New Belgium Beer BBQ Tofu

A while ago (embarrassingly long ago actually), I was selected to participate in the New Belgium Tastemaker program through Foodbuzz and got a stipend to create a dish or meal pairing using New Belgium Brewing Company beer. My first thought was to make no-knead beer bread because it’s so easy and so delicious. But then I thought, well, that’s not very creative. So, I hit up Holly from The Healthy Everythingtarian on g-chat for some help; naturally I turned to her since she’s a beer aficionado. After some brainstorming, we landed the concept of a a beer-based BBQ marinade. Thanks for the help Holly!

Last night, New Belgium Beer BBQ Tofu (and it’s step-sister New Belgium Beer BBQ Chicken) was born. And it was delicious.

New Belgium Beer BBQ Tofu

Serves 2

• 1/3 cup pre-made BBQ sauce (I used a local brand that I found at Whole Food)
• ~1/3 bottle New Belgium Somersault beer (I poured it out until I’d emptied it to the top of the label)
• 1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 – 1/2 t fresh ginger, grated (to taste)
• 1 block extra-firm tofu

1.  Cut tofu into 1/2” slices, wrap in a towel, and press for at least 30 minutes to remove excess liquid.  I used three cookbooks as my press since I don’t have a fancy Tofu Xpress. You wanna know what’s ironic about this picture? You see one of the all-time best bread baking books (The Bread Baker’s Apprentice)…and then there’s a bread machine pan in the background on the left. heh heh. I used a bread machine for the very first time in my life this past week. I was worried I  would get disowned.

2. Combine all marinade ingredients and mix well. Taste it and adjust as you’d like. Like most marinades, it’s very open to interpretation.

3. Marinate your tofu for at least an hour.

I’m convinced there is absolutely no way to take a picture of something marinating that looks appetizing.

This angle is no good either.

What if I put a cute Boxer in there (even if it’s a Boxer bum)? I think that’s slightly better.

4. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat and spritz generously with non-stick spray. Remove the tofu from the marinade and cook until brown and slightly crispy, 5-7 minutes each side. Before you flip it in the pan, spritz the tofu with non-stick spray again for extra crispiness.

5. It might not look appetizing while marinating, but I think the end result looks—and more importantly tastes—pretty darn good.

What food do you always struggle to photograph well?

Tagged as: recipes, tofu, vegetarian