Best Vegan Ribs (Seitan With Jackfruit)
Servings:8 servings
Get ready for some EPIC vegan ribs! They're saucy, succulent, and completely irresistible. From backyard cookouts to weekly meal prep, this is an easy vegan BBQ recipe you'll return to again and again. Make them with jackfruit and mushrooms OR without - they're amazing either way!Recipe adapted from Susan Voisin's recipe for Seitan Ribz.
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 2 ⅓ cups vital wheat gluten - Click Metric above to see weight in grams
- 2 tablespoons Orrington Farms Vegan Beef Flavored Powder - See Notes for a homemade blend, or use mushroom powder
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 4 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Wet ingredients:
- 1 (20 oz) can young jackfruit in brine, optional
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 6 ounces baby bella or white button mushrooms, sliced, optional - See Notes for mushroom-free version
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce, divided
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup unsalted smooth almond butter - or 2 tablespoon oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 ½ teaspoons liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9x13 casserole dish with oil.
- Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk very well so that the spices are fully incorporated.
- (If not using jackfruit, skip to step 5.) Drain the can of jackfruit, and place the jackfruit on a lint-free tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel, and squeeze it over the sink to remove as much brine as possible. Use your hands to separate the seeds and tough pieces from the stringy parts of the jackfruit. The seeds and tough parts can be discarded. Once you have a pile of the meaty, stringy part of the jackfruit, make sure it is well shredded and separated. You should end up with about 1 ⅓ cups of jackfruit.
- Add the shredded jackfruit to the dry ingredients and toss to coat. Set aside.
- Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, cook the onion and mushrooms until dry, about 7 minutes. Add minced garlic to the pan and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
- In a blender combine the sauteed mushroom mixture, ½ cup barbecue sauce, water, nut butter, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and soy sauce. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the blended mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Knead the seitan dough for about 1 minute. It should feel somewhat soft (this is a moist dough).
- Press the dough evenly into the casserole dish, and use a knife to cut into 16 or 20 pieces, depending on how wide you want the ribs to be (refer to photos above). Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with ½ cup BBQ sauce, and bake for another 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and use a spatula to carefully flip the ribs (I do this in sections, not individually). Brush with another ½ cup BBQ sauce, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until piping hot and sticky.
- Let the seitan rest in the pan for at least 30 minutes before serving (this allows the seitan to firm up). Preferably, let the ribs cool completely, then refrigerate overnight and reheat the next day using a grill or on the stovetop.
Video
Notes
Homemade "Beef" Seasoning
If you don't have access to Orrington Farms beef flavored powder, make your own with this beef-less seasoning recipe. Or for a super quick version, combine:
- 1 Tablespoon mushroom powder
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- and a few dashes each of onion and garlic powder
- omit the onion, mushrooms, and cloves of garlic (and skip step 5, obviously).
- increase onion powder and garlic powder to 4 teaspoons each.
- increase water to 1 cup.
- decrease soy sauce to 4 teaspoons.
Nutrition
Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 16g
