Little Wieners
Yep, these are tiny little wieners to be proud of. No, not like that. Come on, y’all, my mom reads this blog!
Also known as little smokies or cocktail wieners, little wieners are basically miniature hot dogs, usually served in some sort of barbecue sauce, and intended to be eaten with toothpicks. (Because what’s more American than protein on a stick?)
I have a memory of my parents making these for a high school art reception that my brother was a part of. Although it would be a couple of years before I’d connect the dots about eating animals, I remember that night vividly because it was right after I’d started listening to punk, and one of my brother’s classmates made a video about the military with Anti-Flag’s newly released “Die for Your Government” as the soundtrack. So in the spirit of remembrance and renewal, and to remind everyone that you can veganize anything if you put your mind to it, I whipped up a batch of these for New Year’s Eve.
I started out by making a batch of hot dog-style seitan, which I formed into tiny links and steamed (the way Julie Hasson popularized — see more detailed directions here) and then smothered in sauce. The sauce I’ve included is very basic, but feel free to use my barbecue sauce recipe instead! You can also use this basic wiener recipe to make regular-sized vegan hot dogs, throw in some liquid smoke for little smokies, or wrap them with crescent rolls or vegan bacon (we’re all about decadence when it doesn’t come at the expense of human or nonhuman animals!).
Little Wieners
Wieners:
1 c + 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp salt
½ tsp mustard seed
¼ tsp dried marjoram
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 c cold water
¼ c onion, finely minced
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
1½ tsp corn syrup (or sugar)
aluminum foil
Sauce:
1 large onion, diced
3 tbsp vegan margarine
16 oz tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
½ c red wine vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp cloves
pinch of salt
First, prepare the wieners. In a medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients (wheat gluten through nutmeg). In a small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (onion through syrup). Add wet to dry and mix well; set aside for a few minutes while you set up your steamer and aluminum foil.
Knead dough a few times, then split into portions and form dough into long, thin ropes. Roll each rope in aluminum foil, and, starting at one end, twist the foil every two inches or so to create several small, individual links. This part will be a little messy and require a little fudging around; don’t worry about it too much! Once the water in your steamer has come to a boil, steam links for ~20 minutes.
Allow links to cool while you prepare the sauce. In a covered medium saucepan on very low heat, saute onions in margarine until soft and slightly carmelized, about 20 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil, and simmer with lid off until thickened.
Remove aluminum foil from links. Once mixture has reduced by about half, add links and stir to distribute sauce. Heat thoroughly and serve hot, with toothpicks.
Just try and tell me with a straight face that you don’t want to bring a dish to your next potluck with a little sign that says “Little Wieners >> over here!”
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Awesome, those look yummy!
These are brilliant! As soon as I can get my hands on some vital wheat gluten I’ll give this a try. Little vegan weiners sound yummy!
These sound awesome! Gotta make them soon. Happy new year!
superb idea! I can’t wait until my little boy is eating food like this. It’ll be a party!
[...] Think of these as the frou-frou version of my overnight breakfast casserole. Don’t worry; you don’t have to be a snob to enjoy them. These bite-sized treats have America’s favorite flavor combo (cheddar and bacon, duh!) with none of the cruelty. And they’re cute, too! They’d be perfect on an appetizer tray with a batch of little wieners. [...]