If you're ever driving down I-5, and want to stop before hitting LA traffic, avoid Los Pinos in Lebec, CA despite the glowing TripAdvisor reviews, and despite it being the only logical-looking place to dine in that area (it looks charming ... from the outside). Believe the one-star review that said they use "Uncle Ben's White Rice" because it is of that type. Another example that you cannot trust *any* review sites except one!

Jack In The Box would have been better and I'm being serious, and I'm also certain that I've seen this meat in really bad Irish beef stews, and I don't think it's Spam - I don't remember what Spam tastes like, but I don't think it's this fibrous.

The Hersch, we also had "Mystery Meat Night" in college, but those were essentially meat patties in the shape of a salisbury steak, covered with quickly congealing gravy. My roommate and I even had an eating contest to see who could down the most (he won, and I still tip my hat to him for that manly feat).

Was the pink in the stringy cubes nitrates, and would they have been purely grey without them?

[johnb]

It all sounds like boloney to me!