Meat Mead

[Duskmoon]

I am new to mead brewing and as such have many weird ideas and no ides of how to achieve many of them or if they are in anyway viable, this is one of the latter.

So I love meat and was wondering if there was a way to make a meat flavored mead, some form of red meat thinking either buffalo or lamb. I realize there is a risk of rot and disease with something like this which is why I am asking about it.
I am thinking that if I make a high % mead, ~18%, and then in the secondary put in thinly cut strips of the chosen meat in a brewing bag weighted down by marbles so the meat remains completely submerged it could work, if also might yield a "curedesk" bag of meats. No idea how long the meat should be in the secondary determining this seems like it requires a greater level of experience.

So any ideas?

 

[Snuffy]

I think the only way you are going to get flavor you want is to use cooked meat. Raw meat tastes like blood and whatever you put on it. The savory part of meat comes from adding heat and seasonings. I would go for the flavor of whatever seasoning you like with meat. Salt. Pepper. BBQ. Hard to imagine any flavor you could soak out of a piece of meat that would be good in a mead other than the seasoning.

 

[madscientist451]

Get some hot dogs, over cook them until they are black, chop 'em up and chuck them in to your mead in secondary. You can name your mead "Blackened Wieners Matter".

 

[Brett_Bellmore]

Agree with Snuffy: You likely don't want the flavor of raw meat. *Maybe* rare, if it was bled out well. But I could see slicing off the nice caramelized surface of a steak or roast, and using that to flavor a mead. Can't beat the Maillard reaction! To maximize that effect, you want to rub the meat with a reducing sugar, (Coincidentally, honey qualifies... Table sugar doesn't.) and add a bit of baking soda.

Alternatively, the juice off a roast might make an interesting addition.

But you absolutely want to do this after fermentation is done and you've got a nice high alcohol level to sterilize everything. Meat fermentation products are ultra-nasty. I suppose because we're evolved to stay far away from any bug that can ferment meat, being made of meat ourselves...

I'd suggest some very small scale experiments first. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[rmr9]

I’m no expert but this sounds like a potentially bad idea, food poisoning rancid meat bad. 18% alcohol isn’t going to sterilize much of anything. While that may be high in the fermented beverage realm it’s not when it comes to disinfecting.

With that being said I wonder if you could maybe fry up some bacon and make a sort of extract in vodka and add that? Or better yet think of what flavors you want from the meat and add spices to match. I would go with the latter.

 

[Ty520]

I LOVE meat

I LOVE mead

but I cannot put into words how much I would NOT want a meat mead.

If i had to devise a way to get a similar flavor profile, I would consider adding liquid smoke, and/or spices you'd use in the meat recipe you're wanting to emulate

 

[V-Fib]

Smoked malt maybe?

 

[Miraculix]

Dissolving proteins taste really bad and this is what your will end up with after some time. Even if no bacterial breakdown is involved, the resulting chunks of aminoacids taste like..... Disgusting. Everybody who tried unflavoured hydrolysed protein powder knows what I mean.

 

[Electric Brewer]

Wouldn't some bone broth do the trick? Because I doubt you want fermented flesh with your fermented honey...
But still apparently you can throw a dead rat in there. Rats?! In Cider?! — Hogan's Cider

 

[Cool_Hand_Luke]

I'm really sorry but this post brought this to mind:


Echoing some others, maybe some savory spices that would pair well with a steak or something? Thinking marinade but for your mead.

 

[rmr9]

I also don’t think you want bone broth either unless you plan on pasteurizing your bottled mead. I’ve never had bone broth but I’m willing to bet you absolutely would not want to ingest it after opening the container and leaving it out for an extended period. But then again I’m not one to fiddle around with meat and meat products when it comes to safety so I probably wouldn’t try anything besides adding spices

 

[Maylar]

Drink mead while enjoying a steak. Simple.

 

[SteveO820]

Not sure how this would translate but I will say I have made a Bacon Vodka before for a party with bloody marys and it turned out quite tasty. Not sure if that's what you were aiming for. I cooked two pieces of bacon, put the drippings and bacon pieces in the vodka, gave it a good shake , then threw it in the fridge. Shook it from time to time for about a week then tossed it in the freezer to get the grease really solid. Strained with a coffee filter and funnel into another bottle and it added a good bacon touch to the cocktails without cooking any at the event.

Not sure how this would hold up in a low ABV environment and I would think it would need to stay refrigerated. Also as Brett mentioned add it after fermentation. The best part of home brewing is experimenting and making what you think sounds tasty lmk how it turns out.

 

[Duskmoon]

I thank everyone for their input
What I've learned from this is that it maybe possible but if it is it is beyond my current ability.
The idea of using the steak seasonings in the mead does sound intreging

 

[bracconiere]

?? wouldn't botulism be a real concern?

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

https://beerandbrewing.com/breakout-brewer-earth-eagle-brewings/
https://www.fosters.com/news/20171102/earth-eagle-brewings-co-owner-publishes-beer-book

 

[Redeemer]

To pull in the goodness of the Mailard reaction, I feel that bacon would be your best bet. I love beef, and I love it rare and I love it raw but some things are beyond my abilities. Bacon would be way easier but doable. I think it would require alcohol extraction of the volatile compounds but I have never actually tried it. Have a look here: Infusing bacon question

 

[user 263363]

Maybe try smoking some honey and then using savory spices?

Or pour a traditional and add a shot of nice smokey scotch like Laphroaig or Ardbeg?

 

[Brett_Bellmore]

Oh, heck, I guess I'm going to have to try making something. Probably a bacon mead, in the secondary.

I'll keep you guys posted. Be a while, it's going to start as a straight clover honey mead to begin with.

 

[bkboiler]

I would smoke something like a pork butt and peel off the bark and chuck it in secondary for a week.
You don't want fat in there or it's gonna taste not good...
I wouldn't even try rendered product or browned meat...still too much fat.
If you took the broth of a cooked meat and felt that you could easily separate the fat away, then that may be an option....

 

[Redeemer]

I would smoke something like a pork butt and peel off the bark and chuck it in secondary for a week.
You don't want fat in there or it's gonna taste not good...
I wouldn't even try rendered product or browned meat...still too much fat.
If you took the broth of a cooked meat and felt that you could easily separate the fat away, then that may be an option....

Agreed. Most fats go rancid and that is a vile flavor, as well as being a pretty powerful free radical that isn't good for your body.