Fourth of July Vegan Barbecue!

Homemade Fourth of July barbecue seitan brisket was amazing. It is so ridiculously easy to do. Now that I know how to do this, it's time to invite some vegan friends over for a barbecue. We also had homemade potato salad and coleslaw. For the seitan, I mostly followed the New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook recipe the night before. Here it is:

4 cups of wheat gluten (one package of Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp soy sauce (recipe calls for 3, but I find that too much)

1/4 cup tahini (or peanut butter)

4 cups water

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder           

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients, dry first. I put them in two bread pans. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or so. Take off the aluminum foil for the last fifteen minutes.

I made a rub out of mostly paprika with lots of black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a decent amount of salt. I put oil around the seitan so the rub would stick. I cooked it low and slow with oak charcoal for about two hours on one side and another hour on the other. It had a nice crust, and the middle was the perfect texture. I did not make my own barbecue sauce today, however. I used Austin's Own, which is vegan and can be bought at HEB. The mild version is good for young children. The next time I do this, I will have more soaked wood chips. There was a nice smokey flavor in the brisket but not as much as I would have liked.