Question: I would like to make [naked fatties on the barbeque](http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog/recipes/sausage-recipe-smoking-fatties/) this weekend, but want to accomodate some vegan friends (and my on/off lacto-ovo wife). I can easily swap regular pork breakfast sausage for [Gimme Lean](http://www.lightlife.com/product_detail.jsp?p=gimmeleansausage), some other brand, or [homemade](http://www.food.com/recipe/vegan-breakfast-sausage-437126). Ideally, I would like to have a hearty protein/nutritional medium at the end that is full of smoky flavor and could be used in other dishes too (i.e. chili, soup, casseroles).

I have lingering questions though:

* Which brand (if I go with store bought, as I don't really see trying homemade breakfast sausage out for the first time as part of a meal for others) works the best? Not necessarily the 'meatiest'; which holds its texture and flavor through the cooking process without either breaking down? (Particularly with respect to long cooking, i.e. through smoking)
* Would this work better with a quinoa chub instead of the vegan breakfast sausage? Or would the chub end up inedible? (Don't answer that if you think quinoa is already inedible.)
* The recipe calls for using 1 lb sausage chubs (whole) with "indirect heat at 250 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, which will take about an hour"; how should I adjust cooking temps/times to account for it not being actual meat? (since veggie burgers, links, etc "cook" much faster than their meat counterparts.)
* How can I ensure the range of effect in terms of the cooking process (smoking) imparting flavor is best preserved?

Answer: 
I've never tried [this recipe](http://aveganfordinner.blogspot.com/2008/11/soy-free-vegan-breakfast-sausage.html), but based on the herbs it looks like it would give a good imitation of a sausage flavor.

When I lived in the US I remember [Boca Burger](http://www.bocaburger.com/) and [Morning Star Farms](http://www.morningstarfarms.com/products_veggie-sausage-links.aspx) having pretty good sausage links, but unfortunately it looks like they contain whey and egg which I believe would not be vegan.

I've never tried them, but [Linda McCartney Foods](http://www.lindamccartneyfoods.co.uk/sausages.php) has a sausage they claim is vegan. 

Since sausage is mostly about the herbs, texture, and fat content, you can get pretty close with a suitably textured vegetable protein along with the right herbs and spices. Look primarily for sage along with possibly garlic, parsley, rosemary, and thyme.

[This article](http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/11/vegan-sausages-take-over-the-world/) with a collection of recipes could also be interesting.
There is **no such thing** as a vegan substitute for pork. You can make something that will be roughly the same shape and color, but it won't taste anything remotely like it, so don't even bother.

There are many delicious vegan foods that don't pretend to be something they're not. Here's one idea:

Take cooked black beans, rinse and drain well. Toss with halved cherry tomatoes, red onion, parsley, olive oil and lime juice. Add fresh chilies if you're so inclined. (This will be served cold.)

Make a plain bread dough (flour, water, yeast, salt). Let it rise for an hour. (Or, skip the preceding steps and buy some raw pizza dough at the store). Divide into small pieces, roll them out flat, grill on medium heat for a couple minutes per side. (They won't stick, I promise.)

After grilling the bread, grill some vegetables. Eggplant does well on the grill, so do zucchini, peppers and mushrooms. Top with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (I like to put the oil on after grilling, so it doesn't flare up).