Edible fake meat/organs?

Tanuki McLarnon

Hey, so I am trying to figure out a good edible recipe for fake meat and organs for a prop. I know there is the gelatin option but was wondering if anyone knew how to make it have a bit more texture like an organ meat? I don't know if people are familiar with Ripcity fx's chum and the meaty bits in it? At a show one guy said it was edible, but I can't seem to get a fully clear answer on that. But the texture of the meaty bits in it is perfect. It's slightly grainy and a bit more dense than gelatin.

I know tinsley did some edible stuff on that new show but I'm sure he is not sharing the recipe on that. But any thoughts on how it was done would be great.

Thank you.

Chris Ellerby

I love the texture in Rip City FX's chum.  Their booth was across from our SWSCA booth at a Halloween and Haunted Attraction Industry convention in Portland.  (West Coast Haunters Convention) and I got to play with their chum a bit.  I did not ask/hear about it being mouth safe or edible, so I can't comment there.

A lot of shows use actual meat (bbq chicken, pork, beef, etc) and mouth safe blood.  The only issue there (beyond possibility of vegetarian actors) is the mint-flavored edible bloods usually create a... interesting flavor profile when mixed with BBQ.

You just need to make sure the meat (and surface you apply it to) is kept sanitary and things are stored at safe temperatures.  Making sure you have a single person who owns that responsibility is key.

For vegetarian alternatives I would use gelatin with additives for texture.  Mixing in different powders could lower the materials transparency.  Think safe edible things like cocoa, non dairy creamer powder or liquid, drink mix powders, etc.  Just keep in mind that the color of your additive will impact the color of your gelatin, and its flavor.

For texture you could add pretty much anything.  Stringy foods like thin noodles or long/thin sprouts (possibly with tops removed) could help simulate meaty textures.

There are some leafy vegetables like "frisee" that have an interesting texture.  It may be possible to soak them in a saturated food coloring mixture, dry them, then add them to gelatin.

You could also use a shredder to make a durable vegetable into stringy muscle fibers.

Another idea would be to brush hot gelatin onto a silicone cooking sheet in thin strips to create muscle fibers.  I think this option has a lot of potential.

Those painted strips could be pigmented to look rather solid, and then mixed with gelatin that is a bit more translucent to create a good muscle look.  Playing with varying translucencies could help add dimension and contrast.

I would suggest freezing your gelatin fibers before introducing them to a hot base gelatin, and letting that base cool as much as possible before mixing.  You may even be able to brush it on.

In addition to insuring your edible gore is kept on ice, make sure your actors have no food allergies.  Best to avoid anything containing dairy or proteins that can easily spoil, and go gluten/nut free if possible.

Sounds like a fun project and a messy day or two in the kitchen!

/Chris

Tanuki McLarnon

Hey Chris, thanks for all the info. Many things I had not thought of. On the powders idea, a while back I had made a clay sort of stuff cooking down corn starch and water. So I thought to add that in to some gelatin. I ended up with edible rubber. Pretty close in consistency to an eraser. Also it turns out to be extremely sticky. Like I couldn't pull it off glass. Had to soak it off. So might have found something that will work well with some of the other things you suggested!