Folami’s BBQ Tofu Recipe (2024)

Just saying I'm a regular tofu cook & FIRMLY suggest when ever cooking tofu 1st. & foremost freeze it in the tub till frozen through & when you want to do this or most any other recipe, place in fridge for a day or 2 till thawed! Poke hole in plastic, drain then cut plastic off. Press w'hand in container tp squeeze out water, then slice into half & press between each hand. Freezing changes the texture, making it somewhat 'meat like' and when pressed it absorbs other liquids that add flavor.

PS....I ran out of room above...it also helps to avoid the nuisance of 'short-dated' tofu...keeps in freezer for forever but always there when you want it! No more finding it long past it's date in back of 'fridge!

You can also get a lot of the water out of a block of tofu by microwaving it for 5 minutes on high. This was a game-changer for me. If you use a large pyrex measuring cup, it's easy to pour the liquid off. Be careful not to handle the tofu right out the the microwave, though. It will be screaming hot, but cools down fairly quickly. Once cool, toss in whatever marinade you're using. I find it is able to take up the marinade well since so much water has been removed.

I disagree with comment about freezing, as a 40-year veteran of tofu cookery and now maker of homemade tofu. Freezing creates a spongey texture, and if you like that, fine. I find it less flavorful and unpleasant -- mealy even, and know the description in the recipe will work just fine to create a firm and crisped morsel. (Other methods of drying and frying, of course, but this one just fine.)

I cook tofu often, usually baking it. While freezing it does make the texture more spongy, I also enjoy firm tofu that has been well pressed and then cooked, the outside crispy while the inside is creamy. Try both and see what you like best.

I've been making this for about 40 years. I just slice the tofu, drain it on a towel for a while and put it in a slightly oiled 9 by 13" oven pan. I brush barbecue sauce over top and then flip over and brush on some more. Bake it in a medium oven and add more barbecue sauce as needed. Bake until somewhat dry and chewy. It makes delicious sandwiches.

We accidentally doubled the barbecue sauce (my husband’s sauce), and we absolutely loved it! One substitution, soy sauce for tamari because that’s what we had.We dried the extra firm tofu for about three hours. With the crispy edges and the caramelized sauce, it reminded my daughter—only recently a vegan—of grilled ribs. The recipe instructions worked perfectly, although we might continue to double the bbq sauce. I highly recommend this recipe!

You can get a lot of the water out of a block of tofu by microwaving it for 5 minutes on high. If you use a large Pyrex measuring cup, it's easy to pour the liquid off. Be careful not to handle the tofu right out the the microwave, it will be screaming hot, but cools down fairly quickly. Once cool, toss in whatever marinade you're using.

Delicious made exactly according to the recipe. I've also had excellent luck baking: press tofu thoroughly and also dry with paper towels; cut into slices and soak in tamari per recipe; melt and whisk together about half the stated amounts of butter and oil; brush tofu with melted oils; bake tofu at high heat on foil lined tray in toaster oven, turning once or twice. Toss in BBQ sauce and broil (again, my toaster oven works for this).

The instruction to "place in fridge for a day or 2 till thawed" is spot on. I was amazed the first time I froze tofu how long it took to thaw!

Grandmadoc- Can you elaborate? Tortilla press for ricotta, etc has piqued my curiosity. I use a tofu press that has saved rolls and rolls of paper towel. As for the recipe, I have prepared tofu this way many times and it’s great. You can also hold off on the last step if you want to prep a batch to use as needed on sandwiches, etc. Just keep it in the fridge in the sauce.

There's nothing quite like crispy on the outside melting on the inside tofu!

As with nearly every recipe ever written, it seems to take my skillet longer to crisp than the given guidance. Here, where 2 to 3 minutes is the guide, it took 4 to 5 minutes each side (on a piping hot skillet surface, mind!) to achieve suitable crackle/crunch. THAT SAID...everything else about this recipe is solid gold and I cannot thank the author enough for sharing this wonderment.

I got excited about trying this, but what - no barbecue sauce? Used hoisin sauce with a little vinegar added and paired it with a stir fry. Delicious.

can we have the recipe for the home made bbq sauce?

I've already commented on this recipe but am back to highly recommend using the NYT Gochujang BBQ Sauce recipe for it. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023188-gochujang-bbq-sauceA mainstay in my veggie family (omit bacon from BBQ sauce recipe). Always a big hit as the vegan/veggie option at a gathering where others are having meat-based barbecue. Serve with coleslaw and buns.

I made this (with all intents and purposes) exactly as written and it was good. Two things I’ll note for the future: err on the thinner side of tofu slices and give each slice a little more than a quick dip in the tamari. The pieces that rested longer in the tamari (a couple of minutes) were outstanding while the rest were simply okay. The underlying salty/umami flavor of the tamari is what makes this dish stand out from other “tofu with bbq sauce” dishes.

great recipe. marinated tofu in soy sauce (low sodium) overnight and only used 1/4 c. bbq sauce and it was plenty sweet. will definitely make again!

I make barbecue tofu but cube the tofu first. It's wonderful with arugula and a mustard dressing for salad. Happy to see this recipe here! This takes my version up a notch.

Another way of doing prep is to drain. Slice into three layers and then into 4 ribs across.Freeze in container overnight. Quick thaw with cold water. The texture will be very chewy. Proceed with saute. Toss in BBQ sauce before final broil or air fry.

Instead of using paper towels to absorb liquid when I am pressing the tofu, I use a series of clean terry hand towels. Super absorbent and easy to toss towels n the wash afterwards.

Bought fried tofu from an Asian market—did not need any squeezing or frying and made this dish really easy.

I did not see the microwave trick for drying so I am using the paper towel method. I am on my 4th change of paper towels as the Tofu is still given out liquid. So I would say more paper towels needed than called for in the recipe. Using extra firm Tofu as instructed.

Great with pasta, such as udon

Double paper towelsMicrowave 5 minutes Slice and lay out on double paper towels and press

Microwave 5 minute in double paper towelsSlice and place on double paper towels and pressLet sit for couple of hoursChange towels and press again

After cutting into a few large pieces, I microwave tofu two minutes to remove water, wrapping in a white cotton dish towel (I keep a few just for food handling like covering rising dough or wrapping prepped veggies to place in a ziplock bag, dampened). The towel absorbs the water, and the tofu is ready to fry. I cube and toss with a little brown rice flour or cornstarch first.

I usually freeze the tofu and then leave it out in the fridge. Doing so makes it easier to expel water out of it.

My hope was that this would somehow transcend tofu slathered in BBQ sauce, but nope, that's what it tasted like.

Love this - started with smoked tofu and got all moisture out. Used low sodium soy instead a tamarind. Used low sugar bbq sauce. Really gets at the crispy, chewy taste of real meat bbq!