Food Smoking Recipes
We are constantly adding to our repertoire of smoked dishes and we would welcome any suggestions you may have which you'd like to share. The following recipes are grouped by food type and are intended as a guide rather than a hard and fast rule. As you'll find, food smoking allows for extensive experimentation so feel free to adapt these to your own taste and for the particular type of food smoker you are using. Your best results are likely to be your own ideas!
FISH DISHES
Smoked whole fish
Any whole fish such as trout, mackerel or bream
White wine
Fresh lemon or lime, fresh bay or tarragon, seasoning & spices to taste
1. We find that whole fish is best smoked in its natural state, so there's little need for sauces or too much by way of spices, but this is entirely a matter of individual taste. Gut the fish but leave the head on
2. Place the whole fish flat on the grill rack or hang from a fish hanger by placing the hooks through the eye sockets. The fish hanger is fitted to the ProQ Frontier and is available as an accessory for all other smokers. You may need to remove the grill rack to create the required hanging space.
3. Add fresh herbs of your choice and a glass or two of white wine to the water pan to create aromatic steam in which the fish will cook.
4. Place lemon or lime slices in and around the fish.
5. Use alder wood chips or pellets for a traditional smoked fish taste.
6. Cook for approximately 30 to 45 minutes depending on temperature. Remove from the smoker and eat with fresh green salad and home made chips!
Hot smoked salmon with horseradish and creme fraiche sauce
4 salmon fillets
lemon, fresh dill
black pepper
for the sauce: fresh horseradish (if available), creme fraiche and fresh tarragon
This is a basic recipe for hot-smoked salmon. You can embellish the recipe to your own taste by experimenting with herbs, marinades and sauces.
1. Place the fillets skin side down on the the grill rack. Squeeze fresh lemon over the flesh and add a pinch of pepper and fresh chopped dill to taste.
2. If using a water pan, fill with warm water plus a dash of white wine and fresh dill.
3. Use alder or oak wood chips and smoke for 3/4 hour. Remove from the smoker, cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
4. Serve with a horseradish and crème fraiche sauce. Grate fresh horseradish into 200gm of crème fraiche and add chopped fresh tarragon. Use horseradish from a jar if fresh is not available.
Hot smoked salmon in the Camerons Stovetop Smoker
4 salmon fillets
lemon
fresh dill
black pepper
1. 2. 3.
1. Place a tablespoon of Camerons wood grains in a heap on the ribbed base of the Camerons Stovetop smoker. Try Alder for a subtle smoked flavour or Oak for a more robust smokey taste.
2. Add the drip tray and grill rack and place the salmon fillets skin side down on the the grill rack. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice, freshly grated pepper and chopped fresh dill to taste.
3. Slide the lid on and put the smoker on your choice of heat source. Allow to smoke for around 40 minutes. Serve with fresh salad and hot crusty bread.
Whole oak roasted salmon
1 large whole fresh salmon (or two smaller whole salmon)
For the marinade: 750ml water, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 15g fresh coriander, 30ml olive oil
1 tablespoon of both salt and brown sugar
1. Combine the marinade ingredients and marinade the salmon overnight in the fridge. Remove and rinse fish with water.
2. Place the salmon on tin foil (so it's easier to remove from the grill pan when cooked) and add a sprinkling of fresh or dried herbs.
3. If using a water pan, fill with warm water and add the remaining marinade mixture.
4. Use oak wood chips and smoke for approximately 2 hours depending on the size of the fish(es).
Hot smoked salmon with teriyaki sauce
4 to 6 salmon fillets
For the sauce: fresh ginger, 2 cloves garlic, 2 shallot, juice of 1 lime, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp maple syrup
fresh coriander and 250ml white wine
1. Chop the ginger, garlic and shallot finely and mix together with the soy sauce, maple syrup and lime in a pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens to a glaze.
2. Place the salmon fillets directly on the grill rack, skin side downwards, and add the glaze topping to each.
3. Fill the water pan with water and add fresh coriander and a glass of white wine
4. Use hickory wood for a distinct smokey flavour and smoke for approximately 45 minutes. Serve with lightly stir fried green vegetables.
POULTRY DISHES
Smoked whole chicken (in hot water smoker)
1 x 3-4lb whole chicken
2 celery stalks
1 medium onion
3 bayleaves
seasoning
1. Wash the chicken inside and out and blot dry.
2. Season the inside of the chicken cavity with salt - to taste. Chop the celery and onion into large chunks and place with the bay leaf inside the chicken.
3. Fill the water pan with water and add a couple of bay leaves. Use your choice of fruit or hardwood pellets or chips for smoke flavour. Alder, cherry and oak are particularly good with chicken, or try a more distinctive smokey flavour such as hickory or mesquite.
4. Place the chicken on the food grill and smoke for 2.5 to 3 hours.
Smoked honey chicken breasts
4 chicken breasts (skin on)
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
fresh ginger
2 tablespoons runny honey
2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or dark, to taste)
1. Finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger and mix together with the honey and soy sauce in a large bowl.
2. Add the chicken breasts, mix well and allow to marinate for 2 hours
3. Fill the water pan with water. Use a combination of oak and pecan wood pellets for smoke flavour.
4. Cook in the smoker for approximately 1 to 1.5 hours or until cooked through.
5. Serve with lightly stir-fried vegetables.
Smoked Whole Christmas Turkey
1 medium sized turkey
Your choice of a herbs and spices rub
1 x 100gm jar/tin pesto
150gm butter, at room temperature
4 garlic cloves
1. Mix together the pesto, butter and fresh chopped garlic to form a paste
2. Gently lift the turkey skin from the neck end and massage about 3 tablespoons of the herb & butter paste into the skin and distribute as evenly as possible.
3. Rub the remaining paste on to the outside of the bird and sprinkle with your choice of herbs.
4. Make sure the bird is at room temperature before placing onto your cooking grill. Add fresh herbs - try rosemary - to the water pan and use cherry or plum wood chips or pellets. You might also try wine barrel oak wood chunks for a rich seasonal smoke flavour.
5. Keep the top vent open during cooking and use a bottom vent to adjust temperature if required (the wider, the hotter). Check the internal temperature using a probe after 4 hours of cooking at 200 to 225˚F (90 to 105˚C) to. The turkey is usually cooked after about 5 hours when the internal temperature reaches 165F (75˚C).
To note: The smoking process will make the turkey skin look quite dark, but this doesn't mean it is burnt. The flesh will be the normal colour with a slight pink halo from the cherry wood flavour and surprisingly succulent.
RED MEAT
St Austell Steak Parcels
4 sirloin steaks
12 rashers of bacon
1/4lb mushrooms
Crumbly blue cheese
1 red pepper
flat leaf parsley
salt & pepper
1. Season the sirloin steaks with salt and black pepper to taste
2. Place the bacon rashers on both sides of the sirloin steaks
3. Slice the mushrooms and the red pepper and place on one of the bacon layers. Crumble the cheese over the mushrooms and pepper and sprinkle with roughly chopped flat leaved parsley.
4. Roll the steak up into parcels and tie with string. Brush with olive oil or butter.
5. If using a water pan, fill with water and add sprigs of rosemary. Use oak wood chips for the smoke flavour. For a more traditionally smokey flavour use hickory or mesquite and to introduce a mild sweet smokey flavour try apple or cherry woods. Place the steak parcels directly onto the grill rack and smoke for 1.5 to 2 hours.
6. When cooked, remove the parcels from the smoker and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice thickly and serve with a rocket and baby spinach salad.
