Thu 28 Jun 2018
Our Breakfast Pizza Pretzel served with Eggs!
Thu 10 May 2018
Our Wood Fired Leg of Lamb
Our wood fired leg of lamb, is charcoal grilled lamb over Charwood, which is directly fired lump charcoal or cooking wood chunks. Wood cooked Lamb using sugar maple hardwood has great flavor! Syrah wine, Garlic, Onion, mint leaves make up our fresh herb rub or grilled lamb marinade. Add this to your grilled lamb recipes
Lamb is one of those proteins that tend to be associated with special holidays and occasions rather than as a common animal protein to introduce to the grill. Let’s change that with this easy and highly flavorful way to add wood flavoring to cuts of lamb on the charcoal grill. Know this technique can easily be done on the gas grill as well so simply pick your equipment and follow the suggested technique to bring abundant flavor and juiciness to your favorite cut of lamb.
I’ll be doing a leg of lamb and rib loins of lamb on a charcoal grill using charcoal and wood chunks to bring the great smoke flavor.
Thu 26 Apr 2018
Our Charred Broccoli soup ingredients, in the pot and finished soup
Known as the mini tree, broccoli is part of the cruciferous vegetable family that includes cabbage, Brussels sprout, cauliflower, and kale to name a few. Broccoli is low in calories and packed with nutritional value including Vitamin K, C, folate, and potassium.
Although popular as a steamed or stir-fry vegetable, one of the great things when grilling broccoli is it doesn’t lose any nutritional value and you gain great flavor.
Thu 12 Apr 2018
We are doing our grilled tofu adding a BBQ flare recipe on a grill pan to hold the Tofu so we can add a natural smoky flavor!
When you’re ready for a non-animal protein, why not take tofu to the grill and infuse it with hickory wood smoke which is a perfect match to our spicy Hoisin sauce and marinade. Our 6-ingredient recipe will get you on the way to a perfect healthier alternative to traditional smoked and grilled proteins.
Thu 5 Apr 2018
Smoked Cabbage on the gas grill using SmokinLicious® filet wood chunk is a wonderful way to add flavor to the vegetable!
Bringing you another vegetable to take to the grill and smoke with wood for exceptional flavor. This time we focus on cabbage, a fiber-rich leafy vegetable that has been known to help with so many conditions. We will take wedges of cabbage, paint them with a spicy Dijon sauce and wood-fire them for about an hour using an indirect cooking method. Get your gas grill or charcoal grill ready for our version of smoked cabbage that you’ll want to make again and again.
Thu 29 Mar 2018
Wood-fired Smoked Beets before and in the offsetting smoking position on the gas grill with single filet wood chunks!
It likely is not the first pick from the root vegetable options but beets have a lot to offer. Not only do they offer health benefits that include potentially lowering blood pressure, reducing inflammation, and improving liver function, they are a naturally sweet item that can be added to salads, side dishes, and appetizers.
I’m going to give you a great recipe for a filled egg that is so much more flavorful and healthy than the traditional deviled egg. Plus, I’m taking it up a notch by wood firing the beets first on the gas grill using wood chunks. So, get to the store or farmers market and select your favorite beets. Then fire up the grill for an easy way to up the flavor on beets.
Thu 11 Jan 2018
Our finished beef short ribs after applying our techniques we describe in this blog
Of all the cuts of ribs, this is likely my favorite. Found between the 6th and the 10th ribs of the animal, the meat on these ribs lays on top of the bones rather than between them like with back ribs. Short ribs require a method of cooking that will allow them to tenderize as they have a lot more meat, fat, connective tissue and flavor than pork ribs. Because of all that fat and connective tissue, beef short ribs need to be cooked to an internal temperature of 200°F.
Today, I’m going to cook my beef short ribs on the gas grill using an indirect method of cooking and wood chunks to bring great smoke flavor.
Thu 4 Jan 2018
Smiling Burmese child before surgery for wide, bi-lateral cleft Lip repair. After surgery photo of same child showing the correction! DINING FOR SMILES EVENT PREPARATIONS
With the goal to repair children’s broken smiles by providing free comprehensive treatment for cleft lip and palate anomalies in under-served areas of the world, Alliance for Smiles, founded by six members of the San Francisco Rotary Club, Board member Carl Vahl (Chef Calle) hosted a gourmet, six-course dinner to raise funds for this exceptional cause at the Enchanted Valley Inn. And SmokinLicious® was right there to lend our support. We’re going to provide you with a behind-the-scenes look at what goes in to preparing a six-course gourmet meal featuring wood-fired fresh Canadian salmon and wood-fired leg and loin of lamb.
For SmokinLicious®, set up is crucial for a long event that has the menu relying on the perfection of the wood-fired proteins. That means ensuring plenty of charwood and wood chunks are at the ready. We keep two chimney starters loaded with charwood to keep a steady flow of hot coals going into the grills. Since this event’s gourmet menu featured four foods to be wood fired – lamb, salmon, red peppers, and Brussels sprouts – it’s necessary to get the fires going early so they can burn down to hot coal beds. That is the key to successful wood-fire cooking. Don’t cook over flames, only hot coals that will radiate heat throughout the grill.
Thu 14 Dec 2017
Gratin takes a smoky turn by using smoked brussels sprouts
Gratin is one of those side dishes that usually gets made at the holidays or for a special occasion dinner. For some reason, it has the stigma of being difficult and time consuming.
Nothing could be further from the truth when you use our gratin recipe.
In our previous series, we took whole Brussels sprouts and smoked them on the gas grill using Wild Cherry wood chunks. Taking the boldness of smoke, we knew blending that flavor with cheese would produce a balanced, creamy outcome.
Most gratin recipes don’t contain a lot of ingredients but the béchamel sauce can be tricky if you don’t stay with your saucepan the whole time. For our gratin recipe you will need:
▪ 2 tablespoons butter
▪ 2 tablespoons flour
▪ coarse salt
▪ fresh ground pepper
▪ 2 cups whole milk
▪ 1/3 cup shredded Asiago cheese
▪ 1/3 cup shredded 2nd cheese like Fontina though I’m using a leek cheese
▪ 2/3 cup grated Parmesan
▪ 1-1/2 pounds of smoked Brussels sprouts
First up, making the béchamel sauce.
Béchamel sauce is a fancy name for white sauce that starts with a roux of butter and flour. Begin melting two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Once melted we add 2 tablespoons of flour and begin the whisking process. This will produce a thick, paste like consistency. Gradually, add the two cups of whole milk, whisking the entire time. This is the key to a good béchamel sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce to low heat whisking again. Once thickened, season with salt and fresh ground pepper, and remove from the heat. Add in each cheese, whisking each addition until melted.
Time to lay the smoked Brussels sprouts in a baking dish. Try to use a dish big enough to make one even layer of sprouts. Pour the béchamel sauce over the Brussels sprouts ensuring an evening coating. Take the 2/3 cup of Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the sauced sprouts. Place the baking dish in a preheated 350°F oven for 25 minutes until bubbling and golden.
The cheese cuts through the mild bitterness of the Brussels sprouts while the smoke flavor adds that special taste bud tingle.
For more reading related to our recipes
Dr Smoke- “Add a wonderful flavor to your gratin by adding smoked Brussels sprouts- your guests will love this recipe.”
Thu 23 Nov 2017
Tortellini Gets a Smoky Mate with the addition of Cherry wood smoked Brussels Sprouts! This is a medley and yummy recipe for the winter blues
There is something about the perfect pasta dish that isn’t necessarily loaded with a ton of ingredients. I’ve found that the perfect pasta often features only 2-3 ingredients in addition to seasonings. For me, the perfection is in how each of those ingredients contribute to the overall dish.
This is a pasta dish that features the smokiness of Brussels sprouts paired with the citric acid of lemon peel. Mix in the sweetness of caramelized onion and a full-bodied dish emerges.
T
he simplicity of the ingredients is what makes this such a flavorful and pleasurable dish. Start by smoking about a pound of Brussels sprouts – you can see our previous series on how to smoke these on the gas grill, an extremely easy and quick method. Then gather 3 tablespoons butter, 1 medium yellow onion that is thinly sliced, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or flavored olive oil, 1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, 1 lb. of cheese tortellini, and the zest of 1 lemon. With the Brussels sprouts already smoked, the cooking time for the rest of the dish is about 20 minutes.
Put a pot of water on for the tortellini to cook according to the packaged directions. What keeps this recipe extra simple is you can use frozen tortellini or fresh packaged rather than making your own and it will be just as spectacular a dish as if you made every ingredient yourself. We start with thinly sliced yellow onion in melted butter, releasing the sweetness of the onion. Once translucent and browning, add the smoked Brussels sprout quarters. Toss together just until the Brussels sprouts heat through.
While the onion and Brussels sprouts cook, our water for the tortellini is salted and brought to a boil. Once at a rolling boil, the pound of cheese tortellini is added. I’m using a frozen variety but you can certainly use fresh. Remember, tortellini is a filled pasta that does not take much time to cook to al dente so don’t turn your back on the pot. It will only be a matter of minutes once the water regains boiling level. Tortellini has the proven sign of being cooked when they float. Once cooked, transfer to a large bowl.
With the tortellini cooked, it’s time to pour the cooked smoky Brussels sprout and onion into the bowl. Once combined, add the tablespoon of olive oil. I’m using a Tuscan flavored olive oil for just a bit more refined flavor but plain EVOO will do. Time to finish this off with fresh ground pepper and salt. The final ingredient – grated lemon zest. Zest right over the bowl. I like a lot of lemon zest so I zest the entire lemon.
After smoking Brussels sprouts using cherry wood, we made a hearty pasta dish that blended the flavors of sweet onion, smoky Brussels sprout, and lemon zest. Added to cheese tortellini gets a smoky mate, this is so flavorful and easy to make. Think of the many variations you can give this dish: adding butternut squash, or zucchini cubes, or perhaps chestnut when in season. Even artichoke hearts. So many opportunities to put your own fingerprint on this dish.
This recipe is sure to give you a great start on incorporating your favorite ingredients. We’d love to hear what you think about our blog post “Tortellini Gets a Smoky Mate” so leave us a comment and subscribe to get all our postings on techniques and recipes. Bringing innovation to wood fired cooking with recipes, techniques and the science behind the fire, that’s SmokinLicious®.
Dr Smoke- “This is an easy way to bring smoke flavor to a pasta dish.”
