The next time you want to impress your friends (or just want a super-tasty snack) throw some of these BBQ Tofu Burnt Ends on the grill! You may have weekend dinner guests for life!
Who knew a little square of Tofu could be so…..well…….so….. GOOD!?
The secret to making these smoky little morsels is twofold…
- You’re going to want to freeze your package of Tofu. I don’t know what kind of magic happens once it’s frozen, but the texture changes significantly from a soft, squishy square of Tofu to a dense, meaty block of BBQ goodness once you shake on the rub and the sauce….
- Speaking of rub – this simple homemade rub adds SO much flavor and is the key to making a successful BBQ out of Tofu.
Tofu by itself is pretty flavorless but DOES soak up whatever flavor you give it.
So by adding a basic rub made from common pantry seasonings, we’ll transform this mushy block of soy curd into something amazing that any Pit Master would be proud of.
Sounds crazy right?
Well, there’s only one way to find out isn’t there?
And it’s really easy to make too.
So come on, grab a cold one – and let’s go BBQ some Tofu!
BBQ Tofu Burnt Ends
BBQ Tofu Burnt Ends | Brand New Vegan
Like I mentioned earlier, I really recommend you freeze your package of Tofu. I used extra firm, and just threw the whole thing into the freezer until it was rock solid.
Then, maybe the night before, pull the package out and place it into a gallon-sized ziplock. Then toss it in your fridge to start thawing. The next morning place it in your sink to finish.
Once thawed, remove the Tofu and drain all the water. Then slice it in half thickness-wise, so you have 2 blocks of Tofu about 1″ thick. Place these blocks between some paper towels and lay something flat on top to help press out any moisture. We want the Tofu as dry as we can get it.
Press the Tofu for at least 30 minutes, and change the paper towels out frequently.
Meanwhile, while the Tofu is doing its thing, let’s preheat the oven to 300° F and make the rub.
Simply take all the rub ingredients listed below and mix them together in a small bowl. Store the rub in a pint-sized Mason jar or equivalent.
Once the tofu has been pressed, cut each block into 12 equal-sized cubes and place them into a ziplock bag. We are going to add 1 Tbs of Apple Juice (any liquid really) to give the rub something to stick to. Shake gently so all the surfaces are wetted down and then add 2 Tbs of the rub.
Again shake the bag of Tofu gently so all the surfaces are covered in the rub.
Now we’re going to bake the Tofu in a 300° F oven for 15 minutes. I used a parchment-lined baking sheet. The idea is to further dry out the Tofu and also set the rub so it’s ready for the BBQ.
Now – we’re ready to grill.
Prepare your grill and place your Burnt ends on a grill pan over the indirect heat side of your BBQ (we don’t want to burn them – just smoke them). If you’re using wood chips for smoking, add those now and also brush on your favorite BBQ sauce.
Now we slowly BBQ the little square of goodness, turning and basting with BBQ sauce often, until a nice bark has formed on the outside of each square.
Perfect!
Careful though – these little babies are addicting!
Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below, and until next week….
Happy BBQ!
The next time you want to impress your non-vegan friends (or just want a super-tasty snack) throw some of these BBQ Tofu Burnt Ends on the grill! You may have weekend dinner guests for life!
- 1 pkg Extra Firm Tofu
- 1 Tbs Apple Juice
- 2 Tbs Rub (recipe below)
- Your favorite BBQ Sauce
- 1/4 cup Paprika
- 2 Tbs Kosher Salt
- 2 Tbs Chili Powder
- 2 Tbs Brown Sugar
- 1 Tbs Black Pepper
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (or more to taste)
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Freeze Tofu prior to making the recipe (not absolutely necessary but highly recommended). Then thaw before continuing.
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Drain Tofu and slice it into 2 even blocks about 1" thick.
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Press Tofu between paper towels for at least 30 minutes. Place something flat on top to help the process. Change towels frequently.
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While Tofu is pressing, preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
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Mix all rub ingredients together until uniform and store in an airtight container until needed. I used a 1 pint Mason Jar with lid.
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Once Tofu is finished pressing, slice each block into 12 equal cubes and place in a ziplock bag with the Apple Juice. Shake gently.
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Add 2 Tbs of the Rub to the bag and again, shake gently to ensure all surfaces of Tofu are covered.
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Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the 300-degree oven for 15 minutes.
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The Tofu is now ready for the BBQ. Place over indirect-heat and gently brush on your favorite sauce. Turn frequently and continue basting until a nice bark has formed.
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Serve as an appetizer or as a tasty addition to your Summer BBQ Meal.
Tips are always welcome!
Chana Cox
That looks sooo good! I’m planning on making your carrot dogs and creamy coleslaw for my contribution to our big 4th of July party. I think I’ll HAVE to include this as well! Thanks Chuck!
Dawn
YUM! Can’t wait to try these (tofu is defrosting as I type!). Do you prefer smoked or regular paprika for the rub? I will also be cooking on stovetop since BBQ is out of service at the moment (in the thick of summer, I know, it’s awful). Thank you, Chuck for keeping it real and simple. 🙂
Chuck Underwood
I would do regular if you are going to throw these on the grill like I did. Otherwise, maybe sub in a little smoked for that smokey flavor.
Frank
How long would you recommend they go in the smoker? I have a simple electric one that runs at about 250-300 degrees Fahrenheit. I have never made tofu, so I’m a bit worried about letting down my vegan family members at our upcoming cookout!
Jeanne Lucas
I made these and they are amazing. I recommend you triple the batch because they will disappear quickly.
Donna Mlinek
We are brand new vegans and I love your website. I have made the Kentucky Fried Cauliflower and the carrot hot dogs and they were great! But this one (Burnt Ends) went in the trash because they were way too salty. When I made the rub, 1/4 of Kosher salt seemed like way too much – should have gone with my instincts. But lots of potential here – good flavor from the spices and good texture – I will try again, but with much less salt.
Chuck Underwood
Thanks for the input – this is the 2nd comment I’ve had saying the same thing so I just reduced the amount in half.
calgal
Just to clarify, the salt should be 2 tbsp now? It was 4 tbsp before? I plan on making these soon and I’ll let you know how it turns out. Love your recipes!
Chuck
Yes…..people are saying it’s too salty. Try starting with 2 Tbs.
Michelle Crawford
Amazing! We eat a lot of tofu and always love it, but my husband said, “This is the BEST tofu I’ve ever had!” I have to agree! Total winner, really reminded me of a grilled BBQ chicken breast, only way healthier for me and no chickens harmed. YES!
Robin
These were delicious! I will be making it again !!
calgal
I finally made these tofu burnt ends and I used 1 tablespoon salt as recommended in the comments. They are amazing! I don’t have a bbq so just brushed on some bbq sauce, baked 15 minutes, turned over and repeated. Seriously so good and addicting! Going to try the tempeh version next and I’m sure they’ll be just as amazing. Just wondering how else I can use this delicious dry rub – I want to put it on everything!
Peggy
I use this rub on potato logs. 😋
Jessica S.
Do you think it would be possible to use granulated sugar rather than brown sugar? Is there a specific reason brown sugar is better?
I ended up making it with granulated. I used 2 tbsp salt. I reduced the cayenne pepper to 1/16 tsp since I’m a spice wimp.
I liked this very much.
Jessica S
I decided to us a twice baked option. After the first bake I raised the oven temperature to 400 for the sauce. I brushed some BBQ sauce on a surface of all the cubes and then rotated that face down. I then brushed all the other surfaces with sauce. I cooked them for about 35 minutes until they were crispy/chewy. For ME this turned out better than using my indoor grill. None of the seasoning flaked off onto my turning utensils.
Eve
I made these today in our smoker and they are incredible!!! Thank you so much! I missed this taste and texture. You nailed it.
Janelle
I was just going to ask about using my tabletop smoker! How long did you smoke it?
James from Missouri
As usual,I really like your recipe – but have to admit that I changed the recipe in these ways: For the rub, I used ~1.75 T of salt, instead of brown sugar I used 4 T of date sugar (a whole food), went light on the black pepper, and light on the cayenne pepper (maybe 70-80% of what were called for). For the tofu I used extra firm regular, and extra firm silken – and I think the regular has a much better texture, similar to meat. Instead of apple juice, I used a T of apple cider vinegar, and next time I’ll use more.
Debra
Can Apple Cider Vinegar be subbed for the Apple juice?
Chuck Underwood
Ummm…no.
Ashley
I made this and it’s delicious! I didn’t have apple juice, and being from the south I like a vinegary bbq. So I used apple cider vinegar, it worked great and had no vinegar taste in the end product. Great recipe, thank you!
Redhead
Vinegar works great / apple cider vinegar! ( no apple juice on hand) none of that vinegar taste remains after baking it . I didn’t use a grill baked mind brushing it turning it halfway through cooking and then turned it up to 400°, turning and Coating the tofu with sugar free barbecue sauce til it gets a nice chewy Caramelized, texture. (about 20 minutes or so)
Morgan Duverney
This was a wonderful recipe, I’ll be using it again. I used orange juice instead of apple juice because it was on hand. I put the tofu in the air fryer instead of the oven like I do with most tofu recipes, and it worked well. Thanks!
Joanie
Found this recipe today and plan on trying it , but, the environmentalist in me needs to point out something. Please do not wrap the tofu in paper towels (that are tossed) , but in a clean kitchen towel that csn be washed.
Thanks all.
Gotta go freeze my block of ‘fu. .
Tash
how long do you need to smoke this for? The recipe doesn’t say how long to allow so I’m not sure when to start cooking…
Chuck Underwood
Won’t take long – until they firm up and are crispy as you like. Sample as you go.
Mandy
This was delicious! I divided the rub measurements by 4 to make enough for just one block of tofu. I always toss my tofu with a little olive oil and cornstarch before baking, so I threw that and the rub in a bag and shook it up. I baked for 15 minutes, flipped, then since I don’t have a grill, baked another 10 minutes, poured BBQ sauce all over, then under the broiler for a few minutes. It was perfect! Thank you!
Hershel
I really enjoyed the recipe and I made my own BBQ sauce for it. However, I found the tofu too dry. I will make it again but next time won’t do the freeze/thaw preparation and won’t squish out the liquid. (Or maybe I will squish out the water and then soak it in apple juice, rather than just toss it in a TBSP.