Although I know how to make a killer barbecue sauce, the problem up to now has been finding a worthy vegetable protein. Enter Barvecue Smokehouse, made just up the road from me in Cornelius, North Carolina. Barvecue Pulled BVQ has a unique, meaty texture and delivers nine grams of protein per serving, while also being vegan and gluten free. I’ve made decent BBQ chicken with Gardein Chick’n Scallopini and used Upton’s Naturals Traditional Seitan as a stand in for beef, but Barvecue Smokehouse Pulled BVQ is the first plant-based protein that I think is definitely capable of fooling carnivores.
Many barbecue sauces are much too sweet for me, with most having multiple types of refined sugar. For example, Sweet Baby Ray’s, a popular brand in the South, has high fructose corn syrup as its first ingredient, as well as pineapple juice concentrate, corn syrup, and sugar. No wonder a 1.25 ounce service has 15 grams of added sugar!
My barbecue sauce uses a small amount of organic brown sugar and molasses has a tangy, slightly spicy flavor profile thanks to Mother in Law’s Gochujang Fermented Chile Paste, a tasty Korean condiment I was introduced to during COVID and which I now use frequently. I’ve tried using both the Mother in Law’s Gochujang Fermented Chile Paste and the Chile Sauce with ginger and garlic, and think sticking to the original Chile Paste makes the best barbecue sauce.
The whole process is so simple. Just combine your sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and stir occasionally for about 15 minutes. Saute your Pulled BVQ in a skillet with a little olive oil for 3-4 minutes, and then pour on the barbecue sauce.
It doesn’t get much easier than that!
In fact, while the sauce was simmering for fifteen minutes, I used the time to make a delicious three bean salad with green beans, garbanzo beans, and red kidney beans. While the green beans are cooking, open cans of organic garbanzo beans and kidney beans, rinse and drain them well, and put the canned beans in a large bowl. Add chopped scallions, rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar), parsley, thyme, olive oil, salt, and pepper. When the beans are done to your liking, drain them in a colander and quickly put ice cubes on top to cool them down and preserve the bright color of the fresh green beans. Add the cooled green beans to the bowl, toss with the other ingredients, refrigerate for as long as you can, and then taste and adjust your seasonings. It is a very simple salad but surprisingly good – and full of protein!
A couple of words on two ingredients I highly recommend for my barbecue sauce. One is the best-tasting vegan Worcestershire Sauce I’ve found. The Wizard’s Organic Gluten Free Vegan Worcestershire Sauce has no anchovies, but still packs the umami punch of a traditional Worcestershire Sauce like Lea & Perrins. It’s easy to find on Amazon if your local store doesn’t carry it.
The other is Bundaberg Ginger Beer, which is an Australian brand of which we are very fond. I had originally used water to slightly thin the sauce the first time I made it, but on making the sauce a second time, I decided that adding a bit of ginger kick would do it some good. The ginger beer will foam a bit when you first add it in, but the carbonation settles down very quickly. If you have access to this delicious ginger beer, please give it a try!
I know that I have felt left out of so many barbecues over the years, because I was relegated to eating the sides since there were no vegetarian products that seemed appropriate for a barbecue. Finally, we have Barvecue Smokehouse Pulled BVQ made in North Carolina!
- 1 cup organic ketchup
- ¼ cup organic brown sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons Mother in Law's Gochujang Fermented Chile Paste Concentrate
- 2 tablespoons Bragg's organic apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Wholesome organic molasses (please don't use blackstrap molasses because it will be too strong tasting)
- 1½ teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce (The Wizard's brand is my favorite)
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1-2 garlic cloves, pressed
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
- ¼ cup Bundaberg ginger beer (or water if you don't have, or don't like, ginger beer)
- 10 oz. pkg Barvecue Smokehouse Pulled BVQ, thawed in the fridge overnight
- 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Put all of the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the thawed Pulled BVQ from the package and saute it in a skillet in a little oil for 3-4 minutes. Add the barbecue sauce, stir to combine, and heat to your desired temperature.
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