Schmokin'!

Father’s day is upon us and I think it’s the perfect time for ladies to pick up that tool they’ve wanted for themselves, hehehe but this has me thinking about BBQ and such and I wanted to share some uniqueness with you.  First off, BBQ - smar-B-Q, yeah, yeah - let’s talk about something SMOKIN!  That’s it - I want to talk about smoking your food.  Some already smoke their meats and that’s nice - here’s your cookie.  Ever smoke your potatoes?  It rocks!  You should try it.  Some ideas are to blanche your fries then smoke, blanche potatoes used in potato salads and smashies.  Smoke polenta, sweet potatoes, eggplant, Gnocchi and or rutabaga - whatever that is.  My point is try smoking something besides your beast and transform something regular into a delicacy.

You can infuse smoked flavors into eggs, also.  Eggs are porous and capable of absorbing flavor.  Eggs can be smoked but something else to do is; using raw eggs in the shell, rub with seasoning power like a hickory spice and wait 12 hours before cooking them.  Or, store with truffle mushrooms.  Try fresh herbs, citrus zests, jalapenos, miso, ground chili and of course you should experiment with the tastes you enjoy.  Imagine the possibilities! After the process use your cooked eggs in salads and enjoy as people wonder what is this unique flavor sensation.  All of this brings me back to tea... (after having to cut back on my coffee) use fruit woods or cedar planks in your smoker of course but try something different by adding 1/4 cup black tea leaves to your smoking embers ever half hour.  

What? You don't have a smoker?  Weeeelll now, let's talk!  The Alton Brown Flower Pot Smoker This baby doesn't take up much room and you can  toss it into storage when you're not using it.  This ceramic cooker will cost you less than $50, I know you're cheap.  hehe, me, too.  You can make this soon and use it on the Fourth!  Construction is a piece of cake but finding the parts is the important thing: think Home Depot for the terra cotta parts, Walgreens for heat element and Super stores for grill grates but it's likely that you have grill grates already at home.