Texan Vegan Brisket

I decided to make this delicious vegan brisket thanks to a couple of our readers from Texas, who kindly asked if we have a recipe for vegan brisket. The comment can be found at the bottom of our vegan chicken recipe. It reads "Cory, I really fancy brisket, I didn't find a recipe on your site. Do you have one? We are new vegans from Austin and we really miss the taste of brisket. Trying to stay strong."

So I thought what better time to develop a real spicy, tender, smoky, all delicious vegan brisket recipe.

And here it is, after some experimenting in the kitchen, I've got the best (no, seriously THE BEST) vegan brisket you can possibly ask for. It's tender, like real tender. It can be eaten with a knife and fork, it's smoky, spicy, salty, has a delicious bbq glaze on top, home made Tex Mex seasoning. It's got a beautiful colour, it involves rubbing the vegan brisket with seasoning, glazing it with sauce, searing it to perfection. Seriously, vegan friends from Texas, I've got you covered.

Alright, let's have some fun in the kitchen and make this vegan brisket. You'll never even dream of real brisket ever again.

There are three components to making the best vegan brisket. The vegan brisket itself, the Tex Mex seasoning so we can rub the brisket with it and the awesome sweet n' smoky bbq glaze to make our vegan brisket swim in awesomeness before searing it on the frying pan.

So let's start with the beginning. You will find some useful step by step pictures below to get an idea of how things need to look like and make sure you don't waste any ingredients.

How to make Vegan Brisket

First, check out the ingredients you need for the vegan brisket. So gather all ingredients around to make it easier to work.

• 1 1/3 cup (225g) chickpea
• 3/4 cups (180ml) tomato sauce
• 1 cooked beetroot (from a vacuum-sealed pouch) + the beetroot liquid from the pack
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3 1/3 fl oz (100ml) water
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp, ground peppercorn
• 1 tsp smoked salt
• 9 wt. oz (250g) vital wheat gluten

In a food processor, add all vegan brisket ingredients except for the vital wheat. Whiz well until everything is combined. You should have a red runny mixture. See the picture below. You can see the beautiful red colour, thanks to the beetroot.

Transfer to a large bowl and add the vital wheat gluten. Using a spoon or spatula, mix the ingredients are combined. Start kneading with your hands. Knead the dough for a short minute until everything is well mixed together. You'd want to see your dough be semi-firm and stretchy, so make sure you don't over knead. It's ok for the dough to feel a little loose.

Place the vegan brisket on top of an aluminium foil and shape it to resemble a brisket cut. Wrap in aluminium foil, but not too tight as the vegan brisket will expand a little during steaming.

Steam the vegan brisket for 20 minutes. If the whole vegan brisket doesn't fit into your steamer, cut the vegan brisket into two chunks, shape and wrap in aluminium foil. You can use a stacked steamer to steam at the same time.

While your vegan brisket is steaming, it's time to make the vegan brisket Tex-Mex seasoning and glaze.

Here are the ingredients you need for the Vegan Brisket Tex Mex Seasoning

• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp, ground oregano
• 1/2 tsp smoked salt

Here are a couple of notes to adjust the seasoning and make it tasty for your preferece.

If you want your Tex Mex seasoning spicier, add an extra tab of chili powder.
If you want your Tex Mex seasoning less spicy, add just 1/2 tsp of chili powder and 2 tsp smoked paprika to the mix.

To make the seasoning, mix all Tex-Mex seasoning ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

Here are the ingredients you need for the Vegan Brisket BBQ Glaze

• 2 wt. oz (55ml) soy sauce
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp liquid smoke

To make the glaze, add all vegan brisket BBQ glaze ingredients to a bowl and mix them together. Mix well until the sugar has dissolved.

Add more sugar if you want your sauce to be sweeter and add more liquid smoke if you want your sauce to taste meatier.

Once the vegan brisket has steamed, carefully remove from the aluminium foil and place on a wooden chopping board. Let it cool slightly, then rub it in the Tex Mex seasoning all around. Let the vegan brisket sit for about 10-15 minutes.

Transfer the vegan brisket to a deep plate. Pour the BBQ glaze over the vegan brisket and make sure you turn it around a few times so it's fully covered in glaze.

Heat a little olive oil in a non-stick pan then sear your vegan brisket for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan to a wooden chopping board and carve your vegan brisket into thin slices.

Serve hot with delicious polenta chips or vegan baked potatoes and a side of mango habanero salsa or carrot mango salad.

If you love this delicious vegan brisket recipe and fancy something similar, make sure to check our vegan steak, vegan sausages and vegan chicken recipes also.

This recipe has been developed entirely by Yuzu Bakes. Any resemblance with other recipes is purely coincidental.