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.
Please pin and share!
Serving suggestion:
suzgrant
July 4, 2012 at 3:31 pmThis was delicious! My husband and I are new vegans and just discovering a whole new food repertoire. I made this for our 4th of July BBQ. I made it in the oven because we don’t have a grill and I cut it in quarters to serve on sandwiches. My husband kept asking if it was meat. We both loved it. Thanks for the recipe. Your site is totally fabulous and very helpful! -Suzanne
Orthohawk
July 8, 2012 at 6:07 pmHey Susan and all!
I finally made these, but I have one question: is the dough supposed to be rubbery? I tried for over 5 minutes to get it into the corners of the pan but I ended up a bit short on 3 sides. I’m sure they’ll taste just as good but I was wondering if maybe I kneaded the dough too much?
Susan Voisin
July 8, 2012 at 6:10 pmIt can be a little hard to stretch out, but I usually manage to get it into the corners. A little less kneading will probably do the trick next time, but I don’t think it’ll hurt anything this time. Please let me know how they come out.
Orthohawk
July 8, 2012 at 7:18 pmHi again.
Well, they taste fine (they’d never fool a carni, but whatever :)). They were a bit spongy and I can’t say I love the flavoring mix but I did prepare them by the double oven method (don’t have a grill right now). As soon as I get a grill, I’ll try again; in the meantime I’ll be trying out the scallopine with lemon/olive sauce and also the seitan with sweet/sour orange sauce. Good stuff, nonetheless!
Jessica
July 17, 2012 at 2:16 pmI made these last week (baked in oven because I have no grill). I wasn’t sure if there were going to be any left by the time my husband got home! Very tasty! I asked what he wanted for dinner tonight and he said “Those tasty ribbies!” So looks like we’re having them again tonight, lol. Thanks for this recipe!
Kate M
July 22, 2012 at 7:49 pmHi Susan! Big fan here, though I don’t think I’ve posted before 🙂 I’m getting ready to make these later this week as I’ve just come into possession of some really awesome BBQ sauce, but I had a question. I really, really hate nutritional yeast–can’t seem to stomach it–and I wondered if I could just leave it out, or possibly substitute something else? Thanks for all your fabulous recipes! Your eggplant-chickpea peanut masala is my husband’s favorite, favorite dish!
Susan Voisin
July 22, 2012 at 9:20 pmI think you can just leave it out with no ill effects. So glad to hear your husband likes the masala–one of my favorites!
Alice
July 24, 2012 at 11:44 amThank you so much for sharing your recipe. I have been using this recipe for almost 3 years now and each time it turned out a bit differently (I never followed the recipe 100% so go figure) but they’re all good. I have tried different seasonings for different flavors but always maintained the same liquid and dry ingredient ratio. My ribz too, tend to puff up after baking but I always cut them into thin strips and pan fry them in a bit of BBQ sauce. Puffy or not my family always gobble them up. 🙂
My experience is… the more you work the dough the more chewy it will turn out, and more difficult to stretch it out to fit the pan. Our son loves beef jerky but we don’t have a dehydrator and I don’t want to heat up the house with the oven on for 6 hours. So I will play with this recipe to see if I can produce something closer to chewy jerky.
A very nice recipe and fun to play with. Thanks again!
Molly
August 27, 2012 at 12:09 pmWow! These are great, way better than anything from the store, in fact I’ll never buy any of that processed frozen fake meat stuff ever again, I’m thrilled, thank you. Saw my boyfriend eating a leftover rib with his coffee this morning lol. Served them for lunch with seasoned kale and sweet potatoes the day previous. Next time I’ll put them on the BBQ and add some minced onion to the mix. Sure to check out your other recipes!
Lynn
September 7, 2012 at 5:41 pmI love this recipe! Though slightly different, Julie features it in her book Vegan Diner as well.
bobs
September 16, 2012 at 2:34 pmTried this recipe and the seitan “rose” when baked. Net effect was like eating BBQ bread. Very tasty but the wrong texture, they came out of the oven poufy. Any advice on adjusting to get meat texture. Flavor was great and would like to make them work.
Susan Voisin
September 16, 2012 at 2:40 pmI’ve heard this from other people, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why it happens to some people but not to others! I’ve never had it turn out poofy, which makes me wonder if it’s something about the gluten (different brand) or the altitude (I’m almost at sea level) or some other ingredient. I know this is going to sound like a dumb question, but are you sure you used nutritional yeast and not baking yeast?
bobs
September 16, 2012 at 2:57 pmUsed Red Star nutritional yeast and Bob’s Red Mill vital wheat gluten flour. Was thinking I’ll try again but not knead.
A. Perez
September 8, 2014 at 3:23 amI think the problem is in the wheat glutten flour..Bryana Clark pointed this out in an article as to the problems with getting actual wheat gluten as opposed to a flour with more gluten in it… One of the symptoms is bread like fake meat and for some reason in this recipe it appears to be magnified…Some suppliers cut their gluten with flour others put the wrong type of gluten in the bulk bins (Thats what Bryana Clark discovered.) Even with the bagged typed..Unless it says 100 percent gluten there isnt a guarantee of what your getting and remember its the stock boy filling the bins so he may not know the differences and as long as it says gluten he fills the bin.
I know cause it happened to me and once I figured out the problem I had a long talk with the store manager who admited his stock boy wasnt the brightest..
Lesson is..If your recipe doesnt work with one gluten try another. One totally different(Different store too) and see what happens…bet your problem will be solved…
Vicky
October 16, 2012 at 9:31 pmTaste like the real thing without the fat.
I’ll make this for my next potluck.
Thank you!
Esther J
October 27, 2012 at 4:18 amI was craving bbq as I hadn’t had any this summer, my first since becoming vegan. Oh, Susan, these hit the spot! I had them last night for dinner (using your chipotle sauce and baked in the oven). I complemented them, like you, with steamed broccoli and a baked potato (and also a salad). ‘so good, Mrs. V.!
I can only imagine how they are on the grill, which I will undoubtedly try next summer, perhaps with some grilled corn.
Actually, these (probably with your Korean sauce) might be one of my post-Thanksgiving and -Christmas meals this winter when I’m fed up with the holiday fare.
My satisfied tummy thanks you kindly.
🙂
Patti Getty
December 31, 2012 at 3:25 pmOh my goodness, my family just might like this one. I have been looking for recipes that I can satisfy my husband and this is a winner. Thank you for all your hard work!
Shannon
January 22, 2013 at 6:34 pmI made these tonight for my husband and I and we loved them. I made up some cornbread and steamed broccoli to go with them. Thanks for posting I will use this recipe again and again.
Joyce
February 1, 2013 at 9:45 pmWe made these tonight for dinner! They are amazing! Even our picky daughter ate and loved it! It is a keeper!
Russ Martin
February 10, 2013 at 7:18 pmSusan – I have searched and searched for a recipe you posted where one of the ingredients was quite unusual. I think that it was sold in bar form in a package and could be found in Asian stores. I had it in my mind that it was this recipe but I was obviously mistaken. Any help would be appreciated – I’m not 100 per cent that it was your blog but this is the one I read/cook frommost. Thanks – Russ
Susan Voisin
February 10, 2013 at 7:56 pmRuss, can you think of any other details? The only thing I can think of in bar form is agar agar, but I never use it in that form. I always buy it in powder form. You could try searching my site for agar, but it might be a recipe you found at another site.
Russ Martin
February 11, 2013 at 12:00 pmThanks for looking, Susan. All I can remeber is a comment from a reader who did not know what it was and the response was that it could be found in any Asian grocery store. I’ll keep searching – Russ
janet @ the taste space
March 10, 2013 at 4:14 pmWas it tamarind?
Mary Ellen Bowen
May 1, 2013 at 4:02 pmWe have a unique book on plant based meals made on a barbeque grill that people are just loving. –GRILLS GONE VEGAN– I thought you may want to add it or review it on your site. For those who need to reduce meat, it is possible to eat healthy and not give up the mouth watering flavors of grilled food. A digital sampler is available for review, and also a hard copy. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you. Mary Ellen, maryellen@bookpubco.com
Mark G
May 24, 2013 at 12:38 amI think I may make this with some modifications. First, I would pass on the seitan and slice up tofu very thinly after pressing most of the water out. Then I would partially dehydrate the tofu for about eight hours till it starts to dry out slightly and takes on a more chewy consistency. Then I would remove, brush with barbecue sauce and continue with the recipe. Oh, and skip the soy sauce in favor of a gluten free soy sauce (wheat free tamari) or braggs liquid amino. Coconut Aminos are another option for gluten-free folks.
Oh, and to get really creative I would probably marinate my tofu with my seal a meal vacuum device before partially dehydrating. This will lock the flavor into the tofu and it can be brushed again when the tofu is pulled out of the dehydrator. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can use the over for this. It’s really no different. Just slice the tofu thinly, marinate and bake at one of the lowest temp settings on your oven. Either 175 or 200 for about six to eight hours.
OR Suz
August 30, 2015 at 6:33 pmThis isn’t a >modified< recipe, it's a completely different one altogether.
I should have stopped reading after "tofu".
If you've ever worked w/ VWG then you know it's a tricky material; I welcome Susan's experiments and expertise, as do most of her readers I would think.
Andrea R
June 7, 2013 at 12:14 pmHi Susan,
I know this is an old post but I wanted to say that we finally made this a few nights ago and my 5 year old and 3 year old were fasinated with the process and what mommy was making. I just said “something new…it is called bbq seitan” My son watched my every move and was thrilled with the use of our bbq. we just used Trader joes BBQ sauce (the one in the round glass bottle) and Peanut Butter instead of tahini cause that is what I had. I was a little short on the nutritional yeast and I think I even overcooked the ribz in the oven a little too long. (pregnant with two kids and also making baked sweet potaotes, broccoli (kids), greens (for me) and buscuits….got sidetracked) Anywho…..when my son took a bite his eyes lit up and he said “AWESOME” my daughter said “mmmmm.” My husband came home and must have kissed me 5x during the meal. Everyone loved it! I doubled it and there was only enough for dinner and lunch for my husband the next day. It was quite delightful. I know if I ever screw anything up with my husband-this will be my apology meal!
keir
June 24, 2013 at 10:29 amAn excellent recipe. I doubled the quantities and slightly increased the smoked paprika quantities on second try. Great, and vegan too!
Delbert Stinkfester
June 29, 2013 at 1:42 pmOkay, I’m not a Vegan or a Vegetarian. I’m just trying to eat better. I like this meatless meat as it is low fat and low cholesterol.
So I tried this recipe. I tweaked it a bit. Like I used chipotle chili instead of liquid smoke. This is was the first time I’ve made Seitan. I wasn’t able to cox it into the shape you made it. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I freakin loved this stuff. It was so good. I’m going to include Seitan in my regular diet. Thanks so much for this recipe. It truly changed my life.
My Mind Was Blown.
Melissa
July 18, 2013 at 11:25 amI’ve made these a bunch of times for my husband and omnivore friends. They always get good reviews. Until recently, I’ve only made them using the oven method but let me just say that since making them on a grill, these are worth busting out the charcoal. The smokey, crisp, slightly burned flavor that the grill adds takes this recipe from an 4 star to 5! This is honestly the one vegetarian recipe that convinced me that I could give up meat… Thank you so much for this!
Sheri
August 30, 2013 at 10:34 amI just made these this morning. I have never been a fan of seitan homemade or storebought. These ribs are fantastic! I don’t know how Susan Voisin keeps coming up with these fabulous recipes! The texture is chewy just like a real rib! I used my favorite bbq sauce and baked mine in the oven. Sooo good!
Melissa
November 16, 2013 at 10:44 pmSusan – you are a vegan genius! Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe! Your recipes never disappoint. I used the oven methods this time but look forward to trying it on the grill!
Darlene McDowell
February 2, 2014 at 4:44 pmWhat is vital wheat gluten. I live in a rural northern Canadian area, but I do buy gluten flour to help mixed grain breads to rise . Is it the same thing? I discovered your site while trying to become more heart healthy with low fat, vegan recipes.. not there yet but have come a long ways. Have greatly enjoyed making some of them. I don’t handle a lot of highly processed foods well so avoid the vegan “”meats””.. would like to try this. Thanks for all your hard work.. glad you love it in the kitchen.. Darlene
Susan Voisin
February 2, 2014 at 5:21 pmDarlene, vital wheat gluten is just the gluten (protein) part of flour with the starch all washed away. If what you bought is just pure gluten, no flour, it should work. But there are high-gluten flours out there that won’t work for this, so make sure you have the right thing before you try this recipe. Thanks for your kind words!
Katie
April 8, 2014 at 7:24 pmI just made this and it was so easy and delicious. I’ve never made seitan before but I have a feeling I will be making it often now! Just cooked it in the oven, no grill. I think next time I will use (vegan) wing sauce instead of BBQ and see what happens. Maybe adjust the spices to make it more chicken-y as well. I’m hoping it might end up tasting a little like the hot wingz at my favorite vegan restaurant.
Sally
May 6, 2014 at 5:33 pmHi Susan – great idea at the right time as I needed an idea for lunch tomorrow.
So I needed wheat gluten, and went to my neighborhood Whole Foods (I live in Austin with the huge Mother Ship Whole Foods and corporate offices, but the neighborhood store is smaller and less fancy and has less stuff.) Well, there was no vital wheat gluten in bulk, and the spot for it on the shelf was empty – the Whole Foods employee helping me at this point asked “Is it a Dr. Oz recipe? Because …” apparently when there is a Dr. Oz recipe with unusual ingredients, they get cleaned out.
The good news is I found it in both bulk and a box on the shelf at another local grocery that caters to foodies. I will make this and report back – but I thought you would get a kick out of the Dr. Oz question!
Carmi
May 7, 2014 at 5:21 pmThis looks so good. I have been making seitan recently, and enjoying the process. What amazes me is how different the texture is from boiling and steaming. It will be fun to try baking it before putting it on the barbecue. Thanks Susan.
Hannah
June 14, 2014 at 10:48 pmI’ve been cooking vegan for 18 months and eating as a strict vegan since January. I have has my ups and downs with seitan from a great stroganoff to the “brains” you can get from boiling it. Lately I have been on the outs with seitan due to issues with getting the texture right.
This is an excellent recipe and has restored my faith in my ability to make good seitan at home. I love how to dry baking method gives it a good chewy texture and a dry “skin” on the outside. It was particularly good after grilling it on my cast iron grill. I even at a couple pieces cold and the texture and flavor were excellent.
I made this alongside a rack of real ribs that I prepped for my husband and my dad for an early Father’s Day dinner. My husband is used to my vegan shenanigans and thought they were good. My dad is more dubious of vegan cooking and after eating his real ribs tried one. He said, “It’s not the real thing but I could definitely eat these.”
They were a hit with both the meat eaters and with me! I think I will dry bake most of my seitan from now on. Thanks so much for this Susan!
Cydney
June 23, 2014 at 11:33 amI was vegan for two and a half years in college, then fell off the wagon post-grad. I still follow a mostly vegan diet, but want to cut out dairy, eggs, and seafood for good. I have been incorporating lifting into my workout routine for the past year or so and tend to rely heavily on eggs, whey powder, tofu, tempeh, and fish for protein.
This was my first time making seitan, and it certainly won’t be my last. It amazing to see that I can make my own source of protein that isn’t prepackaged and doesn’t involve taking a life. I started eating vegan because I wanted to learn more about cooking and eating vegetables and get away from meat and processed foods, but a vegan diet is better for everyone- the environment, the animals, and our health. Thanks for making it easier to get back to a vegan lifestyle!
P.S. For this meal, I made the seitan according to Susan’s directions in the oven (sooo good), made my own bbq sauce (originally got the recipe from The 30 Minute Vegan Cookbook), and made a quick purple cabbage & corn slaw with parsely, ACV, red onions, and tahini. Threw it all on a whole wheat bun with tomatoes, avocado, and spinach. The Boy ate two sandwiches and wanted more! Don’t be afraid to double or triple the recipe!
Tina
June 29, 2014 at 10:45 pmYou have created an amazing recipe !! Made for dinner tonight and was very upset I did not have enough gluten to double the recipe but will next time that is for sure
Thank you very much
Tina
July 4, 2014 at 3:36 pmSo I thought to myself as I was eating these delish ribs . Hmmm kinda like the texture of hot dog so that’s what I did used exact recipe and made hot dogs 🙂 rolled in hotdog shape wrapped in parchment paper and cooked the same amount of time as the ribs yum yum yum !!!
Dale
July 22, 2014 at 10:52 pmSince my foot breaks out with gout and blood vessels break when I eat too much meat, I am trying to eat vegetarian. I have added this recipe to my selections. Thank you so much! I am one that alters recipes, though. So I add mesquite seasoning, dried green onion powder, olive oil, vegan beef broth, chickpea flour and etc.. The intensity of the flavor is what I like. If I have this and other things prepared in advance and placed in the freezer; I can eat good food all week. This is among the best!
Laurie Walsh
July 24, 2014 at 6:23 amI loved these ribs so much I made a double batch the last time I made them. Sitting in the refrigerator for 2 days smothered in barbecue sauce made the second meal even better. I think the barbecue flavor had time to soak in.
Jill
August 10, 2014 at 3:04 pmI made these yesterday for a potluck and the hostess put them out on the table on a pretty ceramic dish without mentioning they were vegan and not meat. They were gone in about 10 minutes! I was really intimidated by this recipe because I had never done seitan or even eaten it and don’t even eat tofu anymore, but it really wasn’t hard and I followed the instructions exactly. I even bought a glass baking dish that looked like the one in the picture. :p I don’t have an outdoor grill and did the entire thing in the oven. Wonderful recipe, will definitely make this again.
I used a low sugar BBQ sauce I got at my local fancy grocery market, they have about 25 different kinds of BBQ sauce for sale, so it was fun picking one out that conformed closely to my diet. 🙂
I agree that doubling the recipe makes a lot of sense and will definitely do that! Thanks!
10AR
September 8, 2014 at 10:45 pmMade this recipe for the 3rd time the other night. So yummy!!!! Each time, the finished product tasted better the following day (is that how all grilled food is?.?.).
The last time I used a smaller baking dish (I don’t know the dimensions, maybe 8″ x 6″), and baked them for 20min. before grilling. I like them a bit thicker. And, the decreased baking time and increased thickness made for better charcoal grilling (the only way I grill).
10AR
September 8, 2014 at 11:00 pmOh, and like Laurie Walsh, I let them sit in the fridge for over 24hrs w/ bbq sauce on top. It smelled more amazing baking, but not sure it added to the overall flavor.
Meghan
October 11, 2014 at 5:02 amMade these for dinner last night & loved them! Think i kneaded the dough a little too much as it was hard to get them to spread out in the pan without returning to a ball, but they were still delicious! a keeper for sure!
russell
October 16, 2014 at 3:54 pmjust made your ribz and they are incredibly tasty thank you for the recipe