What changes should I make to accomodate vegan naked fatties?
So yesterday I tried out the experiment. I made the naked fatty per the normal recipe, and using the gimme lean breakfast sausage. The two primary concerns I had were (a) to ensure the sausage didn't come apart during the smoking process and (b) to ensure a good amount of smokiness was imparted. 


With respect to (a), the heat I
worried might denature the exterior
sausage bits, so I rubbed my hands,
cutting board, grill grate, and the
sausage with some canola oil. The
hope was to try to have a protectant
layer on the outside that would be
hydrophobic, and reduce stickiness.
With respect to (b), I assumed the
smoke from the charcoal would
sufficiently suffuse the pork
sausage, but was concerned about the
vegan one. To create more smoke I
roasted peppers and tomatillos for
the latter half of the cooking
process.


Results: Both ended up smoky and nicely textured. Neither was on the verge of crumbly bits, but rather tender on the inside and nicely glazed on the outside. The "meats" were very smoky, very well flavored (the rub was great, but my vegan bbq sauce from scratch not so good). When I incorporated it into chili I quartered the chubs lengthwise and put a quick sear on each edge. They were good short term, not so good long-term and became pretty soft and the flavor dimished. Next time I may try rolling it flat and smoking it that way so it can just be crumbled. 

Takeaway: Smoking vegan sausage pulls out some really good stuff. Obviously it's not pork sausage, but it is a tasty meat substitute and smoking it is worth the effort. It doesn't take well yet to stock; further searing/cooking might be required.