Whatcha Smokin’?
Photo � 2006 by Dennis Crall. Click for larger version.
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“Do you want to smoke something today?”
“Sure. Remember when we smoked stuff last weekend?”
(Giggles all around.)
“We smoked so much the whole neighborhood smelled like it. It’s amazing nobody called the cops. Even the dog across the street was acting like he wanted it.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get the smell out of my hair.”
“Mmm…I’m hungry.”
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Conversations like that happen a couple of times a month around my house. The good news is that once you’re done smoking, you don’t have an overwhelming craving for Cheetos. Rather, you have an overwhelming craving for the delicious items emerging from your smoker.
Aside from being terribly amused by our own wit, my husband and I really do enjoy using the smoker. You do need to devote an entire afternoon for it; depending on the heat of the coals and the size of your food items, it can take from a couple of hours to the good part of a day to get things cooked to temperature. You can’t get it going, leave for the day, and expect to come home to a perfect meal (a la Crockpot cooking); it needs to be frequently tended, to make sure the temperature is in the safe range and that the food hasn’t overcooked, and that your fire hasn’t gotten out of control and burned down your own home or those of your neighbors.
The most important piece of hardware, of course, is the smoker itself. There are many types on the market, but they all operate on the same principle: charcoal provides the fire, wood chunks provide the smoke, and liquid provides moisture and additional flavor elements. You can get a good one in the $100-$200 USD range; as with any such apparatus, very high- and very low-end models exist. If you’re a beginning smoker, I recommend getting a mid-range one and a remote-display thermometer.
This item is arguably as important as the smoker itself. Afterall, fancy equipment is nice, but people have been cooking well as long as there has been contained fire. Keeping an eye on temperature during the entire cooking process is what matters most, no matter what other hardware you have. So many factors can influence the way the food comes out: the amount of charcoal you use, the amount of airflow, the size, compactness, and starting temperature of your food item. Temperature is the best gauge for doneness, and a remote display thermometer means you don’t have to keep opening the lid to prod your food. That’s a better indicator than the needle on the outside of the smoker; our first smoking experiencing was mildly disastrous, because we were worried that the needle was dipping too low, so we added charcoal. The ribs ended up a lot like charcoal, too. Since we started using the thermometer, things have been much less carcinogenic.
Another important element is the smoking liquid. Along with wood chunks, ingredients in the liquid create a flavorful smoke that permeates the food. I like to keep some cheap beer around the house for smoking occasions; other good additions are fruit juices, onions, apple chunks, peppercorns, garlic, and cloves. Any aromatics you have around would be good choices; fennel bulbs, leeks, shallots, and bay leaves lend subtle characteristics.
After all this prep work, presumably you want to actually smoke something. Classic smoked foods include poultry, all kinds of pork products (especially the ever-popular ribs), and beef roasts. Those are all delicious, but keep in mind that you can smoke a lot of other things too. Your smoker may come with various racks; if that’s the case, you can put vegetables like potatoes, yams, carrots, and onions on a higher rack while you do your meat items on lower racks. The Spanish swear by smoked paprika, and I haven’t been brave enough to try it yet (I’m afraid the moisture would make it clumpy), but it may be next on my list.
Once the food is smoked, you’ll probably find yourself with a fridge full of leftovers. After all, it takes about the same amount of effort to smoke a single potato as it does two chickens, a rack of ribs, some sausage links, and four pounds of turnips. Why not? After you’ve enjoyed your smoky dinner, wrap up your extras and use them for the next week.
Leftover smoked chicken and sausage are great in jambalaya, as well as being nice additions to any legume-based dish, such as lentil soup or chili. Adding smoked chicken or vegetable bits can even evoke memories of pork, which is handy for people who prefer not to eat pork but enjoy its flavor.
Certain smoked items require cold smoking, such as salmon and some cheeses, and a home charcoal smoker is probably not the right choice for that task. I can just see the gooey mess in the drip tray if I tried to smoke some nice mozzarella.
Cheetos, on the other hand, could probably take the heat. Pot-heads, rejoice!
