A bite of my mother’s McRib sandwich during my formative years has led to a lifelong love affair with boneless barbecue things. As a vegetarian, this is a tricky one ;-)
When Trader Joe’s started carrying Gardenburger Riblets, I thought I’d died and went to veggie bbq heaven. Then I moved to the Danish countryside, where procuring something as simple as tofu or tempeh means keeping track of the Asian shop’s biweekly delivery schedule.
So, my chances of finding a pre-made veg-friendly barbeque anything here are somewhere between slim and none.
But I love a challenge, and I love seitan, so now I make my own vegetarian barbecue ribs. The only catch is I have to get my vital wheat gluten in my travels, or order it from the UK with crazy shipping charges. But, it’s totally worth the hassle!
I make my own barbeque sauce because the selection here is very poor, and quite expensive, so it’s just better that way :)
BBQ Sauce
1 1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1t liquid smoke
1 t onion powder
1/4 t chili powder
1/2 t salt
Whisk everything together, bring it to a boil then simmer it uncovered for 10 minutes, or until it’s as thick as you’d like it.
So it’s not exactly a McRib, but I can have it anytime I want, and it’s a bit less frightening than the “restructured meat product” (e.g. a mixture of tripe, heart, and scalded stomach) that passes as the original. Bon appétit!
Fran says
This looks really good and easy, will give it a go later. Vital wheat flour is really expensive here in the UK so added shipping costs must make it a horrendous price xxx
Aubrey @ The Daily Simple says
Oh gosh – I looove seitan. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Nicole Rossetti le Strange says
I’ve made seitan with ordinary flour – it works well but be prepared to have your hands either immersed in, or under really cold running water while you knead it. It’s quite ouchy but absolutely worth it!