Smoky bbq brisket with onion jam

Weekends are for slow cooking. Especially rainy weekends like we’re having today.

Since Mother Nature isn’t interested in outdoor BBQs right now, I’m bringing the outside indoors with this vegan take on a Smoky BBQ Brisket.

Smoky BBQ sauce, brown sugar, spices and caramelized onions give this seitan-based roast a nice crisp bark on top and a tender inside. Plus, the flavor is off the charts.

Because the onions, which are naturally sweet, caramelize as the brisket roasts, they help thicken up the already-sweet sauce into the most incredible onion jam, which you can serve with the brisket or save it in the fridge for up to a week and use it everywhere.  Seriously, everywhere. It makes a great burger topping and its even delish on toast with a savory cream cheese.

Enjoy this brisket immediately or refrigerate for up to a week and gently reheat in the oven for maximum enjoyment.

Print Recipe

Smoky BBQ Brisket with Onion Jam

Smoky BBQ sauce, brown sugar, spices and caramelized onions give this seitan-based roast a nice crisp bark on top and a tender inside. Plus, the flavor is off the charts.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 15 mins

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder

Sauce ingredients

• 2 packets Knorr/Lipton French Onion soup mix
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1.25 cups smoky BBQ sauce
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp powdered bacon seasoning, like Deliciou (optional but it adds another level of flavor and more smokiness.)
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
• In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the soup mix, water, ketchup, BBQ sauce, sweetener, garlic and black pepper.
• Add 2 cups of the sauce to the dry ingredients and mix to form a dough. Knead on a flat surface for 3 full minutes, then knead for another 30 seconds, stretching the dough into a brisket shape that is about 1-inch thick, and place in the prepared dish.  Place the onions in the dish so that some are on top of the brisket and some are in the pan. Add 1 cup of the sauce mix to the dish around the brisket.
• Bake for 2 hours, stopping every 20 minutes to baste and rotate the brisket in the dish (to keep it from sticking). Add the remaining sauce, ½ a cup at a time or as needed, at each basting interval, to keep the baking dish from drying out. When the brisket is done it will feel firm to the touch in the center, and the sauce will be thickened and almost jam-like.
• Let rest on a cutting board for ten minutes before slicing. Refrigerate any leftovers and warm them up by slicing the brisket and placing it in aluminium foil and warm it gently in the oven.