Smoked Tempeh Bacon

Last week I used smoked tempeh ‘bacon’ in the stir fry recipe, and here is the promised tempeh smoking recipe.

But before I do that, there is one aspect I must touch on –

Carnivores often ask why us vegetarian/vegans keep making ‘meat look-alike’ dishes.

On the one hand, they are right and it is pointless.

On the other hand, we eat with our eyes and minds as well as our mouths,
and also what better way to convince carnivores that it is not necessary to use animal products to create tasty and healthy meals.

Having got that off my chest, on to smoked tempeh.

By the way, tempeh is basically fermented, cooked soy beans.

You can make your own tempeh, but it is much more readily available at health shops these days.
I used 2 store bought rounds of tempeh.

So, ingredients:

2 rounds tempeh
1 T maple syrup
1 T tamari
1 t apple cider vinegar
large pinch smoked paprika
pinch smoked salt

and method:

1 – Slice the tempeh as in the picture
2 – Mix all other ingredients to make a marinade in a large bowl
3 – Put the slices in the marinade, ensure all pieces are well coated, and leave to marinade  for several hours, or overnight.
4 – Remove the slices and smoke in either hot or cold smoker. (I use the cold smoking gun – see this post on using the smoking gun

Serve up however you want – in a stir fry, in a salad, in a burger, etc etc….

One big word of caution – re the salt. In this batch, I was a bit too heavy handed with the smoked salt. I was concentrating on the smokey aspect, and rather forgot the saltiness. And remember, tamari is pretty salty on its own.
Rather use more smoked paprika, or cold smoke for longer.

The above ingredients a rather a guideline, and you can adapt to your taste.
For example if you want a sweeter result, up the maple syrup a bit.

Anyway – enjoy experimenting, and the result.
Bon apetit.