Vegan Smoked Turk’y Roast

Earlier this month, I got a new toy: A Weber Smokey Mountain charcoal smoker. Our previous one, a trusty stainless-steel Brinkmann Smoke n Grill we found in like-new condition on the curb one trash day, had carried us through the past decade or so with wonderful service, but over the past few years it had been harder and harder to find supplies and accessories for it. Apparently Brinkmann has gone out of business, and with it, replacement parts began to dwindle. Finally this year I could find no new way to use a makeshift charcoal or water bath bowl, and I knew the time had come to part company. Back to the curb it went for trash day, and – lo and behold! – away it went before the garbage truck arrived, jetting off to its third home. Fare thee well, little smoker.

And hellooooo, Weber!

The very day I put it together, I began putting it through its paces. That first smoke was definitely a learning experience – the veggie-shrimp and baked potatoes I put on were tasty, but the heat ran out three-quarters of the way through the smoke, a testament to too few coals. I corrected that mistake for Smoke 2 the next week and – oh! – what a wonderful thing!

On the smoker that go-round? A big old “roast beast” from the Very Good Butchers, whose plant-based meats I’ve enjoyed for a while now. About the size of a turkey breast, running maybe four pounds or so, it was a perfect candidate for the smoky goodness of the Weber, now named Foxcroft (don’t ask). I was more than ready to put the ol’ beast on and see what it could do.

First, I braised the meat (it’s veggie-meat, of course, but I’m tired of writing that, so we’ll just go with “meat” from now on here) with about a cup of vegetable broth, rubbing the broth all over the skin and tossing the beast lightly in the liquid to make sure all sides were covered. Then I ground a little salt and pepper and rubbed it all over as well. As the Very Good Butchers have already done a masterful job of seasoning the inside of the roast beast, my seasoning on the outside was quite light. (I could see adding Cajun seasoning or Old Bay or some such if you’re into that sort of thing, which we are, but did not add on this maiden voyage.) 

Then it was time to prepare the Weber (er, Foxcroft). I heated it up to about 300 degrees and plunked the roast right on the bottom grate, then put the lid back on and watched the heat rise again. Overall it kept an average of 300 to 325 – just about perfect! 

I resisted the urge to peek in on it as it smoked, opening the lid only once about halfway through to add on some side items to the top grate (acorn squash halves, if you must know!). After about two and a half hours, I pulled both it and the squash off and let the meat rest awhile as I finished preparing the spread. By the time the rest of the meal was ready, so was the roast beast!

The verdict? Smoky succulence! What a wonderful way to get it right, my second time out, on the smoker. The skin was permeated with the flavor of cherry wood, the interior was piping-hot and bursting with flavor, and the richness of the slow-cooked protein really sang. It was the perfect centerpiece to a gloriously autumnal meal (mac and cheese and the aforementioned acorn squash rounded out the proceedings) – and I’ll certainly make it again! For Thanksgiving? We’ll see … !

Recipe below.

Print