Make the Bread, Buy the Butter - Jennifer Reese [74]
Makes 3¾ pounds
SMOKING
Even if you don’t have a dedicated smoker, you can still smoke just about anything short of a whole pig in a Weber kettle grill or in a pot on the stovetop. Here’s how.
SMOKING IN A CHARCOAL GRILL
1. Soak two large handfuls of wood chips (mesquite, applewood, etc.) in a pan of water for half an hour.
2. Remove the grate from the grill and place a handful of unlit charcoal in the belly of the grill, pushing it over to one side. Top with a handful of the soaked chips. Light some additional charcoal in the chimney and when the coals are smoldering, dump them on top of the chips. Top these hot coals with the rest of the damp wood chips.
3. For a drip pan you can use a foil pan from the supermarket or a metal bread pan from your kitchen, preferably one you don’t care about. Place it in the belly of the grill opposite the wood chips and charcoal. Put the grate on the barbecue. Fill another pan with water, which will help keep the temperature down inside the grill, and put this next to the drip pan. (Ultimately, you want the temperature to hover around 250 degrees F.) Close the grill and pop a long-stemmed thermometer through the vent. Give it some time to get really hot and smoky in there—you want it somewhere between 200 and 300 degrees F.
4. When the temperature is within range, put the piece of meat on the grill directly over the drip pan and under the vent. (If the vent is right above the heat source, the smoke will shoot straight up without wafting around the meat and imparting its flavor.) How long you smoke depends on the size of the piece of meat; I always check the internal temperature after about 20 minutes, just to see how things are going.
SMOKING ON THE STOVETOP
Before you start, you need a working exhaust fan and a fire extinguisher or a full carton of baking soda handy. I’ve done a lot of smoking on the stove and had only one near disaster, but it was harrowing. Here’s what I did wrong. First, I didn’t soak the wood chips—I was in a hurry and just dipped them in the water for a minute. Then I dumped the barely damp chips into the pot, added the pork belly, and cranked the heat up to high. I left the room for half an hour, enjoyed a lively phone conversation, and forgot about the meat. When I returned and lifted the lid of the pot, the chips spontaneously ignited. I very carefully carried the whole pot outdoors, where it flamed lustily for a few minutes before the dregs of a box of baking soda and an entire sack of flour ended the excitement. Bacon and pot were ruined, but the house still stands. Soak the chips for the full amount of time, keep the heat moderate, don’t leave the room, and know exactly how you’ll extinguish a fire in the unlikely event you set one.
1. Soak some wood chips in water for at least half an hour. You want them to smolder, not ignite.
2. Choose a large metal pot that will easily accommodate the meat with plenty of room for smoke to circulate. Line the pot with foil.
3. In the bottom of the pot, place a handful of your damp wood chips, and on top of them place a double-layered piece of foil to serve as a drip pan. You do not want fat and meat juices dripping on the smoking chips.
4. Set up a metal rack so that it straddles the drip pan. I use a small stainless-steel platform with long legs that cost $0.69 at a Chinese kitchen supply store.
5. Place the meat on the rack. Cover the top of the pan with more foil and put a lid on top of that, slightly ajar. Turn on the exhaust fan full blast and the heat to high. As soon as you see wisps of smoke snaking out of the pot, turn the heat down to medium-low. You do not want an inferno; you want a long, leisurely smoke. You don’t need to hover over the pot, but you should stay near to monitor the situation. Check the temperature of the meat after about 20 minutes with an instant-read thermometer.
6. When the