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Smoked Tofu Recipe With Marinade

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You can eat it by iteself or put it anywhere you use smoked meats. It’s perfect for salads, stirfry, pasta, tacos and even with eggs. Give this smoked tofu recipe a try and elevate your next tofu experience.

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By Brent Doud

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My wife doesn’t eat beef, chicken, or pork, so we cook a lot of fish, tofu, and vegetables around here. I like to smoke a couple of blocks of tofu for her while I have the smoker on. She uses the smoked tofu for various recipes like tacos, enchiladas, and salads. Tofu is a low-calorie, high-protein soy product typically used as a meat substitute. It doesn’t have much flavor by itself, but its spongy texture allows it to absorb flavors really well, which is why it is perfect for smoking. Keep reading to learn how to make this delicious smoked tofu recipe on a pellet grill.

Smoked marinaded Tofu sliced on a cutting board.
Smoked marinaded Tofu sliced on a cutting board.

How To Make Smoked Tofu

Slice the tofu

Tofu typically comes in rectangles that are approximately 4″ x 3.5″ x 2″. I start by slicing the tofu in half so each piece is only about 1″ tall. This will allow the smoke flavor to penetrate the tofu better. Now it’s time to dry the tofu.

Dry The Tofu

Drying the water from the tofu will allow it to absorb the marinade better. To dry the tofu, I place a few layers of paper towels on a cutting board and let it rest for 30 minutes per side. Changing the paper towels when you flip the tofu over would be best since so much water will come out of it. You can also place another cutting board or baking sheet on the tofu to put a bit of weight on it. Once it is dry, you can start marinating the tofu.

Tofu Marinade Recipe

This is an easy tofu recipe that requires only four ingredients. Mix all the ingredients, and you are ready to marinate your tofu.

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Bachan Japanese bbq sauce
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Marinade The Tofu

The longer you marinate the tofu, the stronger the flavor will be. I marinate my tofu for 2 hours total, flipping it over after 1 hour to ensure both sides are exposed to the marinade evenly. This tofu marinade recipe pairs well with the smoke flavor you will get by smoking the tofu on a pellet grill.

Let the Tofu marinate for 2 hours, and flip it each hour.
Let the Tofu marinate for 2 hours, and flip it each hour.

Smoking Tofu On a Pellet Grill

It doesn’t get any easier than smoking tofu because tofu doesn’t need to be cooked. You don’t have to worry about checking the temperatures, wrapping, or resting the tofu. You only need to allow the tofu to absorb some of that smoke flavor from the pellet grill. I use my Green Mountain Grills Ledge 2.0 Pellet Grill with Bear Mountain BBQ savory pellets. I smoke my tofu at 200ºF for 2 hours. I recommend flipping it halfway through the cook so you get grill marks on both sides. This smoked tofu recipe is is really that easy.

Expert Tip

Every pellet grill or smoker has hot spots that will cook the tofu faster. Make sure to rotate the tofu on the pellet grill a few times to avoid having some pieces get more heat than others. Don’t forget to flip the tofu at the halfway point so you get those nice grill marks on both sides of the tofu.

Tofu smoking on a pellet grill
Tofu smoking on a pellet grill

How To Use Smoked Tofu

Smoked tofu can be used just as you would any smoked protein. My favorite way to eat it is to crumble or cube it over a salad. I also use it in a stirfry or pasta and don’t forget about Mexican food. Smoked tofu tacos or tofu enchiladas are lovely. Try making these ground beef empanadas with tofu instead of ground beef. Heck, I even eat it with scrambled eggs.

Marinated smoked tofu sliced and ready to serve.
Marinated smoked tofu sliced and ready to serve.

Storing And Reheating Smoked Tofu

Store your smoked tofu in a sealed container in the refrigerator. You can store it in whole blocks or slice, cube, or chop it. If you want to store your smoked tofu for a long period of time, I recommend vacuum sealing it and freezing it.

Smoked Tofu Recipe with Marinade
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Smoked Tofu Recipe With Marinade

Author: Brent Doud
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American,Chinese,tofu
Keywords: smoked tofu,tofu,tofu marinade
Servings: 4 people
Tofu is perfect for smoking due to its spongy texture and ability to absorb flavors well. Try this smokied tofu recipe and add a kiss of that smokey flavor to your next dish
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 2 hours

Equipment

  • Pellet Grill I used my Green Mountain Grill Ledge Prime 2.0 Pellet Grill
  • Smoker Wood I used Bear Mountain BBQ Savory Blend Pellets

Ingredients
  

  • 14 oz Tofu
  • 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 cup Bachan's Japanese BBQ Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • Salt Dash of salt on top while marinating
  • Pepper Dash of pepper on top while marinating

Instructions
 

  • Slice the tofu in half so you have approximately 1" tall rectangles of tofu
    Tofu drying before the marinade.
  • Drying the water from the tofu will allow it to absorb the marinade better. To dry the tofu, I place a few layers of paper towels on a cutting board and let it rest for 30 minutes per side. You must change the paper towels when you flip the tofu over since so much water will come out of it.
  • This is an easy tofu recipe that requires only four ingredients. Mix all the ingredients, and you are ready to marinate your tofu. 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup Bachan Japanese bbq sauce, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp garlic powder
    Tofu marinading for an hour before being smoked on a pellet grill.
  • I marinate my tofu for 2 hours total, flipping it over after 1 hour to ensure both sides are exposed to the marinade evenly.
    Let the Tofu marinate for 2 hours, and flip it each hour.
  • I smoke my tofu at 200ºF for 2 hours. I recommend flipping it halfway through the cook so you get grill marks on both sides.
    Tofu smoking on a pellet grill
  • Slice or crumble your smoked tofu
    Marinated smoked tofu sliced and ready to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 181kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 11gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 1094mgPotassium: 48mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 128mgIron: 2mg

FAQ’s

What is Tofu?

Tofu is a soybean product that originated in China over 2000 years ago. Tofu has a rich history and I would not be able to get into all that on a BBQ site. I would recommend jumping over to this Wikipedia article to learn more about it.

Can you make smoked Tofu without a smoker?

Yes, some store-bought smoked tofu products use a liquid smoke flavor instead of smoking the tofu on a smoker or pellet grill.

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