As a vegan I’ve tried many “alternative proteins,” some decent, others horrible. I can say that over the years things have definitely improved and will continue to. Alternative meat options most often come in the form of processed plant stuff: soy, seitan, tempeh and more recently, pea protein. Recently, vegans have definitely become very resourceful. For instance, I just tried a banana peel burger. Yes, a burger that was made from banana peels. When I first heard about it I thought it was a funny vegan joke. Turns out that when cooked, banana peels have a potato-like consistency. Sounds crazy right? Crazy delicious.
Speaking of crazy, this month plant-based brand by CHLOE. launched a CARROT dog in collaboration with Harry & Ida’s Meat & Supply Co. and Guinness World Record holder for competitive eating, Takeru Kobayashi. This dog is made entirely of carrot, New York-style, with no processed plant stuff. The carrot is hand-picked, cured, smoked AND aged for five days. Let that marinate.
Samantha Wasser, founder of by CHLOE., came up with the idea following the success of their smoked watermelon ham. The smoked watermelon ham was in collaboration with Ducks Eatery, another restaurant from Harry & Ida’s owners Will & Julie Horowitz. Wasser said:
“Our goal is to offer our guests clean, yet satisfying plant-based options without any artificial flavors or foreign ingredients, and the Carrot Dog aligns perfectly with our mission. I was completely blown away by Will & Julie’s creativity and knew we needed to work together to introduce The Carrot Dog to the world!”
Each carrot is hand-picked, “perfectly-sized” and cured with salt, pepper, garlic and oregano, then smoked over local oak and maple woods. Five days later, a “natural casing” is created in what mimics the look of a traditional dog. Finally, the carrot dog is grilled. Apparently the dog took 1.5 years and 100 tries of playing with smoked vegetables to get right.
To give the launch an additional boost, by CHLOE. is teaming with competitive eating legend, six time Guinness World Record holder, Takeru Kobayashi. Kobayashi, who lives a mostly plant-based diet between competitions said:
“As a hot dog master, I’ve seen and tried many vegetarian hot dogs, and personally hadn’t found one that I enjoy until I tried by CHLOE.’s new Carrot Dog. The smoky taste of the carrot in the bun is something really unique and different, and I love that it’s made with only carrots and no processed ingredients.”
The Carrot Dog has been available at all stateside by CHLOE. locations since July 1st, and will be offered for $6.75.
