Yummy Tofu Jerky
1 pound extra firm tofu
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons liquid smoke
1/8 cup water
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1. Drain liquid off tofu and sqeeze as much water out of it as you can. I place paper towels or clean dish towels on the tofu and push down on the brick for a while. Slice tofu about 1/8" thick. You want long thin strips.
2. Mix all other ingredients. Marinate tofu in this mixture for about about 2 hours. Periodically, move tofu around in mixture to be sure all tofu gets marinated.
3. Place tofu into dehydrator for about 8 hours or until tofu becomes dark brown and jerky-looking.
If you think it is too salty, decrease the soy sauce and increase the water. You can also decrease the smoke if you think it is too smoky. Next time I make it I plan to add a bit of cayenne pepper for extra heat.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
This is excellent... I will never buy vegan jerky from the store every again! My carnist partner also loved it! The only changes I made were to reduce the smoke to 1T (I had hickory flavor), add 1T of siracha and cut the soy sauce in half (I only had regular. This snack will be our go to for travel and movie night !
I made this last night - it was fantastic. Thanks for the recipe. I'll definately be making more :)
So, I just tried this recipe.
First of all, I put slightly less soy sauce and pepper.
I accidentally put 1Tbsp of garlic powder so I didn't add onion powder.
I did what the directions said to squeeze out the water but it made it break a little bit.
When cutting the pieces, they kept falling apart. So, I just have a bunch of smaller pieces of jerky as opposed to slices. Which is alright. (Then again I used firm tofu, as opposed to extra firm, so this could be the issue)
I don't have dehydrator so I did what someone else did which was to bake it in the oven for 3 1/2 hours at 170 degrees.
I was really tired of waiting, but I waited. They still weren't done so I baked them longer until they were finally done. (Next time I'm doubling the temperature so it won't take as long)
Other than these difficulties it came out great and delicious! Definitely like real jerky.
I was also skeptical like another person because of the marinade but now I'm gonna be making these more often. Mmm! Filled the house with a BBQ smell.
UPDATE:
Tried this recipe again, with the correct measurements/ingredients (other than onion powder, I used minced onion)
I do let it marinate for 2 hours but because of my impatience put it in the oven at 250F and check on it periodically cause some finish sooner than others. Much better now! Everyone loves them! Including meat-eaters.
OMG this recipe is delicious! I cannot rave about how happy I am to have found this recipe! I made some modifications: instead of 3 tablespoons of liquid smoke i used 2-3 teaspoons, idk if it is just the type of have but mine is super concentrated and that would have been WAY too much!I also added an extra teaspoon of brown sugar and a few teaspoons of the sarachi garlic chili paste, i like spicy so i think next time ill add more or try cayenne pepper. Nonetheless, this recipe made my year! (even if it is on February!)
i'll admit i was a bit skeptical about the marinade for this as i was putting it together...but man oh man, it came out awesome! i made a few changes...but the only one worth mentioning is that i used maple sugar in stead of regular...delicious! i was able to get 16 strips out of a 12 oz block of extra firm tofu (which i froze ahead of time like others suggested for texture) and in my nesco dehydrator it took about 5 hours. i'm not sure if i should have let it go longer, but it tasted really good to me! thanks for this great recipe! :)
So for those who said this is good and chewy, is it as chewy as Primal brand? Tha'ts been my first vegan jerky and it's too chewy for me. I want something more tough, like beef jerky. Will I need to dehydrate this longer or put in the oven longer to get results like that?
This was good, though very strongly spiced for my tastes. I followed the directions exactly, with the exception of using 2 vs 3 tbsp liquid smoke, as I'm almost out... next time I'll substitute water for some of the Bragg's & use less pepper, but I'll surely make this again. I put it in the dehydrator overnight at 145 degrees, & it came out very nicely textured. I think this marinade (slightly less salty/ peppery) would also be good on portabellos, for grilling... thanks for the recipe!
do these have to be refrigerated after they are made? and how long will they keep?
This was so easy to do, and it turned out great! I am used to paying $1.25 per stick of jerky at my local health food store, so I am delighted that I can make it at home for a fraction of the price and it taste just as good...actually BETTER! The only thing I changed was I didn't have any liquid smoke, so I substituted with Braggs. Oh yeah, and I just put mine in the oven overnight on "warm" with the door cracked.
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