From the Chef
Still smokin’ by Rob Thomas
I
t’s time to slow things down a bit. I mean low and slow–it’s time to make that charcoal grill into a smoker. Why? Because you want whatever comes off your grill to be tender, juicy and with a flavour that will have your taste buds dancing. A smoker contains heat and keeps a temperature low enough to slow cook meats (200°F to 250°F). While a smoker works best, even your charcoal grill can be used as a smoker and Chef Rob is going to tell you how to do it. The first thing you need is patience…
You will also need:
Charcoal, an oven thermometer, hardwood (such as oak), sweet wood branches or chips (apple wood, cherry wood, peachwood, hickory, maple… the list goes on.) The sweet wood chips should be soaked in water before you use them. Start with: a small pile of charcoal. Get it lit and let it turn white hot. Then spread the coals out evenly, add a few pieces of hardwood and get them burning. Once the hardwood has caught a flame and is burning down to embers, add some sweet wood and put the grill on top, with your meat of choice. Now close the lid. (Don’t add all the sweet wood–add it in increments every 45 min to 1 hour).
It’s time to start smoking…
Controlling airflow is key, so you must make sure your smoker is well vented. Too much smoke will put out the fire. If you don’t have a vent, you will have to do it manually. Keep the lid closed, opening it a tiny bit every so often to let some air in and some smoke out. Also, watch that temperature–if it gets too hot you may want to let some heat out. Practice makes perfect, so have fun while you work on the process. It’s important to start off with smaller pieces of meat before moving on to larger pieces. The larger pieces take a bit more patience and practice. I’ve decided to start you off with a recipe for barbecue chicken. Let the smoking begin!
18
Summer 2011
Chicken marinade 1/2 cup apple juice 6 tsp soy sauce 1/4 cup honey 1 Tbsp minced garlic 1 Tbsp minced ginger 1/4 cup dark rum 3 lbs chicken pieces
Combine all ingredients and marinate in the fridge overnight. Once marinated, pat the chicken dry using paper towels. Once your smoker has reached 250˚F, place the chicken on the grill with the pieces about 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart. Cover and cook 45 min to 1 hour until cooked through. About 3/4 into the process, start basting with sauce (recipe below).
Smokin’ barbecue sauce 2 cups ketchup 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 cup molasses 3 Tbsp grated fresh ginger 3 Tbsp brown sugar 1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic 2 tsp cayenne pepper 2 Tbsp lemon juice 2 tsp salt
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to simmer on medium heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Set aside. When the chicken is about 3/4 cooked, start basting with the sauce. dishmagazine.ca