I loved my bacon very, very much. I have been experimenting with a host of different marinades for ages. Always aiming for that something that just gives you the ‘smokey bacon fix’ good mouthfeel, great flavour and a pleasurable texture, and here it is.
Tempeh ‘Bacon’, not just any common tempeh bacon, but THE SMOKEY CRISPY TEMPEH BACON. Best of all it’s super easy to make, and a staple in our home. Perfect as part of a ‘fry-up’ for breakfast, in a sandwich as a BLT, BBQ season, or any other way that takes your fancy.
Do not hesitate to drizzle on some maple syrup in the end – that is, if you dare !!
Note : These tempeh rashers can be marinated overnight and kept covered in the refrigerator for at least 2 days.
INGREDIENTS
12-14 slices of plain tempeh (thin-ish but not paper thin – similar thickness to real bacon rashers)
SMOKEY ‘BACON’ MARINADE
4 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp bacon flavour (available in the UK from here)
6 Tbsp liquid smoke (I use Stubbs – available in UK from here, or in USA from here)
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked salt (available in UK from here, or in USA from here)
1/8 tsp beetroot powder
2 tsp maple syrup or agave
½ tsp piri piri (available in UK from here, or in USA from here)
1 tsp vegetable oil or refined coconut oil
METHOD
Mix the above marinade together in a medium sized bowl
Brush on both sides of your tempeh slices, cover and refrigerate for half an hour (this also works if you wish to refrigerate overnight) – be sure to cover all the tempeh well.
Heat up some oil and fry on both sides until it turns dark brown on both sides – treat the rashers with care as they are delicate.
Serve.
If you like this recipe, after you’ve made it could you please scroll down to the comments box below and let me know how you got on. Thanks !
Smokey Crispy Tempeh Bacon
Course: BreakfastsCuisine: US, British4
servings25
minutes20
minutesINGREDIENTS
12-14 slices of plain tempeh (thin-ish but not paper thin – similar thickness to real bacon rashers)
- SMOKEY ‘BACON’ MARINADE
4 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp bacon flavour
6 Tbsp liquid smoke
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked salt
1/8 tsp beetroot powder
2 tsp maple syrup or agave
½ tsp piri piri
1 tsp vegetable oil or refined coconut oil
METHOD
- Mix the above marinade together in a medium sized bowl
- Brush on both sides of your tempeh slices, cover and refrigerate for half an hour (this also works if you wish to refrigerate overnight) – be sure to cover all the tempeh well.
- Heat up some oil and fry on both sides until it turns dark brown on both sides – treat the rashers with care as they are delicate.
- Serve.
Looks great! Of course, this is to resemble American bacon, which is hot smoked cured pork belly, what I grew up on.
The closest to this in England is streaky bacon, which is cured pork belly that is either cold smoked or unsmoked.
Are there any recipes for vegan back bacon? Many Americans see the Americanized ‘Canadian bacon’ as a ham, which it isn’t. Ham is cured pork leg, while back bacon is cured pork loin, from which we get pork chops.
I’d be interested in creating a full English breakfast with vegan back bacon and vegan fried eggs. Your egg recipes are amazing.
Hi Jeff, thanks for dropping by here with your comment. Nowhere do I say that this vegan ‘bacon’ is British, American or any other. What I have claimed is that it is smokey, which it is, crispy which it becomes upon frying it until crisp, and ‘bacon’ which it is designed to give a similar ‘fix’. It can form part of any type of breakfast or sandwich in order to enjoy a non meat version with a very pleasant taste and mouthfeel. Here is the link from my blog for a full English breakfast, https://www.mouthwateringvegan.com/2013/03/16/best-ever-vegan-full-english-breakfast/ it is not necessarily the most typical, as they love their fried eggs, again, here is the link for my VEGAN fried eggs – https://www.mouthwateringvegan.com/2013/04/27/the-perfect-vegan-fried-egg-sunny-side-up/, and I hope you enjoy these recipes and have yourself a vegan breakfast without compromise.
It was absolutely delicious! It’s nice knowing we’re eating healthy tempeh, and not processed vegan bacon.
Thank you for the links too, Miriam.
You’re most welcome Teri.