3 Delicious Smoked Barbecue Food Ideas

The first thing people think of when they hear BBQ is the brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken or even fish.  Many forget that some of most out-of-this-world delicious sides come smoked as well.  And I am sure you don’t want to leave your vegetarian friends out of the fun of your BBQ party too!

In this article, I am going to share with you some of the great sides and vegetarian-friendly smoked food we have created that not only took the sides up another notch, but the vegetarian-friendly dishes became favorites for our vegetarian guests.

SMOKED TOFU (Vegetarian and Vegan friendly)

Just because we are carnivors doesn’t mean that we can’t appreciate a vegetarian delight once in a while.  I first created this dish mainly for my catering customers who have vegetarian requirements.  It turned out so well that we got regular requests for them during regular service as well.

Turns out that smoking tofu isn’t just seasoning and popping it in the smoker.  If you do it this way, you’ll be disappointed.

Here’s the Secret to Smoking Tofu

1. Select FIRM Tofu 
2. Remove as much water from the tofu as possible.  Put some weight on top of the tofu (with a cheese cloth between the weight and the tofu) for at least a couple of hours, longer if you can.  In our restaurant, we just let it sit with the weight overnight and finish them later.  The purpose of this is to squeeze excess water out so the tofu has even a chance to take on any smoke flavor.
3. Once the tofu has been pressed, dry rub with whatever seasoning you like.  Try not to use any wet ingredients that will introduce more liquid back in.  In our case, we simply rubbed the tofu with our signature BBQ pork rub. Let it sit for an hour or so.
4. Now, you are ready to load them into your smoker, make sure your smoker is already full of smoke.  We smoke the tofu at 275°F for 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes.

This is what it will look like.  Absolutely delicious!  (You can add your favorite sauces right on top to jazz it up too!)

What’s surprising about smoked tofu is that it can be used in so many ways.  Not only you can eat it right out of the smoker, you can also add them to your soups to add a smoke component.

Finally, stir-fry them with other greens creates yet another delicious dish.  So, when you decide to smoke some Tofu, don’t be afraid to cook some extra for later!

SMOKED CORN (Vegetarian friendly)

As you can imagine, smoked corn-on-the-cob is definitely delicious right?  Yes!  They are awesome. But I’m not talking about corn-on-the-cob.  I’m talking about smoking corn OFF the cob.

This is especially popular with those who don’t want to get their hands dirty eating corn-on-the-cob.  (Totally understandable for those dressier occasions).  The smoke-infused corn adds complexity to an otherwise simple dish.

The recipe is actually fairly easy.   Sauté the corn with butter.  Add milk, salt, and pepper.  After it’s done, put in a smoker-suitable bowl and smoke for 40 minutes.  It’s really awesome!

BBQ BEANS

There are many ways to cook BBQ beans.  People often start with a can of baked beans, add some green pepper, bean mix and maybe some extra bacon.

However, what most people don’t know is that if they take the time to smoke their beans instead, it adds an extra dimension that makes you’re the flavors pop!

In fact, in our opinion, it’s not really BBQ beans UNLESS you smoke them.  They’re just beans.

So, this is what we do with our BBQ beans.  After we mix all of the ingredients, we stick it in our smoker with the rest of the meat and let it smoke for 2-3 hours.

Try it! You will never go back to cooking your BBQ beans on the stove again!  ?