Smoked BBQ Tofu With Steamed Broccoli and Smoked Acorn Squash.

Behold: The smoker’s maiden voyage for Fall 2013!

This day has been a long time coming; the season has been filled with false starts so far, Sundays when we’ve elected to grill instead, when we’ve been rained out, or when we’ve not been home!  But today, as the temperature dropped from a high of about 65 at noon to the mid-50s by tonight (dropping further to the 30s by bedtime!), the smoker’s time had come at last.  And so, armed with all new accessories – a freshly minted water bowl, charcoal bowl, and grill grates – I added 6.5 pounds of charcoal and fired it on up!

As the coals began to softly simmer, I got to work on food prep.  First, I washed and split open an acorn squash, scooping out the seeds and rubbing the flesh with olive oil before wrapping each half in aluminum foil.  When I smoke winter squash, I always poke some holes in the foil to allow the smokiness to permeate the flesh, which is sort of the point of using the smoker, don’t you think?

Once the coals were heated up and the lighter fluid had burned off, I put the squash cut-side down on the lowest grill grate and closed the lid.  After 30 minutes or so, I added the tofu slices, which had been marinating in a honey barbecue sauce since late morning, onto the higher grate.  A little extra water in the water bowl and everything was primed to cook for another 75 minutes or so.

When I had just a few minutes left in the cooking time, I steamed a bag of broccoli florets in the microwave and poured the piping-hot contents into a serving bowl, garnishing the veggies with some Cajun seasoning (and, once I spooned some onto my plate, nutritional yeast – I love that stuff).  Then it was time for the piece de resistance – the buns we had earmarked for tonight’s sandwiches!

Our friend Jen graced us with some delicious pretzel rolls yesterday, and all day I’ve been eyeing the leftovers, which were sitting innocently in a zip-top bag on our kitchen table.  We knew they’d be great as bookends for our tofu sandwiches, and let me tell you, they didn’t disappoint!  Light and airy but also sturdy and salty, they were perfect – both yesterday, all by themselves, and today, as the true star of the sandwich show.

With everything ready, LeeLee and I removed the tofu from the smoker and, soon after, the squash, unwrapping each squash half to let some of the steam escape.  The tofu was right at home atop the pretzel rolls, and the squash was perfectly tender – and almost dessert-like – garnished with a pat of butter, some sprinkled cinnamon, and a drizzle of honey.  Pair the dinner with a Christmas ale and you’ve got an autumn cookout that can’t be beat!

In recessionista fashion, we’ve got enough tofu leftovers (and one last lone pretzel roll) to be an excellent lunch tomorrow, plus I smoked some extra squash halves to pair with it.  Who will be the lucky recipient of such an excellent lunch?  We shall see!

:)