Lesson no 8
There are times when barbecuing outdoors isn’t an option, due to weather or to lack of time, equipment, or location (e.g., a city apartment). While you can’t really barbecue meat (fish is another story; see the recipe on page 125) indoors, you can infuse almost anything with the flavor of wood smoke by buying a stovetop smoker or fashioning your own. If I’m craving some barbecue chicken in the dead of winter, say, I’ll roast a whole bird in the oven, then finish it in a stovetop smoker for 15 minutes or so. The same works for ribs, pork shoulder, and any other meat you typically associate with barbecue.
Stovetop smoking also opens up new flavor possibilities: in addition to wood chips, you can use most of the spices in your kitchen or loose-leaf tea to infuse the meat. While the smoky flavor won’t infuse as deeply as a long spell in a dedicated smoker, it’s the closest you can get to real ’cue in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Setup
There are several decent stovetop smokers on the market. Camerons makes the most popular of these; it looks like a roasting pan with a tight-fitting lid and it costs around $50.
If you don’t want yet another piece of equipment clogging up your kitchen, you can easily fashion your own smoker using a baking pan or a deep wok. Place the aromatics (see below) on the bottom of the pan and set a wire baking rack on top. Arrange the food on top of the rack and set the pan over medium heat. When the first wisps of smoke appear, cover the pan tightly with a lid or aluminum foil. If your stove has an exhaust fan, you should definitely turn it on, though there’s no way to prevent your kitchen from smelling at least a little like a smokehouse (which can be quite pleasant).
Choose aromatics for stovetop smoking as you would spices for a dry rub, blending ingredients based on your personal preferences and the flavor profile you want to infuse into the food. Wood chips will offer up the same flavors as chunks and logs (see types of wood and their flavors), and smoking with tea evokes Asian cuisine. I often use a combination of both chips and tea, along with some dried spices and herbs.
Wood Chips
Use the smallest wood chips you can find; they will smolder more readily than larger pieces. Always soak the chips for 30 minutes beforehand, and then wrap them in a foil packet according to the directions on page 49 (if burned directly on the surface of the pan, they can scorch and stain your cookware). Wood pellets, designed for pellet smokers and grills, are also great for stovetop smoking, and they don’t need to be soaked.
Tea
Tea-smoking is common in certain Asian cuisines. You can use any fragrant tea; I like jasmine tea for more delicate foods (like white-fleshed fish) and more assertive teas—such as black and Lapsang souchong—with oily fish, chicken, and meats. Use loose-leaf tea, which burns more readily than powdered tea.
Other Ingredients
You can smoke with whole spices, such as peppercorns, allspice, and juniper berries, as well as with dried herbs, dried citrus peel, or even rice. These can be used on their own, but I’ve found that they’re best used in concert with wood chips or tea, which will provide a good, evenly smoldering base that you bolster with the other aromatics.
I’m an absolute hot dog fanatic. It’s probably due to my New Jersey upbringing—the state is home to some of the country’s best roadside hot dog stands.
Most hot dog aficionados prefer the juicy snap of a dog in a natural casing. I do as well, but when smoking or grilling hot dogs—or, as in this case, both—I go for skinless, which allow the meat to absorb more of the smoky flavor. A quick stovetop smoke is an excellent way to add some complexity to any old dog, and finishing it on the grill crisps it up. I like to grill mine until they’re very blistered and just beginning to burst.
As far as condiments and garnishes go, who am I to tell you how to eat your hot dog? You know how you like it.
Makes 8 hot dogs
8 skinless hot dogs
8 hot dog buns, split
Assorted toppings and condiments
Soaked oak or fruit wood chips
1 Prepare a wood chip packet using soaked oak or fruit wood chips. Place the packet in the bottom of an indoor smoker, baking pan, or wok. Set a wire rack over the chips and put the pan over medium heat. When the chips begin to smoke, arrange the hot dogs on the rack and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil. Turn off the heat and smoke the hot dogs for 10 minutes, then remove from the smoke.
2 Meanwhile, prepare a medium-hot single-layer fire in a grill (see page 149) or heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
3 Grill the hot dogs until charred to your liking (they’re already cooked through, so this step is purely for flavor).
4 Serve the hot dogs in the buns with your choice of toppings and condiments.
Smoked Mackerel with Herb Spread and Grilled Tomato Concassé
This is my ode to the quintessential New York breakfast: a spread of toasted bagels, cream cheese, and smoked fish. You can apply this smoking technique to any type of oily fish: salmon, trout, bluefish, and so on. I recommend smoking double the amount called for here and using the leftovers for a pâté or salad.
Makes 4 servings
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 bay leaves, crumbled
12 thyme sprigs, finely chopped
4 mackerel fillets (about 1 pound total)
2 hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, halved and very thinly sliced
1 cup Grilled Tomato Concassé
Toasted rye bread, for serving
Soaked oak or fruit wood chips
1 In a small bowl, combine the salt, sugar, pepper, bay leaves, and thyme and mix well. Put the mackerel fillets in a shallow dish and coat on both sides with the cure, packing it on well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2 Remove the mackerel from the cure and rinse under cold water, then pat dry with paper towels.
3 Prepare a wood chip packet using soaked oak or fruit wood chips. Place the packet in the bottom of an indoor smoker, baking pan, or wok. Set a wire rack over the chips and put the pan over medium heat. When the chips begin to smoke, arrange the mackerel, skin side down, on the rack and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil. Smoke the mackerel over low heat until the flesh is firm and beginning to brown around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the mackerel in the smoker, covered, for 10 minutes.
4 Remove the mackerel from the smoker and separate the flesh into large chunks; discard the skin. Arrange the mackerel on a platter, along with the hard-boiled eggs, shaved onion, herb spread, tomato concassé, and a stack of rye toast.
Makes 1 cup
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup crème fraîche
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a bowl, stir together the cream cheese and crème fraîche until blended. Stir in the chives, parsley, tarragon, and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The herb spread can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.
Makes about 1 cup
4 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling the tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ teaspoons sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon honey
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 Preheat a grill pan over high heat.
2 Rub the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, cut side down, turning once, until well charred on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Lower the heat and continue cooking the tomatoes, turning them once, until softened and collapsed, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool slightly.
3 Peel the tomatoes and chop the flesh until almost pureed. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the 1 teaspoon olive oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, and coriander. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The concassé can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.