Sweet Ham
Deli Slices

Let’s make this homemade vegan Sweet Ham deli meat that is salty and smoky with a texture that is flexible yet firm, and has a lovely “bite” to it.

Wet ingredients:
—2 tbs agave
—1 tbs sugar/brown sugar
—1 tablespoon liquid smoke
—1 tbs smoked salt
—1 tbs MSG/mushroom powder
—1/2 tsp onion powder
—1 tbs Dijon msutard
—1 tbs yellow mustard
—1 tbs baking powder
—1/2 cup vegan yogurt (plain)
—1/8 cup beetroot powder/a small chunk of a beet/a few drops of red food dye
—1 15.5 oz can of chickpeas with the liquid

Dry ingredients:
—2 cups vital wheat gluten (VWG)

(Optional ingredient:
—1-2 tbs vegan butter or coconut oil)

Instructions:
1. Add all the wet ingredients to a food processor (or blender if you do not have a processor) and process until the chickpeas have liquified.
2. Add 2 cups of vital wheat gluten (VWG) to the wet mixture and process until it comes together, or you can knead this by hand for 5-10 min.
3. Text the texture. It should be stretchy and saturated, and you should see gluten strands forming.
4. Rest the dough for 30 min.
5. Form the dough into a long, snake-like strand by stretching and rolling it.
6. Starting at the center of the strand, form a knot. (Optional: add vegan butter or coconut oil into the folds of the dough.) Knot the dough again. (Optional: add more vegan butter or coconut oil to the new folds.) Tuck the ends of the dough in to form a roast. (If fat was added, then let it rest for 30 min to I hour.)
7. Sear the roast on high in hot oil on all sides to help preserve the color of the roast. Let the roast cool. If using food coloring, you can skip this step.
8. Add the roast to a ham press or wrap it tightly in cheesecloth.
9. Pressure cook on high for one hour with one cup of water. If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can wrap the roast in foil and steam it or bake it instead.
10. Once cooked, let the roast cool and then cover and refrigerate it for 24 hours.
11. Sear the outside of the roast to create a uniform crust. (Optional: coat the roast in agave or maple syrup and cook it in to the crust for extra sweetness.)
12. Once cooled, slice the ham to your desired level of thickness.
13. Enjoy!