Yes, this can be made a day ahead. Go easy on the sauce and add more when you reheat. Hope it’s a hit!

Apologies for my very slow response!! You can leave out the liquid smoke, but it will definitely impact the flavor. For me, I love smokey flavor so when I’m imitating meat recipes, I’m normally really looking for the smokiness one would have if they were making BBQ pulled pork or chicken (well, I’ve never actually had those, but the smokiness I imagine is there :)). If you want more subtle smokiness, you could add a few shakes of smoked paprika towards the end of cooking. Here is the BBQ sauce recipe I used when making this. I did also use liquid smoke in that. Liquid smoke is relatively inexpensive, can be found in most grocery stores, and is normally accidentally vegan — it’s made by collecting condensation created from burning wood chips. I highly recommend giving it a try, but I know the frustration of buying an ingredient you think you’ll only use one time 🙂

Thanks for the info. I wouldn’t have thought about the waffle either, but had went to a food truck with a waffle and pulled pork, it was sweet and savory, and delicious! I recommend it!

Oops! Forgot that info. This made about 4 cups for me, and I beleive the calorie count is if you split into 8 servings. Glad you liked it — i never wouldve thought to put this on a waffle.

Thanks, Gretchen. It was ridiculously amazing combo, hope you try it!