BBQ Soy Curls

BBQ Soy Curls Sandwiches are one of the best ways to enjoy a Vegan Pulled Pork Sandwich! Insanely flavorful with a perfectly chewy texture!

My Soy Curl Chicken is one of my most popular recipes, and I love a BBQ Soy Curl Sandwich. So I thought it behooved me to make a whole post for this amazing sandwich! Fairly easy to make, and perfect for meal planning or bringing to a BBQ to impress vegans and non-vegans alike!

what are soy curls?

While Soy Curls are a specific product, the concept behind them is not new. It’s essentially just dehydrated soy, that’s it!

TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) is a similar product, and there are variations of it around the world. Sometimes they are called Soya Chunks too.

The ones I use are made by Butler Foods. You can get it directly from them or on Amazon. But I suggest getting them direct from Butler Foods as it’s way cheaper. This post isn’t sponsored by the way, I just love Soy Curls!

INGREDIENTS FOR BBQ Soy Curls

Besides Soy Curls, we just need some BBQ Sauce, Buns, and whatever toppings you like! We also need to make a marinade to infuse the Soy Curls with a lot of flavor before we even get the BBQ Sauce on there!

seasonings / marinade

For the seasoning and marinade, we are packing a lot of UMAMI with a variety of sources.

• Vegan Chicken Broth – or use Veggie Broth!
• Vegan Mayo – Soy Curls have no fat, so this will help them not only taste better, but we’ll get a nice sear on them too. You can also sub for Vegan Yogurt if you like.
• Olive or Neutral Oil – Same reason as the Vegan Mayo, this will provide some much needed fat and flavor!
• Miso Paste & Nutritional Yeast – For UMAMI!
• Garlic and Onion Powder – Because they taste good with Chicken!
• Thyme and Parsley – Again, this will help reinforce the “Chicken” flavor.
• Lemon Juice – We’ll need some acid to cut through the fat and savory flavors. You can also use Vinegar.

how to make BBQ soy curlS

This couldn’t be easier! First rehydrate the soy curls in some vegan chicken broth or veggie broth for about 10 minutes.

While the soy curls rehydrate, make the marinade by combining all the ingredients.

Drain and squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the rehydrated soy curls.

Pour over the marinade and toss to coat.

Cook them over medium heat. Don’t crowd the pan. Let them sit undisturbed for 3 – 4 minutes and flip. You should get some nice browning.

Taste and adjust for seasoning, then season with some BBQ Rub, and slather with some BBQ Sauce.

Toast your buns, and serve with whatever you like! Coleslaw, Vegan Mayo, Pickled Onions are all good choices! Or serve it on a full tray with some Mac n’ Cheese too!

tips for cooking soy curls

• Rehydrate the soy curls for at least 10 – 15 minutes. I have found that using cold, warm or hot water doesn’t make a noticeable difference.
• Using broth will infuse a light amount of flavor into the soy curls. This is good for something milder in flavor like chicken. However for something like a Soy Curl Beef, I find that reducing them down in broth will render them even more flavorful.
• No matter what you hydrate them in, you’ll want to SQUEEZE out as much of that liquid as possible.
• You can also further dry them out by toasting them in a dry pan to cook out even more of the moisture. This should help remove the aftertaste as well as any mushiness. It should yield a chewy soy curl that’s still juicy.

Storage

Store any leftovers in the fridge and eat within 3 – 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. If freezing, let them cool down completely before adding to a freezer safe container.