Vegan Sticky BBQ ‘Ribs’

These vegan ribs are the ultimate party/Friday night treat! The rich sticky root beer infused BBQ sauce is fire. Make sure you knead the seitan dough firmly for 10 minutes to achieve a meaty texture!

Serves: 8

Cooking Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients

• 1 Onion, chopped evenly
• 2 Cloves Garlic, chopped evenly
• 1 & 1/4 cups Vegetable Stock
• 1/2 cup Cooked Chickpeas
• 3 tbsp Tomato Puree
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos
• 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
• 2 tsp Liquid Smoke
• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 3 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1 tsp All Spice
• 1 tbsp Dried Chilli Flakes

Dry Ingredients

• 2 & 1/4 cups Vital Wheat Gluten
• 1/4 cup Gram (Chickpea) Flour

BBQ Sauce

• 1 cup Tomato Ketchup
• 3 tbsp Mustard
• 5 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 drops Liquid Smoke
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos
• 1 cup root beer (boil and reduce to a syrup)
• 3 tbsp Coconut Sugar
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp All spice
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Instructions:

1. Prepare Wet Ingredients: Sauté the onion and garlic.
2. Blend Wet Ingredients: Add the sautéed onion and garlic, plus the remaining wet ingredients (1 1/4 cups vegetable stock, 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas, 3 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 3 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp fennel seed, 1 tsp allspice, 1 tbsp dried chili flakes, 2 tsp liquid smoke, pinch of salt and pepper) to a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Prepare Dough: In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients (vital wheat gluten and chickpea flour).
4. Knead: Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until it forms a dough ball. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes to develop the meaty texture.
5. Shape Ribs: After kneading, flatten the dough into a rectangle shape. Cut the dough in half (or into individual rib-sized portions).
6. Pre-Grill: Preheat a griddle pan and add oil. Coat the pieces of dough in barbecue sauce. Grill the dough pieces for 3 minutes on each side.
7. Bake: Place the grilled pieces in a baking tray. Add the remaining barbecue sauce, a bay leaf, and a star anise to the pan. Bake in the oven at 320 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours, flipping the pieces over after the first hour.

BBQ Sauce Instructions:

1. Boil 1 cup of root beer and reduce it until it forms a syrup.
2. Mix the reduced root beer syrup with all other barbeque sauce ingredients (ketchup, mustard, balsamic vinegar, liquid smoke, coconut aminos, coconut sugar, cumin, garlic powder, allspice, salt & pepper) until well combined.

Tips:

• Texture: Tastes better and will be firmer the next day after spending the night in the fridge.
• Storage: Can be frozen for three months after cooking. Enjoy!