Experiments in Smoking: Part 1

I have a new best friend, he is a smoker, not of cigarettes, of food, an actual smoking vessel. He looks a little bit like a second world war bomb and was a very gratefully received birthday present; that I fear is going to take over everything I cook from now on...

He travelled to the Lake District with us still wrapped up in his box, ready to be unveiled and to begin his life as a fully operational smoking machine. He needed a name. Old Smoky perhaps, Sir Smoke-a-lot? I spent the car journey trying to think of something fitting... The First Earl of Smokington, Mr. Smoky Smokerson? Mr. Smokerson seems to fit, he looks a bit like an old formal butler standing to attention in the corner of my yard, it suits him!

He is made up of quite a few different parts, so I will take you through how he works, even though I'm still figuring out the basics. The very bottom section contains a charcoal basket, where you put the charcoal funnily enough. Next up is the water bowl, this is filled with water for most hot smokes, it stabilises the temperature, you can also add beer or herbs to the water for extra flavour. Then there are two racks at different levels, just like the top of a BBQ, then finally the lid, which has hooks inside to hang fish from. It also has the temperature gauge on the top so you can keep an eye on things from the outside. There is a little metal box that you put wood chips in and place on the charcoal for hot smoking and a little metal maze type thing that you put wood dust in for cold smoking.

We assembled Mr. Smokerson carefully, a few weeks ago now, and ambitiously set about a 9 hour pulled pork as the first experiment in smoking, I used the Joe Beef recipe I have used previously and added some beer to the water bowl.

It took a while to get the temperature steady, lots of opening and closing of vents, but it was actually very consistent in the end, sitting at about 250°F for 4-5 hours. This is about 120°C, so quite low, the temperature is in Fahrenheit, which is a bit of getting used to, but I'm getting the hang of it.

I was unsure about how a basket of charcoal would last this long, as on a BBQ it burns out in less than an hour typically. But it does, one basket seems to burn for about 5 hours, it must be to do with the sealed container, and shutting the bottom air vents so it burns very slowly with not much air movement. You basically light the charcoal and put the water bowl in, seal him up and when it has reached the correct temperature put your chosen food in, place the little metal box with a handful of wood chips in directly on to the charcoal, I used apple wood, and wait...

We chose the wrong time to go for a walk, feeling confident that Mr. Smokerson was on a roll, and not knowing how long the charcoal would burn for, we set off, it started to rain and we came back to a burnt out, rapidly cooling, smoker... After some initial panic he was up and burning again and the pork back inside. It didn’t end up as pully apart as the first time I'd cooked it in the oven, I think it could have actually cooked for longer, as it was at a lower temperature, but it was 10pm and people were hungry! The flavour was delicious however, really deep and smoky and sweet, you can really taste the apple smoke... I was hooked!

So Mr. Smokerson travelled back to Tyneside and the next experiments were cold smoked cheese, hot smoked almonds and smoked pigeon. The cheese marinates in whiskey and maple syrup for 4 hours in the freezer, then into the smoker until it comes up to temperature.

Cold smoking is a different process. A little metal contraption, that looks like a maze gets filled with wood dust, which is then lit at one end using a little candle. When the wood has begun to smoulder and smoke you remove the candle, place the maze in the bottom of the smoker, with the cheese on the rack and leave for about an hour. This one was a triumph! Really smoky cheese, I used a cheddar and a ewes cheese, both delicious!

Last weekend's smoking adventures were two duck, out of the freezer from last season, the last two little fellas I had left. I followed a River Cottage method for them and cured them in salt, brown sugar, dried bay leaves, crushed star anise, crushed cinnamon sticks and lots of ground black pepper. The ducks sit in the mix for about an hour before going into the smoker. Then they cook at 220°F for 4 hours. I have much more to learn about curing, what it is doing, how long, which method...

There is the initial period of lighting Mr Smokerson and trying to get it to the steady temperature you require. This was difficult this time round. He was at 450°F for about an hour, opening doors, shutting vents, taking his lid off, it was a bit frustrating to say the least... It turned out I hadn’t put the water bowl in, which stabilises it at a lower temperature... First mistake of the day. Second mistake of the day was that one of the ducks was actually a pheasant! I didn’t notice this until we carved... oops...

Again I used apple wood, the smoky flavour was milder this time, but the duck was delicious, a touch dry, but the flavour had really got into the meat. I left the pheasant for the next day, I have found that the flavour develops the longer you leave things. The result was a delicious smoked pheasant and bacon sandwich with crisp little gem lettuce for lunch the next day.

I'm perhaps getting a bit carried away with my new friend, I'm constantly thinking about what to do next! Sausages, fish, a duck that you cure, smoke then confit! No wonder it is akin to a competitive sport in America, I'm totally hooked. We bought some herring to get them on the go, but didn’t read what to do with them first, it turns out that you need to cure them for a few days then cold smoke them for 5 days! This is perhaps not conducive with actually having a life, so we may just have to leave that to the guys in Craster...

The Allotment

I wandered along to the allotment this morning to continue the gargantuan task of weed control. If I'm honest, these photos are deliberately deceiving, the bigger picture is full of towering weeds, with little patches of produce here and there. I zoomed in on the good bits! It hasn’t been a very good year so far, it's been cold, it has rained continuously, the weeds have taken over and things just haven’t really grown. All the plants are tiny compared to last year, the remaining courgettes are just hanging on in there, but half of them have died. The peas and french beans are non existent and the sweet peas that were taking over the plot last year covered in flowers are about 10cm high and pathetic to say the least...

On the plus side I have radishes, beetroot and parsnips that are battling on, lots of broad beans, tons of apples, sweetcorn and potatoes all still alive. It is some consolation that no one else seems to have the huge amounts of produce spilling from their plots that I have seen in previous years, but saying that they are all still tidier than mine...

The Ouseburn Festival Feast

After the success of Spring Graze, The Ouseburn Festival approached me to organise a food market as part of their weekend of events. I was very happy to help out, so Sunday saw the courtyard at Hotel du Vin turned into a busy market place. There were over 20 stalls of food and drinks all laden with amazing produce. A little rain at 9am had us a bit worried, but it ended up being beautiful sunshine all day. Hundreds of people came to visit and feast. Thanks again to all the great stallholders, it was a really delicious day.

The Ouseburn Festival Feast

The annual Ouseburn Festival is due to take place next weekend over Saturday and Sunday. This year I am helping organise their food market and it is set to be a pretty tasty day.

The festival itself runs for two days, with music, parades, food, pony rides, art, tours and markets all taking place down in the Ouseburn area of Newcastle. If you don't already know the Ouseburn it is definitely worth a visit. My office is down there, 10 minutes from the city centre and I look out of my window at an amazing Victorian viaduct, fields of goats, men mending their boats that never seem to go anywhere, a coffee roastery and enough independent pubs to keep you going for quite a while...

The Ouseburn Festival Feast will be on Sunday 22nd July from 11am - 4pm at Hotel du Vin.

It sees a lot of Spring Graze stall holders return and some new faces. Hotel du Vin will be on the BBQ, Cafe 21 will be there with their amazing spread of pastries and Broad Chare pies and scotch eggs. Carruthers and Kent with their wines, Riverford Organics with fruit and vegetable boxes, The Meat Merchant with fresh meat and chutneys, Tyne Bank Brewery and Foodie Face. The French Oven will be laden with macaroons and tarts, the Pet Lamb Patisserie girls with their beautiful cakes and Garden Kitchen. Zen Baker and Dough Works with fresh breads. Archers Ice Cream with their ice-cream cart, Emily Botham Brownies, Davenport Chocolates, Corn Again Popcorn and Deli Fina with lots of goodies from The Feathers Inn. Teasy Does It, Localicious and finally the Northumberland Sausage Company. It's a pretty delicious line up!

I'm already working out what I want to buy! Hope to see you there...

Broad Bean, Mint and Pomegranate Salad

The flood warnings didn’t put us off heading over to the Lake District this weekend. Having survived an epic storm and a flooded basement last week we shrugged at flood warnings and set off. There was another little guy along for the ride too, apart from TLI, Mr. Smokerson, my newly acquired smoker and firm friend; but more of him to come... My adventures in smoking have begun...

The weekend turned out to be warm and dappled in beautiful sunshine most of the time, apart from the bit when we were an hour from home up a deserted valley and the heavens opened. I thought it was snow at one point, but no, just huge, huge raindrops soaking us to the skin. Sheltering in the forest seemed a good idea at first; but when the rain stopped outside, we were still in the forest and the water falling from the trees continued to saturate us...

A few hours later I was sitting in the sun making a salad, it is a pretty funny kind of summer we're having... This salad is a little preview of sorts. I am hosting, alongside Carruthers and Kent wine merchants of Gosforth, a little food and wine evening. A taste of the Middle East with lots of different courses of sharing plates matched with different wines, I do the food, they do the wine. The event is part of the EAT Festival, which is currently in full swing. Our original date for the 19^th July sold out more or less straight away, so we have decided to do it again, on the Friday 27^th July. If you would like to come along you can find all of the details here.

This broad bean and pomegranate delight forms one half of the salad course, alongside a tomato, feta and tarragon salad with sumac dressing. As well as smoky dips, Moroccan breads, slow roast salted lamb, pistachio bombs, Lebanese reds, raki and more, it promises to be a lovely evening...

Shell and peel about 600g of broad beans and set them to one side. Then cut a pomegranate open and remove the seeds, you only need the seeds from one half, make sure you pick out all the skin. Finely slice 4 radishes and add them to the bowl with the pomegranate seeds. Remove the leaves from 4 sprigs of mint and finely shred them, add them to the bowl too. Then pick the leaves from 6 sprigs of parsley and add them whole.

Drop the broad beans into a pan of boiling salted water and blanch them for 2-3 minutes. Allow them to cool then add to everything else. At the very last minute dress everything with a glug of extra virgin olive oil and a splash of sherry vinegar. These amounts will serve 4 with other salads, or 2 as a larger portion.

It is a salad full of flavour, crunchy sweet pomegranate seeds, creamy smooth broad beans, peppery radishes and tons of herbs. We ate it in the sun alongside Mr. Smokerson, while he did his smoky thing with a piece of pork for 9 hours. I'm currently documenting the build, the smoking and the mistakes made...

Oysters and Cake

To commiserate turning yet another year older I've been consoling myself with oysters and cake. It's been comforting (and filling) to say the least...

Asparagus, Pesto and Mozzarella Tart

I don't know why my guests found it so funny that my dining room window sill was full of chitting potatoes the other night. I haven’t planted them for so long that they have just become part of the furniture to me... There was much laughter, they seemed to think that when you come for supper at mine you don't know if this kind of thing is decoration, a project or a starter!

Gaga is a vegetarian so I made a delicious asparagus tart, she loves asparagus, and the others just like a good laugh at my expense, I should have fed them the shrivelled potatoes and sent them on their way! I've had quite a few recipe requests since I tweeted a photo of the tart, so I thought I best share it. It really is very simple and delicious, perfect when you need something quick...

You can make your own rough puff pastry, which is much simpler that making actual puff pastry, but for this I cheated and bought a ready made roll. After being at work all day there was a very short window of time to prepare food before people arrived, so menu planning had to be very strategic.

Unroll the pastry into a baking tray and spread about 5 heaped teaspoons of pesto over the whole sheet so there is an even layer, I used this home-made Wild Garlic Pesto which was delicious. Leave a 2/3 centimetre gap round the edge to allow the pastry to puff up. Then line up spears of uncooked asparagus all the way along (remember to snap the ends off) you will probably need about 20 spears.

Tear up a ball of mozzarella and scatter over the top. I added a little grating of Parmesan too, for saltiness, a little drizzle of olive oil and some black pepper. Then bake in the oven, at 180°C for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown round the edge.

Lovely buttery pastry with asparagus, melted cheese and aromatic pesto, I'll definitely make it again. I served it with this cold Roasted Ratatouille, a simple green salad and some fresh bread. When the guests had calmed down from the hilarity of the potatoes we all had a lovely and delicious evening...

Places, Spaces, Eats and Treats...

A little collection of places, spaces, eats and treats from around the web and world that have caught my attention recently that I think you may like too:

I'm reading The Art of Living According to Joe Beef, I can't put it down; recipes, how to build your own smoker and fois gras sandwiches...

The Anna Tasca Lanza Cook School in Sicily looks amazing, I can't think of anything I'd like to do more right now! Especially as I watch the rain roll down my window...

The Blue Hour, a beautiful photography blog I constantly return to...

Skips made into small buildings, including a restaurant and a bar! Maybe that's how I afford to open my own restaurant...?

My next project; how to make your own bresaola...

Poires au Chocolat is a lovely food blog, I'm constantly filled with blog envy for various sites, this is my current favourite... Oh and this one...Mondomulia...

Oh that I could fly to New York for Meatopia! A meat festival, with actual streets... I'd head for Offalwood via Beaktown...

Finally The EAT! Festival is back in July, I'm involved in two events this year, a Middle Eastern feast with Carruthers and Kent and an artisan butchery evening! I'm also aiming to go to as many other events as possible... especially the eat-a-long film!

Roast Cauliflower, Cumin and Yoghurt Soup

I have long taken inspiration from Claudia Rodan, her book Arabesque is never far from hand and I'm still discovering new amazing things in it that I have never cooked. A three hour roast lamb was the most recent with cinnamon couscous, chopped dates and almonds, delicious.

So when Carruthers and Kent, Gosforth's lovely independent fine wine company, suggested we team up and put together an evening of food and wine inspired by the Middle East I was instantly planning the menu. It will be a lavish tasting feast with matched wines on the 19^th July as part of the EAT! Festival. So if you fancy trying that lamb and many more tasty treats please click here for more details...

My menu planning has taken me cover to cover in lots of Claudia's books as well as experimenting with lots of my own ideas. This is a little soup that came about one lunchtime when trying to balance the lovely sunshine with the fact that I was still freezing cold. It is a roast cauliflower and spicy cumin soup but using yoghurt instead of cream adds a freshness that makes this soup summery and light as well as deep with spice and warmth, and it is also very simple.

I used half a cauliflower and made enough to serve 2-3 people. Simply chop the cauliflower into small florets and place in a baking tray, add 5 peeled shallots, a big glug of olive oil, some salt and 2 teaspoons of ground cumin. Shake it all up and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes at 180°C, until golden brown, after about 15 minutes throw in a couple of cloves of garlic, giving it a stir at the same time. When it is ready throw it all in a pan with 300ml of chicken stock and a bay leaf and simmer until everything is very soft, about 20 minutes.

When it is ready remove the bay leaf and puree until smooth and add 2-3 tablespoons of yoghurt. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to suit. To serve scatter with some toasted cumin seeds and a little drizzle of olive oil. It is a fresh light soup that is warming and spicy at the same time, perfect for this changeable weather we're having...