Sunday was such a beautiful day that I had to get outside, away from the kitchen and the computer, and just enjoy the sunshine and flowers. I spent all of last week closeted in my office trying to copy files and programs to a new computer and set up a new home network. By Sunday I had had enough. I wanted to spend as much of the day outside as I could.
For a few weeks I’ve been planning on cooking these barbecued seitan ribs, but the timing and weather were never quite right. Though they’re started in the kitchen, they’re finished up on the grill, giving them the smoky taste that only grilling can impart.
I’ve found that cooking outside is much less stressful if most of the foods are pre-cooked at least a little in the kitchen; long grilling times, different foods finishing at different times, and potential burning all can be avoided with a little strategic pre-cooking in the microwave or oven.
We ate these vegan ribs outside with steamed broccoli and grilled/baked potatoes. The potatoes were pre-cooked in the microwave until almost done and then cooked on the back of the grill while the seitan was cooking. The whole meal was a complete success.
The potatoes had that delicious grilled taste without the long cooking time baked potatoes usually require. And the seitan was succulent and tasty. In fact, the three of us probably could have eaten another entire pan of this stuff, so in the future I will double the recipe and hope for leftovers. E. says to tell you that this is “way, way kid-friendly.”
Note: This recipe is loosely based on this recipe, which uses the oven rather than the grill.
For a different version, try my Jacked-Up Vegan Ribs with jackfruit for texture. Yum!
Suggested Homemade Barbecue Sauces:
Try these ribs with one of these homemade barbecue sauces or any bottled sauce.
Barbecued Seitan Ribz (Vegan Ribs)
Ingredients
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons tahini or other nut butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- about 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce see some suggestions below
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly spray an 8×8 baking dish with canola oil. Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the water with the nut butter, Liquid Smoke, and soy sauce and add it to the dry ingredients. Stir to mix well and then knead lightly in the bowl 15-60 seconds (the less you knead it, the more tender it is; the longer, the chewier).
- Put the dough into the baking dish and flatten it so that it evenly fills the pan. Take a sharp knife and cut it into 8 strips; then turn the pan and cut those strips in half to form 16 pieces:
- Put it in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. While it’s cooking prepare your grill.
- Remove it from the oven and carefully re-cut each strip, going over each cut to make sure that the ribz will pull apart easily later. Generously brush the top with barbecue sauce. Take it to the grill and invert the whole baking dish onto the grill (or use a large spatula to lift the seitan out, placing it sauce-side down on the grill). Brush the top of the seitan with more sauce:
- Watch it closely to make sure that it doesn’t burn. When it’s sufficiently brown on one side, turn over and cook the other side, adding more sauce, if necessary. When done, remove to a platter and cut or pull apart the individual ribs to serve.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
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Serving suggestion:
peezinapod
I've made these ribz 3 times already! It's SOOOO easy! Thank you 😉
Rolf Schäuble
These ribs look awsome!
I've been cooking with seitan recently, and found your blog while searching for new ideas. I'm sure I'll try this next spring, when barbecue season starts.
But I wonder how you got the dough to spread out so thinly. When I make seitan, it tends to lump together; it seems that the natural form of seitan is that of a roll 😉
Do you have any hints on getting the dough thin?
SusanV
Rolf, the thickness of the dough is determined by how much liquid you add and how much you knead it. The formula used in this recipe produces a seitan that spreads out fairly easily. You should give it a try–you can make it in an oven as well as on a grill.
The Vegan Chef
I found this wonderful recipe and added a little twist of my own, and I have to say, they came out fabulous!!
Anonymous
Let me just start by saying that you are a GENIUS! I have been a life long vegetarian so I cannot compare this to the real thing but I am sure these 'RIBZ' taste better. I ate it alone and then had an idea- *wraps*! I used a flax seed wrap and put these 'RIBZ' with vegan mayo, avocado, onions and tomato. Your website invaluable to us veg heads. I am so glad you won the 2009 VEG award!!
The Vegan Chef
I tweaked this recipe and added a bit more spice. Turning them into Jerk BBQ Ribs. Check it out. http://www.imvegannowwhat.blogspot.com
James B
HAIL SEITAN!!!
Seriously, these were amazing. I even effed up the recipe, and they were still deadly.
Just to stress: it is very important to mix all the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately, then mix them all together. I put them all together and ended up with "pockets" of different ingredients that just didn't want to fully mix. Plus, I forgot the paprika. Despite all that, this recipe turned out phenomenally and I can't wait to see how good it is when done properly.
My carniverous pregnant wife that I've been trying to get off the meat for the sake of our child and who has been fighting me vociferously, loved these ribs and we had a real moment tonight when she realized that we can really make this work.
Charissa
These are AMAZING! My grill isn't working right now so I just baked them with the barbecue sauce for another 15 minutes. I'm looking forward to trying more of your recipes 🙂
Debra
As everyone has mentioned, this seitan is great. After I got the seitan made, instead of BBQ sauce I used the Jerk Marinade in Vegan with a Vengence. I poured it over the ribz in the 8X8 pan and let it set for an hour, then browned them in a non-stick skillet. Even DH was impressed…he’s the Anti-Vegan.
Thanks for all the work you do for the rest of us.
Sebastian
Sorry for being rude, but I consider this almost disgusting!
First I should say that I haven´t been doing the vegan thingy for long, hardly 3 months by now. And although I only “tried” it for my girlfriends sake (to give it up immediately after lent…) I´m gonna stick to it as I found out yesterday that my blood pressure dropped by 20+(!)%.
This recipe consists of 10 ingredients, NONE of which is anything fresh. I mean, you can´t seriously tell me you are only using powders? Would it really be too much effort to put some (tasty) fresh onion in it, or a clove of garlic? Considering the “Liquid Smoke”-stuff I´m just gonna advise you to read the article on wikipedia…
Don´t get me wrong, I really appreciate your efforts (I do!) and I´m (we´re) still gonna be looking for ideas here, but this… sorry.
Another suggestion: have you ever tried to replace/complement your paprika-powder by fresh peppers? When we make antipasti, hummus, … I take one, cut them in about 4 pieces a pepper, and put them (closely) under the grill until their skin is almost completely black. Put them into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, thus making the skin peel off almost by itself (the hot steam underneath loosens it) while cooling off. Sure, not really “smoked”, but delicious nevertheless…
Best
Sebastian
Melissa
This post is obnoxious!
Taxi
It is. But it’s also over three years old so it might be time to let it go. Don’t worry about stupid comments and enjoy your day!
Elisa
I think he should’be kept hi’s stupid thoughts to himself. No offense but he’s an air head.
david
this is a shockingly artificial and unhealthy recipe. seriously. most of us eat vegan in order to stay healthy, but there is no way this is good for you. liquid smoke? um, cancer in a bottle. vegan food should not try to taste like non-vegan food. let’s celebrate the joys of eating vegan without trying to emulate meat products.
SusanV
First of all, I do find it rude that two of you came here just to criticize a recipe that you haven’t even tried. If you don’t want to eat seitan or dishes that “emulate meat,” that is your prerogative, but don’t try to dictate to other vegans what they can eat.
About the use of powders in the recipe, if you’ve ever made seitan, you know that it’s a balancing act how much non-gluten ingredients you can add before it doesn’t hold together well. When I made this recipe, I erred on the side of caution, trying to add plenty of flavor without messing up the texture of the seitan. I now know that I could have used real garlic, but adding roasted red pepper would not result in a good consistency.
Aimee Auby
I totally agree, Susan! I became vegan two years ago, and if it weren’t for recipes like this one, I would really suffer. I actually miss the taste of meat and will use seitan to mimic some of my former meat recipes, which is how I convinced my husband to go vegan. Really, some people need to get a life and lighten up. This gorilla approach to eating is unnecessary! Susan, your recipe made my mouth water and I will be sure to try it and let you know what I think.
Susan Voisin
Thanks, Aimee! I never cease to be amazed at the gall some people have to come into someone’s “kitchen” (which is what I consider my blog) and criticize the food. I would never think of going to someone else’s blog to tell them what to eat or denigrate their recipes. But I try to ignore them and concentrate on the people, like you, who appreciate my efforts. I hope you enjoy the recipe, and I’m looking forward to hearing what you think.
Michele
Susan, your post was spot on! And NOT all of us are vegan because we don’t like meat – in fact, I LOVE the tastes. I am anti-commercial farming/anti-animal cruelty. If you can find me a rib or a burger – that isn’t meat, but tastes like it – I am going to eat it. Most of us can moderate our intake.
PS, this exact recipe convinced my brother (with heart problems) to reduce his intake of beef/pork and eat more vegan recipes! So, thank you so much for sharing it with us!
Elisa
You tell them Susan V. Even though this is several years old but it still upset me. Nobody has the right to go to a website just to comment stupidity and rudeness pushing their ways onto others. On another note, we love your site and all your recipes and I can hardly wait to make this one too, what can I say: I just found the recipe, lol. Don’t let no one talk to you like that girl! 🙂
Dalmattica
Sebastian and David, I could be wrong about this, but I think most of the people who eat a vegan diet do so mainly for ethical reasons and not necessarily for just health reasons, but it really doesn’t matter too much why someone decides to go vegan, we should be happy that they do it anyway. Susan’s blog is fantastic and filled with *mostly 😉 * healthy recipes, and even the slightly less healthy recipes are much healthier than other alternatives.
As for this recipe being artificial, the only thing ‘artificial’ maybe is the barbecue sauce. All the powder ingredients are dried veg and herbs found in nature.
Liquid smoke, whilst, not being the most healthy flavour enhancer, is certainly not ‘cancer in a bottle’; if you are wary about using it, don’t use it. I’ve made seitain with and without liquid smoke, both were good, same with fresh and powdered garlic.
What would have been the better approach, I think, Sebastian, would have been to make a similar recipe substituting the ingredients for ones you prefer, then sharing your results.
And whilst, I don’t eat seitan and other vegan meats often, it’s always a yummy treat when I do, so hail seitan!
Mollydog
Seriously. I’ve made this recipe and the extremely nommy vegan “wursts” from Vegan Dad a zillion times. It’s hardly disgusting – it’s gluten and seasonings. If you’ve worked with seitan you know what a balancing act it is to get the stuff to behave properly. I don’t care for liquid smoke, so I leave it out, btw – that’s the nice thing about making the stuff yourself. Just be careful not to upset the liquid/dry ratios or you will get a mess. If the seitan makes you unhappy, try grilling extra firm tofu. This sauce is great on it (oh, and I’m of the extra-firm-tofu-frozen -and-thawed-and-rung-totally-dry school of tofu eating – don’t like it soft).
I guess Sebastian and David don’t do vegan cupcakes, either. Well, more power to you guys, but for me the periodic baked good is very satisfying. Good lord, guys, we vegans take enough flack from the rest of the world; at the very least we should be polite to one another. Happy, happy, joy, joy!
Damien
Sebastian, I really don’t know what your problem is, or why you need to be so rude about it? Why not simply comment along the lines of “hey, great recipe, but why not substitute actual onion/garlic instead of using powder? And while you’re at it, I think it would be pretty easy to throw a few other fresh ingredients in as well.” Would that really have been so hard? Instead of making an unnecessarily negative and generally unwarranted criticism, you turn it into a much more positive comment.
What you also seem to be forgetting is that while meat-eaters always make meat the major focus of their meals (one of the main reasons making them so unhealthy), vegans do not generally have the same focus on meat-substitutes. So while something like this may not be great if it formed a similar portion of an otherwise meat-based meal, in a vegan meal this would just be a small portion with a good serving of other vegies accompanying it.
So really, what’s the big deal?
Mary
Hi Susan,
I’d like to make a large batch of this to go with veggie burgers at an upcoming barbeque. It would make the most sense to bake the seitan the day before though (I need to make A LOT) and then grill the next day. Have you tried baking one day and grilling the next? Will it hold well?
Thank you for so many great recipes! Everyone I’ve recommended your blog to has really enjoyed it.
Mary G.
SusanV
Hi Mary, I haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. The recipe is pretty forgiving, and I think if you cover the seitan with barbecue sauce and store it overnight, it might even make it more flavorful.
Thanks for the kind words and for recommending the blog to your friends!
lindsy
it totally works to bake them one day and grill the next. I baked mine and kept them plain in the cooler until i was ready to grill ’em. see my comment below 🙂
Evelyn
This looks great! I’m having a BBQ on Saturday and want to get as much done ahead of time.
Thanks!
Amy
To just add more information, you can leave the ribz in the fridge for at least 3 days after baking and before grilling. I haven’t tried it longer, but I know 3 days works and the ribz still taste great!
Melinda
I’m sold. These look amazing and so friendly. Thank you!
natasha
You can’t un-eat real ribs. That is one of the things I miss the most, even though the thought of actually eating them now makes me ill. I used to be able to find either a vegetarian or vegan rib frozen product which seems to be discontinued. Thanks for this recipe, I am going to have to try it on one of the days I am feeling like cooking a lot.
Dorothy Doorasamy
Thanks for all your recipes and information,but I like using fresh herbs and spices.Natural stuff and not a lot of preservatives.Can you please come up with recipes without preservatives and sauces.Thanks.
SusanV
None of my recipes have any preservatives.
Dorothy Doorasamy
Can you help,I made some kebabs with soya mince but I noticed there is an after taste after I soaked the mince in boiled water and squeezed the water out and spiced it with herbs and spices.I used gram flour as a binding agent and it didn’t bind so well.Can you please suggest how I can add flavor and what do I use as a binding agent.Thanks.
SusanV
I’m sorry, but other than wheat gluten, I have no idea. Soy mince is not something I use.
Brittany D
The link for the video is broken. That looks like a great recipe. I bookmarked it so that I can try it out. Thanks for posting this. I am a new vegan so this will be exciting to try as I have yet to try making anything with seitan. Thanks again!
SusanV
I’ve just fixed the link to the video. Check it out and give it a try. It’s much easier than you’d think!
OhioVegan
This looks like such a fun recipe! My husband is thrilled to bits with the idea of “mock” ribs! He has missed them during BBQ parties. This memorial day weekend I plan on making them. Do you have any suggestions on a good, healthy vegan barbecue sauce recipe? I would love to make my own (because I try to not use preservatives either) but can’t find a good recipe that is healthy. Any suggestions? Thanks again for all your recipes!
SusanV
Barbecue sauces are often a compromise because the nature of barbecue is that it’s sweet, salty, and spicy, and the sweet and salty can be hard to do without adding ingredients that are considered unhealthy. I have a recipe for Chipotle Barbecue Sauce that I think is a pretty good compromise–probably not the healthiest that you could find, but really good and easy to make.
Jobonster
Made these tonight for the first time. AMAZING! Great job with this recipe!! They are now on my favorite list!
Maggie
DH and I adore this recipe for summer BBQ. It’s chewy, tasty and so satisfying! I made it a few times last year, and it was the first thing I looked forward to once we cleaned out the grill for the holiday weekend. We enjoyed it this weekend. Thanks so much for this GREAT recipe, and all you’ve done to share so many other wonderful recipes on this site!
Kathy
Hi Susan,
I’m hoping you can help me out. Yesterday, I went out to buy ready-made seitan from my local vegan store. I think it’s just the “standard stuff”, so no extra flavouring or spices were added to the seitan. I really want to try this recipe, but I don’t want to make more seitan, since I had already bought it in bulk! Do you think the “ribs” would turn out properly if I used the ready-made seitan dough, and just added the spices/flavourings into it by kneading? Any pointers are greatly appreciated!
SusanV
Kathy, I’m not sure what you mean by ready-made seitan. Is it a wet dough that hasn’t been cooked yet? If so, then I think that what you propose would work. If it’s a powder that you add liquid to, then I definitely think you could add the flavorings to it. But if it’s like the only ready-made seitan I’ve ever bought, it’s already cooked, so there could be no kneading. In that case, I would probably just coat it in barbecue sauce and cook it briefly.
April
Thanks for this great recipe! I occasionally want to use seitan, but I hate the method of boiling it in water to make it – I tried making these and they were so easy! I’m making some today to dice up and use in a summer squash sloppy joe recipe. I hope it works out!
Lindsey
Tried these tonight with homemade bb-q sauce and I thought they were great!! My family of 6 ate it all….I should have made more. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Mindy
This recipe makes an appearance on our dinner table a few times every summer. The first time I made it was a couple of years ago for a picnic. It’s so easy, which makes it even more awesome. I made it again tonight and the kids devoured it. I don’t have a grill, so I just bake mine, then slice it up in rib sized sticks, and then heat in a pan with the bbq sauce until it starts to carmelize a little on the bottom. I usually serve it with corn on the cob, collards, salad, and fruit.
It’s not the healthiest thing out there, but it’s a great treat to have *once in a while* when you’re craving bbq, not to mention the fact that it’s not full of all the things that meat ribs are. Thank you for the tasty and creative recipe Susan!
Lydia
Dear Susan,
I’m 14, a vegetarian (I eat mostly vegan) who loves to cook! And because of that, my mom pretty much gave up the position of “house chef” to me. My dad recently bought a little George Foreman grill and I’m going to try this recipe on it SOON! Neither of my parents are veg, so I am hoping I can satisfy their “needs” with it. (And by reading all the comments, it will!)
I don’t understand why everyone is all “it’s not healthy” because of the powders… I mean, they’re just dehydrated. And for the wheat gluten, it’s an excellent, natural source of protein that is low in fat.
Thanks for all the wonderful foods and flavors you’ve been providing to us veg freaks! (; you’re making it that much easier!
OR Suz
Granted, I’m replying years later to your comment b/c I’ve only just now discovered this killer recipe. But agreed, I see nothing unhealthy about it and you’ve stated everything I was thinking perfectly. By now, you’re a young adult and I trust still cooking up delish veggie dishes for yourself and others. Keep up the good work! (And thanks again to you, Susan, for all of yours.)