Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons (35 page)

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Authors: Colleen Rush,Gary Wiviott

BOOK: Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons
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1 baguette, cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick rounds
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large garlic clove, peeled
2 smoked tomatoes (page 217), cored and coarsely
chopped
2 smoked red bell peppers (page 217), seeded,
and diced
1 small smoked onion (page 217), diced
½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves or 1 tea-
spoon minced fresh thyme
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 ounce Parmesan cheese
Black pepper, to taste
 
Broil or grill baguette slices, about 5 inches from heat source, until golden brown on both sides, about 1½ minutes per side. Brush the toasted slices with 1 tablespoon oil and rub them with the garlic clove.
In a medium bowl, combine tomato, bell pepper, and onion. Season mixture with ½ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon oil. Stir in red pepper flakes, basil or thyme, and vinegar. Let the mixture rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Taste and reseason with salt and pepper as needed. Ladle a spoonful of the tomato mixture onto each bread slice. With a vegetable peeler, shave a curl of Parmesan cheese over the bruschetta to garnish. Serve at room temperature.
SMOKED SALSA
 
This is my stock recipe for pico de gallo, a simple fresh tomato salsa, with a few key alterations. Instead of using white onions, which have more bite, I recommend using the sweeter Vidalia onion to balance the heat and smokiness. And all of the produce, except the cilantro, is smoked—even the lime. Follow the guidelines and times for smoking vegetables (Cook Times, opposite page), but use common sense, too. You’ll instinctively know when the lime is ready or if the tomato needs another fifteen minutes.
 
SERVES 6 TO 8
 
4 smoked tomatoes, diced
1 smoked Vidalia onion, diced
2 smoked jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and diced
2 smoked limes, juiced (about¼ cup juice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 ears of corn, boiled, kernels cut from the cob
(optional)
½ teaspoon cumin (optional)
Combine tomato, onion, and jalapeño in a medium bowl and stir. Add lime juice, oil, cilantro, salt and pepper, and corn and cumin, if using.
The salsa can be made one day ahead. Cover, refrigerate, and bring to room temperature before serving.
CREAMY SMOKED TOMATO SOUP
 
If you must eat a meal with no pork or other barbecue, this soup is a knockout—particularly when it’s served alongside a crusty, oozing grilled cheese sandwich. If you serve the soup chilled, taste before serving and reseason with salt, pepper, and cayenne, as the flavors will be muted from the cold.
 
SERVES 6 TO 8
 
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 to 3 medium onions, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 celery rib, chopped (about ½ cup)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 pounds smoked tomatoes, cored and quartered
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
¼ cup heavy cream
Heat oil in a large stockpot. Sauté the onions, celery, and garlic over medium heat until lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the smoked tomatoes and any residual tomato juice. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup. Stir in the parsley. Taste and season with salt and black pepper and cayenne pepper as needed. Stir in the heavy cream. Serve hot.
 
SMOKE-ROASTING
 
LOW AND SLOW IS ALL ABOUT TURNING TOUGH, FATTY CUTS
of meat into tender barbecue, and capturing the ephemeral flavor of wood smoke in the meat. But some cuts and types of meat are naturally tender, and don’t require a long, indirect cook. Enter: hot smoke-roasting. With a slight reconfiguration of your cooker, this technique allows you to roast meat at a higher temperature and impart a kiss of smoke flavor to your food. By opening all of the vents and removing the water pan, you can make the temperature in the cooker run closer to 350°F—comparable to oven-roasting, only with the bonus, unique flavor that comes from cooking with wood and charcoal.
In keeping with the progressive methodology of this program, I recommend starting small with the Buttermilk-Brined Hot Wings (page 223). Once you get the hang of controlling the fire at the higher temperature, you can use this technique to cook duck, whole chickens, lamb, prime rib, and other meats.
 
 
SMOKE-ROASTING ON A WSM
Open all vents on the cooker. Remove the water pan and the bottom cooking grate. Start a K.I.S.S. Method fire, but halve the amount of lit and unlit charcoal in the setup. (This hotter, faster cook uses less charcoal.) Reassemble the WSM. When the charcoal and wood are fully engaged and no longer billowing white smoke, arrange the food on the grate and close the cooker.
 
SMOKE-ROASTING ON A KETTLE
Close the bottom vent by one-third. Start a K.I.S.S. Method fire. Set an unglazed firebrick on the grate over the lit charcoal. (Do not use the aluminum loaf pan filled with water in this cook.) When the charcoal and wood are fully engaged and no longer billowing white smoke, arrange the food on the grate and close the cooker.
 
SMOKE-ROASTING ON AN OFFSET
Open all vents on the cooker. Start a K.I.S.S. Method fire with half the amount of charcoal. Set an unglazed firebrick on the cooking grate near the opening to the firebox. (Do not use the aluminum loaf pan filled with water in this cook.) When the charcoal and wood are fully engaged and no longer billowing white smoke, arrange the food on the grate and close the cooker.
 
SMOKED
OYSTERS
 
This recipe calls for one dozen oysters, but I typically buy two dozen. That accounts for the one-for-the-guests, one-for-the-cook method I employ when making this terrific appetizer.
 
MAKES 1 DOZEN OYSTERS
 
1 dozen oysters, rinsed and scrubbed
2 lemons, 1 juiced (about 3 tablespoons juice)
and 1 reserved for garnish
 
Start a KISS Method fire and set up your cooker for smoke-roasting according to instructions for the WSM (page 32), offset (page 34), or kettle (page 36). Shuck the oysters, reserving as much of the liquid in the shells as possible to be used in the Mignonette Sauce. Drizzle a few drops of lemon juice on each oyster. Set the oysters in the half-shell on the grate of your cooker. Allow the oysters to cook until just heated through, about 30 minutes. Serve with wedges of reserved lemon and Classic Cocktail Sauce (page 224) or Mignonette Sauce (page 225).
FIREBRICK
 
A firebrick is a ceramic block that can withstand extremely high temperatures. Firebricks are used to line kilns, furnaces, fireplaces, and outdoor barbecue pits. In hot smoke-roasting, a firebrick on the cooking grate blocks the direct heat of the charcoal from blasting the food and helps the cooker maintain a steady temperature. A single unglazed firebrick shouldn’t cost more than a few bucks, and you can find one at most hardware or home and garden stores.
 
BUTTERMILK-BRINED HOT WINGS
 
Although you could easily low and slow cook these wings for a little over an hour, my preferred method is smoke-roasting (page 221), because it produces a crispier skin on the wings. Mmmmm. Crispy skin. You can buy pre-sectioned wings—with the drumette and flat separated and the tip removed—but it’s more cost-efficient to buy whole wings and section them yourself. To separate, cut through the joint connecting the drumette to the flat (also called the “fling” in Chicago) and the joint connecting the flat to the tip. Because the slender tips have little meat and slip through the grate, I reserve these pieces and freeze them to use in homemade stock.
 
SERVES 8 TO 10
 
⅓ cup kosher salt
⅓ cup brown sugar
⅔ cup Gary Wiviott’s Barbecue Rub (page 160)
or other spicy rub, divided
¼ cup Louisiana-style or Mexican-style hot sauce,
such as Texas Pete, Louisiana, or Búfalo
¼ cup warm water
5 pounds chicken wings, sectioned
½ gallon buttermilk
 
Add the salt, brown sugar, ⅓ cup rub, hot sauce, and warm water to a 1-gallon zip-top bag and seal. Shake bag. Add the sectioned chicken wings to bag. Pour the buttermilk into bag, filling to within 1 inch of the zipper. Press the air out of the bag and seal. Place the bag in a large bowl or on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Allow the chicken wings to brine for 4 to 6 hours in the refrigerator, turning the bag once or twice to redistribute the liquid.
Drain and rinse the wings. Set the wings on a baking sheet and coat with the remaining ⅓ cup rub.
Start a KISS Method fire and set up your cooker for smoke-roasting according to instructions for the WSM (page 32), offset (page 34), or kettle (page 36). Place the wings on the cooking grate. Follow times and instructions for smoke-roasting wings on your cooker:
WSM:
At 20 to 25 minutes into the cook, flip the wings. Check the wings for doneness at 45 minutes, and every 5 to 10 minutes afterward.
OFFSET:
At 15 minutes into the cook, flip the wings. Check the wings for doneness at 30 minutes, and every 5 minutes afterward.
Serve warm or room temperature.
KETTLE
: At 15 minutes into the cook, flip the wings. Check the wings for doneness at 30 minutes, and every 5 minutes afterward.
TIP:
I rarely pass up the opportunity to gild the lily when cooking—adding more butter, bacon, or chile pepper makes everything better. But these wings are good enough to eat solo. If serving wings without blue cheese dressing will incite a riot in your house, use really good blue cheese dressing from the refrigerated section in the grocery store, and thin it out with a tablespoon of red wine vinegar.
 
SMOKED SHRIMP
 
This recipe was inspired by Calumet Fisheries, a fish joint that sits on the bridge at 95th Street and the Calumet River, on the South Side of Chicago. The shabby building camouflages one of the best un-kept secrets of the city: an urban smokehouse that produces some of the finest smoked fish—dare I say?—in the country.
Brining is necessary to keep the shrimp tender and plump, and I recommend cooking the shrimp shell-on to prevent oversmoking the delicate meat. Slitting the shell along the back and deveining the shrimp makes the cooked shrimp easier to peel.
 
MAKES 2 POUNDS (SERVES 4 TO 6)
 
½ cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups warm water
2 pounds extra-large (16 to 20 count) shell-on
shrimp, deveined
 
In a large bowl, whisk the salt, sugar and warm water together until dissolved. Add two cubes of ice to cool brine. Place the shrimp in the bowl and fill with cold water to cover. Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.
Rinse the brined shrimp under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
Start a KISS Method fire and set up your cooker for smoke-roasting according to instructions for the WSM (page 32), offset (page 34), or kettle (page 36).
WSM:
Arrange the shrimp on the grate, grouping toward the center of the grate and away from the hot zone on the outer edges. Smoke-roast the shrimp for 20 minutes and check for doneness.
OFFSET:
Arrange the shrimp on the cooking grate, starting one-third of the way down the grate, away from the water pan and firebox opening. Smoke-roast the shrimp for 25 minutes and check for doneness.
KETTLE:
Arrange half (1 pound) of the shrimp on the grate and close the lid. Smoke-roast the shrimp for 10 minutes and check for doneness. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
Remove the shrimp from the cooker and immerse in an ice bath to stop cooking and chill. Serve cold, on a bed of ice, with Classic Cocktail Sauce.
CLASSIC COCKTAIL SAUCE
 
It’s sweet, hot, and just a little tart, and the perfect counterpoint to smoked oysters or shrimp.
 
MAKES ¼ CUP
 
¼ cup ketchup
1 teaspoon fresh horseradish
½ lemon, juiced (about 1 teaspoon juice)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
 
Stir all the ingredients together in a small bowl; taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
MIGNONETTE
SAUCE

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