Do any of you culinary Dopers have a clue? I’ve had them as an appetizer before - I believe they were grilled. Man, they were good!
How might one go about preparing these?
Thanks!
Simple.
First take them gently in your hand, carry them to the other side of the kitchen and throw those chunks of fungus in the trash can and have a friggin’ cheesburger.
If you want something that tastes like beef … try beef.
(mushrooms make me hurl)
Thanks! I’ll try that!
Mushrooms stuffed with beef taste like beef.
I would think it would be both the proper marinade and the cooking method. The marinade would have to include salty things like soy sauce, perhaps Worcestershire sauce, even a dash of A1 or something to that effect.
This is just off the top of my head, but I’m good at reverse-engineering dishes I’ve had in restaurants.
Google is your friend.
Let’s place bets on how long it takes for a mod to teleport this thread to CS… 
My favorite way to cook portabella 'shrooms is to marinate them for a while in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, oil, salt 'n pepper, and a touch of sugar. Then you can grill or fry them. Put them on a sandwich with some caramelized onions. Delish!
I’ve gotta go with Jack Batty. Every time I’ve had a “tastes just like beef” portobello, it hasn’t. It tasted like a mushroom. I’m fully convinced that people who think it’s beef like don’t eat a lot of beef, or have very dulled taste buds.
So, while I’m sure you can make them taste good, they’re not going to taste like beef.
I use a simple marinade of olive oil, italian herb seasoning, and a citrus juice and grill them like a burger.
Nummy.
I also would think that a steak sauce would lend the taste of beef, but that’s too strong for my tastes.
Just a guess, because I’ve never tried it, but perhaps grilling them alongside some real beef might help.
My favorite method for grilling Portabellas:
Maranite them in Yoshida’s Gourmet Sauce. Then grill.
Spooky’s and Abe’s marinades sound great, too.
Why would you want your glorius mushroom to taste like rotting flesh?
Make a good marinade and have a portobello that tastes like a portobello. Yum!
Try Nigella Lawson’s Hot Mushroom Sandwich - it really is rather good.
Get some freshly-ground black pepper on there too.
WAG: use a marinade that has a base of beef stock.
You could always feed them to a cow, wait a few days, allowing for proper digestion, and all, then…
[sub]Nevermind[/sub]
You could always marinate them in beef blood!
WAG: Perhaps you could add a bit of that “liquid smoke” stuff that is sold to the marinade.
I don’t know how strictly veggie you want to go, but another poster’s idea of using beef broth in the marinade could help. In that case, I’d suggest an olive oil-based marinade, with balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, a bit of beef broth, minced garlic, pepper (better yet, “steak” pepper, or lemon pepper), and a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce. Grilling next to thick slices of Spanish onions would be nice.
Let us know how it goes. And again, Google is your friend.
scott evil takes pride in the fact that he didn’t respond with a snarky answer.
I eat a lot of beef, and I will say that Portobello mushrooms have a “meaty” taste, but that they do not taste like beef. Me, I just slice them into thick slices, fry them in butter with salt and pepper, add cooked rice and soy sauce. Yum!
While it may help to grill them with beef, or on a grill that has grilled beef, or near a grill that grills beef, or near the stockyards, in my experience, simply grilling them does the trick. The taste is built in. No marinade is necessary.
I brush them with olive oil just before I put them on the grill. Then baste them with either teriyaki sauce or italian salad dressing (my favorite: Good Seasons Garlic ‘N’ Herb mix made with red wine vinegar). Dale’s Sauce combined with melted butter is a good baste too.
For the steak sandwich effect, I serve them on toasted sub rolls (spread with mustard) with grilled onion slices, hot banana pepper slices, and a good steak sauce. Maybe a slice of swiss cheese if you’re inclined.
Beef bouillion