Strange Question

[leevis2]

Hi folks,
Having a get together this weekend, doing 15 lbs of Pork Butt, burgers, dogs, etc.. However, one of my best friends that is coming is a strict vegetarian. He said vege-burgers and "not-dogs" are fine but I want to do something different. Does anybody know if it is possible to put a rub on a block of tofu and smoke it like a meat. I know it cooks like a meat, but not sure if this is possible. Any Help would be greatly appreciated, I'm going crazy here
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"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal labotomy"
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[SmokinMN]

How about smoking a portabella mushroom? Don't they make burgers out of those?

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SmokinMN

Kingsford Barrel Grill
Brinkmann Smoke N Grill
Weber 18.5"
Weber 22.5"
Smokey Joe

[leevis2]

didn't think about that that may work
_________________
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal labotomy"
- The Nuge

[SIMPLE Q]

How bout some veggie cabobs marinated in Italian dressing.

ABT's w/o bacon

Grilled Cheese quesidillas w/ mushrooms


I have some vegitarian friends as well and the above mentioned works well . It also is easy stuff to cook and prep

hope this helps
Steve H

P.s. sorry i cant help you w/the tofu (not quite even sure what it is)

[OKBBQEA]

Just slip him a bite of the pork butt you are cooking and that should be enough to make him forget this vegetarian foolishness for good.
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[leevis2]

I thought about it but it would make him violently ill . After 14 yrs with no meat (no passing phase with him, as it is with many), it would be killer on his system. However, some of the stuff taht he makes is absolutley killer. He makes soy and tofu spiedes that are out of this world. Soy and tofu hold a marinade better than any meat i have used before. But i'm not converting!!
_________________
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal labotomy"
- The Nuge

[SmokinMN]

We used to have a vegetarian that worked in my office. She had a bumper sticker in her cube that read:

"Vegetarians taste better"

I thought that was pretty funny! LOL!
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SmokinMN

Kingsford Barrel Grill
Brinkmann Smoke N Grill
Weber 18.5"
Weber 22.5"
Smokey Joe

[Pete]

Smoked tofu works! If you have a brick of firm tofu, you can cut it into slices and then smoke. It's quick and you can make burgers. You can also cube the tofu and then make kabobs and smoke those. Or you can smoke a whole brick then then cut it up. Other alternatives to tofu are wheat gluten and tempeh. But that portabella suggestion might be the easiest to pull off.

[leevis2]

with smoking the tofu, should i freeze and squueze it to get out the extra moisture before i smoke it?
_________________
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal labotomy"
- The Nuge

[mrcustomsteel]

My wife has been a vegetarian for about 20 years. She has just recently started eating seafood. So I grill and smoke a lot of vegetarian stuff if I know what's good for me.

Marinated and grilled portabellas are one of her favorites. You can stuff them with Stove Top or homemade stuffing and add a slice of cheese on top. Chile rellenos in a foil boat. Camp packs are good. Put sliced potatoes, onions, garlic spray with EVOO, wrapped in foil on the grill until it caramelizes. Smoked whole potatoes and corn are always good. Acorn squash too.

If you are feeling adventurous you can make a non-meatloaf with Smart Ground in the box or tube. Add all the spices you like and cook it like a Fattie. Leftovers make great sandwiches.

SmokinMN, She's right!
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D. Tillery
Texan transplanted in Billings, MT
www.mrcustomsteel.com

[Markbb]

Smoke him a whole head cabbage, core it put butter and seasoning in the cabbage wrap with foil leaving the top exposed and smoke for approx. 4hrs at 250

[Pete]

[leevis2]

Thanks Pete,
Trying to do something that he has never had before. Kinda got my mind set on using tofu. I'll Keep the Not-dogs close by just in case. How does tofu take rubs, I would assume pretty darn well, but hey, I'm still new at this
_________________
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal labotomy"
- The Nuge

[Pete]

I tried smoking it with rub and without. For me, the rub didn't stick very well. It's kinda like smoking cheese except tofu doesn't melt with the heat and it's more porous. I found that a mop works real well. The moist mop gets absorbed into the tofu better and it helps to carry the smoke flavor. You get a nice glaze. The good thing is tofu is cheap enough and quick enough (about an hour) that you can try it for yourself and then decide. My wife likes it when I smoke a whole brick and then cube it up and toss into a salad.

[labradors]

Continuing with the mushroom angle, try this site for lots of excellent mushroom recipes.

In particular, go to their vegetarian section and check out their Mushroom Burgers (and other things), or to their appetiser section and try the Mushroom and Green Onion Fritters (of course, the latter will need to be fried in oil, not grilled).

Two notes about the site:
1) It is in Australia, so be ready to convert metric units.
2) All the recipes are PDF files, so make sure you have the Acrobat or FoxIt reader.

All of their recipes are wonderful for mushroom lovers. Not all are vegetarian (e.g. the absolutely delicious Mushroom and Bacon Breakfast Muffins). Only a few of them would be for the Q, though.
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[blue ox]

My brother's gilrfriend is a vegitarian and I have made vegi ABTs for her. Instead of a lil smokie I cut up a vegi polish suasage and wrapped with vegi bacon. The bacon and sausage are already "cooked" so they don't take as long. I don't find them apealing at all but she loves them.

[leevis2]

Thanks everybody for all your help, didn't think this many people have had the same experience. I will hopefully by taking pictures of the cook this weekend and will post them if I do. I will be sure to let you know how the Veg-friend enjoyed (or didn't) the food. I am going to try to smoke some tofu for him with a mop and also try a little rub on it. Well lets see how it goes.
_________________
"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal labotomy"
- The Nuge

[mrcustomsteel]

One quick thing about tofu. If you pan fry it first a little on every side it will hold together better and have a nice crust and texture. If not it can get mushy. It should be great for your friend. It really absorbs flavors.
_________________
D. Tillery
Texan transplanted in Billings, MT
www.mrcustomsteel.com

[sakijo]

If it's traditional tofu packed in water, you need to drain it good. Put down several layers of paper towel over some newspaper and put the tofu on that for a couple of hours. It does accept marinade well - just mop it on.

You can also marinade it a bit (mop), coat it in flour and deep fry before smoking.

Tofu burgers are pretty cool too. Drain the tofu and get out as much water as you can (see above). Mash it up and add some kind of binder (I like egg, but cottage cheese, mayonaise, bread crumbs might work). Shape into patties (or make a tofu loaf) and cook.

Another interesting thing is "tofu turkey." Google search for it. The hardest thing would be the yuba for the skin, but you can forget it and say it's "skinless."

We do a lot of tofu here in Hawaii. Don't be surprised if your vegetarian friend doesn't get much to eat because everyone else wants to try it.

[J.R.B.]

If I knew that vegetarians were coming to one of my barbeques I would just steer them to my un-cut lawn and let them graze.
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