Smoked Tempeh Jerky
SMOKED TEMPEH JERKY
Look around these days at the jerky section of the grocery store and you'll see all kinds of interesting combinations that make up "jerky". Be it bison & cranberry, buffalo chicken, cheese & jalapeno, meat-free or some other non-traditional dried, portable protein, they only thing they have in common is usually a high price tag! Why not buy a few inexpensive ingredients and make some convenience foods of your own? Even the complicated sounding vegan options can be incredibly simple to create, like this one:
INGREDIENTS:
1 8 - ounce package tempeh
1/2 cup beet juice*
3 cloves pureed garlic
1 tablespoon Smokehouse Red Pepper Jerky Mix
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
In a shallow dish or sealable plastic bag, mix all liquid ingredients and spices until thoroughly combined. Gently slice tempeh into thin strips and carefully place in the brine.
Some tempeh brands may be more apt to crumble. (If you end up with several tempeh crumbles, these can be marinated and fried up in a bit of oil to eat as is, or tossed on a salad or pasta dish.)
Cover and brine tempeh in the refrigerator for 8 - 12 hours.
Remove tempeh from brine and discard brine. Place tempeh strips on smoker racks leaving space between each slice.
Fill Little or Big Chief smoker pan with Smokehouse Chip flavor of choice and smoke between 1.5 - 2 hours.
Turn slices over and continue to heat without heat until tempeh reaches desired texture.
Keep smoker temperature low to prevent overcooking. If necessary, keep the smoker door propped open to maintain 140 degrees to 150 degrees smoker temperature.
Tempeh jerky can also be finished in a food dehydrator set to 140 degrees if desired.
Recipe by: Tiffany Haugen
*The most economical way to acquire this is by draining the juice off a can of beets.