Review: Tyson Beef Steak Tips in Burgundy Sauce

As one of the selections in Tyson's Heat 'N Eat varieties group, this dish couldn't be much easier to prepare. Packaged in a microwaveable plastic pouch which comes nestled in a plastic tray, it goes from fridge to table in about 6 minutes. The cook need only remove the outer plastic wrapper and cardboard sleeve, puncture the bag three times, pop the tray into the microwave, and cover it with a paper towel to prevent splattering. Zap on high for four minutes, let it rest for two more, and it's ready to eat.

The 17 oz. package serves three average eaters. In the strange language of food manufacturers, the package lists the number of servings as 3.5. I guess if one of your kids has been naughty, you could give him half a serving. A 5 oz. serving provides 180 calories. While a serving contains 38% of the daily value of protein, it also gives the diner 22% of their daily sodium, 520 mg.

Along with easy, speedy preparation, this product offers decent flavor. Chunks of beef swim along with sliced mushrooms in a tomato-based burgundy wine sauce, and the amount of sauce is generous for topping the likely choices for side dishes, perhaps baked or mashed potatoes, noodles or rice. Thankfully, the taste comes across as not overtly salty, unlike so many other dishes of this ilk. The meat was very tender.

I bought the Tyson Beef Steak Tips in Burgundy Sauce on sale for $4.99 at my local chain supermarket, and consider the price to be in the average range. The package is stored as refrigerated, not frozen, but could easily be frozen.

One of the product's main selling points is that it contains no preservatives. The ingredient list sounds like real food: tomato paste, olive oil, brown sugar, mustard seed and sugar rather than HFCS. That's a big plus.

Now for the negative part. As in myriad other foods where meat is covered in sauces or gravies, nasty stuff can lurk under the coating. The nicely sized chucks of beef turned into yucky surprises when I bit into them. Maybe, (probably), I'm more sensitive to being grossed out by fat and gristle than other people, but I detest the experience of realizing in horror that I'm chewing on a big chunk of something I find repulsive. I ended up carefully dissecting each piece of meat to remove as much fat and connective tissue as possible, and the result was a loss of about 50% of the volume. I find this task to be very off-putting while eating, and certainly guaranteed to dampen my enthusiasm for a dish.

I never buy this type of product, but picked it up on a whim after noting that it was on sale. I decided to try it simply for a change of pace, and thought it might work as a back up plan on a day when I didn't feel like cooking. Lots of less picky people would welcome the convenience of Tyson Beef Steak Tips in Burgundy Sauce, and enjoy the taste, but, as for me, I would not buy it again. I enjoy cooking and don't mind taking the time. Making this dish at home from scratch would require at least an hour, but I'd end up with food that's free of unwanted surprises and could safely relax and enjoy my meal, without being on alert for inedible junk.