Tofu Jerky-Ode To Emily

My vegetarian friend's father makes this for her and it is delicious. It isn't supposed to taste like meat, but it is a good snack that you can take on the go. 

Tofu Jerky

1 pound extra firm tofu

1/2 cup soy sauce (I like the low sodium stuff because it's less salty.)
3 tablespoons liquid smoke
1/8 cup water
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove crushed fresh garlic

1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon honey

Directions:
Before cutting up make sure you squeeze out as much juice as you can, the more you squeeze out the more your marinade will soak in. I put the tofu in a cake pan or cookie sheet to hold the juice then I use a dinner plate on top of the tofu with a couple cans of fruit or something heavy. Let it sit for an hour or so. I use 2 containers of tofu to fill the dehydrator up most of the way. You can change the recipe by adding anything you like for flavor. 

Cut and drain the tofu. I usually take a 1 lb cube, cut it in half, and then slice it into strips on its short side. Strips should be about 4-5 mm in thickness. They may look big, but they'll shrink to about half their size. Mix all the marinade ingredients together well. Put the tofu in a single layer in a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet and pour the marinade over it. Let soak for several hours or overnight.

Drain excess liquid (and reuse!) and dry tofu in food dehydrator or warm (200 F) oven. This will take probably 4-8 hours, depending on weather. If you live in a sunny, dry climate (Colorado in the summer), you can sun dry it, it'll take all day. If you dry indoors in the winter, your house gets filled with a wonderful smoky smell. If you're drying in the oven, you'll need to flip the tofu over hourly so it dries evenly. The stuff is delicious and keeps indefinitely. Dry the stuff until it's very chewy, but not crispy.

serves/makes 1 lb