Thanks to TV shows like BBQ Pitmasters and Man Fire Food, smoking as a cooking technique is taking off!
Keen to get in on the smoking action? Here’s our round up of the best smoking recipes to try in the best kamado grill on the market – your Big Green Egg. Remember, we EGG no matter the weather, so don’t let the chill in the Autumn air put you off a bit of smoking…
Bourbon-glazed Cold Smoked Salmon *shows serious skill!
Jason Lilley’s Smoked Brisket Roll
Vusi Ndlovu’s Grilled Ribeye with Oysters and Pine *for the adventurous
Caroline McCann’s pastrami on rye
Smoked tongue with sweet mustard sauce
Longridge Wine Estate’s Smoked Onion Mayo
Malva pudding with smoked nut and lemon crumble
Now, cold smoking is quite different from hot smoking in that the smoke acts as a seasoning – not a heat source. It takes some practice, but bearing in mind these helpful tips below, you’ll want to give our Onion and Thyme jam with smoked Gouda recipe a go in no time!
Cold Smoking Tips:
- Use only fresh products. Cheese and salmon are perfect for cold smoking.
- Cold smoking is not recommended for large meats like brisket or pork butts. These do very well with hot smoking.
- Dry out the product so that it can “take the smoke”.
- Do not use harsh woods.
- If you’re cold smoking some salmon, we recommend air drying and then following these steps from Steve Raichlen’s BBQ Bible to cure the salmon before cold smoking:
- Combine 1/2 cup kosher salt and 1 cup packed dark brown sugar in a mixing bowl and mix with your fingers.
- Spread 1/3 of the cure over the bottom of a glass baking dish just large enough to hold the fish. Lay the salmon on top of the cure mixture. Spread the remaining cure over the top of the salmon so it covers the fish completely.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and cure the fish in the coolest part of your fridge for 24 – 48 hours.
- Gently rinse the cure off the salmon under cold running water. Place the salmon in a large bowl with cold water to cover by about 5cm. Soak for 30 minutes and then drain well in a colander.
- Blot the salmon dry on both sides with a paper towel. Arrange it skin side down on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Let the salmon dry uncovered in the fridge until it starts feeling tacky – 2-4 hours.
- To set your EGG for cold smoking, completely clean it out and then put a handful of charcoal with your choice of chips in a little mound on top of the firegrate. Light it and allow the temperature to come up to 40°C before putting the convEGGtor in. Stabilise the temperature at just under 30°C.
- We recommend keeping the bottom vent open about 3 fingers wide and the top vent open to about 1/4 moon wide. Only use the daisy wheel to adjust the temperature if need be.
- If you’re smoking salmon or cheese, place the convEGGtor legs up, followed by the grid, on top of which you place an aluminium pan filled with ice about 1/3 of the way and sprinkled with Kosher or rock salt to prevent the ice from melting (you need a good generous sprinkling of salt), then top that with a cooking rack and place the salmon or cheese on top of that.
- You can smoke brie, Gouda or cheddar.
- Follow one of our smoking recipes or select your favourite over at the EGGHead Forum.
- Allow finished product to breathe.
You can find a variety of Big Green Egg smoking chips, chunks and planks at your local dealer or our online shop.