Smoke 'Em if You Got 'Em

By Genevieve Rajewski

Ah, what a leap of daring (and potential Fail Blog entry) it seemed to buy Nate, the charcoal-grilling fiend, a Gourmet Mini Smoker for Christmas.

How could such a silly-sounding device ever deliver real smoke flavor?

However, recently, a board member (and apparent Wicked Tasty Harvest reader) told me that he had enjoyed reading about our turkey-cooking adventure—and that he, too, had found it easier than expected to over-smoke food.

The conversation centered on commiseration, not revelation, until he dropped the bomb that he had over-smoked food using his stovetop smoker. Apparently, he uses his all the time with great success. (In fact, tonight, he and his wife are kicking off dinner with a smoked cauliflower and chestnut soup!)

So I went ahead and gave one to Nate as a gift. We hoped to try it out the next day to smoke bluefish, which is delicious but cooks so quickly it seems hardly worth all the effort to fire up the grill. New Deal Fish Market in Cambridge didn’t have any bluefish that day, but the excellent staff pointed us toward sustainable Spanish mackerel. (For the verdict, sneak a peek at my story in tomorrow’s Boston Globe.)

The mini-smoker is just the right size for many of Chestnut Farms' lean cuts of meat. This past Sunday, we used it to cook two pork chops in 20 minutes. They tasted great; however, next time, I’d cook them for maybe 15 minutes as the chops were well-done and we prefer them medium-rare.

We also are looking forward to trying the smoker out on numerous winter vegetables, cheeses and sea salt...though not all at the same time. 

Photo courtesy of Camerons Professional Cookware.

Comments

[Cynthia Graber]

I now SO want one of these, after reading this and BG article! I may have to put it on my wish list. Smoked potatoes. Smoked fish. Smoked greens. Am drooling.

[April Paffrath]

Must get one. I can just imagine smoked cauliflower and eggplant. Imagine the gorgeous Indian food to be made!