has anyone smoked many vegetables? what are the best choices? methods?

thanks,

jqs

On 5 May 2007 23:23:51 -0700, wrote:

>has anyone smoked many vegetables? what are the best choices? methods?
>
>thanks,
>
>jqs
Sure. But IMHO veggies don't take well to a 4-5 hour smoke.

That said, I do smoke peppers, tomatoes, brussel sprouts (my very
favorite!).

With brussel sprouts I buy them fresh, cut off about 1/4" of the
bottom (stem part), put them in a cast iron pan with butter and some
olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Sometimes I toss in a pinch
(i mean just a pinch) of 5 spice or a head of garlic.

I cook them over mesquite till tender but still having a bit of bite.
I LOVE them this way. The smoke makes them sweet!

With peppers it's into the cast iron pan after a tossing in olive oil
to keep them from sticking and to keep the skin soft. Peppers like
jalapeno (sp) can take a nice low and longer smoke.

Tomatoes go in stainless pan that has become very stained by smoke!
Light olive oil coat with some fresh basil.

That is another thing you can try. Smoke some herbs and spices. You
will be amazed at what turns out. It's like created brand new flavors!

Try smoking some nuts too!

Cheese can be smoked via a "cold" smoking method.

Hope this helps!

wrote:
> has anyone smoked many vegetables? what are the best choices? methods?
>
> thanks,
>
> jqs
>

Is weed a vegetable?

On May 6, 5:53 pm, VegA > wrote:
> On 5 May 2007 23:23:51 -0700, wrote:
>
> >has anyone smoked many vegetables? what are the best choices? methods?
>
> >thanks,
>
> >jqs
>
> Sure. But IMHO veggies don't take well to a 4-5 hour smoke.
>
> That said, I do smoke peppers, tomatoes, brussel sprouts (my very
> favorite!).
>
> With brussel sprouts I buy them fresh, cut off about 1/4" of the
> bottom (stem part), put them in a cast iron pan with butter and some
> olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Sometimes I toss in a pinch
> (i mean just a pinch) of 5 spice or a head of garlic.
>
> I cook them over mesquite till tender but still having a bit of bite.
> I LOVE them this way. The smoke makes them sweet!
>
> With peppers it's into the cast iron pan after a tossing in olive oil
> to keep them from sticking and to keep the skin soft. Peppers like
> jalapeno (sp) can take a nice low and longer smoke.
>
> Tomatoes go in stainless pan that has become very stained by smoke!
> Light olive oil coat with some fresh basil.
>
> That is another thing you can try. Smoke some herbs and spices. You
> will be amazed at what turns out. It's like created brand new flavors!
>
> Try smoking some nuts too!
>
> Cheese can be smoked via a "cold" smoking method.
>
> Hope this helps!

That's terrific. I am considering becoming a "Smoker", and thought if
I can't smoke vegetables, it's not worth it. I'm wondering about
squashes? Perhaps halved or quartered?

On May 6, 7:39 pm, Sonoran Dude > wrote:
> wrote:
> > has anyone smoked many vegetables? what are the best choices? methods?
>
> > thanks,
>
> > jqs
>
> Is weed a vegetable?

On Sun, 06 May 2007 18:39:02 -0700, Sonoran Dude
> wrote:

wrote:
>> has anyone smoked many vegetables? what are the best choices? methods?
>>
>> thanks,
>>
>> jqs
>>
>
>Is weed a vegetable?

No, but if you smoke enough of it it can turn you into one.

snip

>That's terrific. I am considering becoming a "Smoker", and thought if
>I can't smoke vegetables, it's not worth it. I'm wondering about
>squashes? Perhaps halved or quartered?

Don't know. I never tried it. But lets face it, squash is cheap enough
to try.

I think squash would be better GRILLED over some soaked wood chips
than smoking over chunks or logs.

VegA wrote:
> On Mon, 7 May 2007 11:22:16 -0500, Steve Wertz
> > wrote:
>
>> On 6 May 2007 20:11:45 -0700, wrote:
>>
>>> That's terrific. I am considering becoming a "Smoker", and thought
>>> if I can't smoke vegetables, it's not worth it.
>>
>> Most of us smoke our meats, and cook their vegetables another way.
>> Smoked meat is much more valuable than smoked veggies, IMO.
>>
>> -sw
>
> Oh yea! But I gotta tell you, if you havn't tried brussel sprouts
> grilled over mesq you really should give it a try. Yummy!

I've been thinking of buying one of those veggie basket things I saw online
last week:

http://storesense04.dynamic.net/trae...ail.bok?no=239

But, your idea of just putting them in a regular frypan is great. Now, I
gotta find a small, cheap stainless steel fry pan that I'm willing to
destroy the finish on. No way am I gonna put my All Clad in a smoker!

--
EZ
Traeger BBQ075 "Texas"
CharGriller Smokin Pro
Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Wide Body
CharmGlow 3-burner All-Stainless Gas Grill
Weber Kettle One-Touch Silver 22-1/2"
Weber Kettle Smoky Joe Silver 14-1/2"

On Mon, 7 May 2007 11:22:16 -0500, Steve Wertz
> wrote:

>On 6 May 2007 20:11:45 -0700, wrote:
>
>> That's terrific. I am considering becoming a "Smoker", and thought if
>> I can't smoke vegetables, it's not worth it.
>
>Most of us smoke our meats, and cook their vegetables another way.
>Smoked meat is much more valuable than smoked veggies, IMO.
>
>-sw

Oh yea! But I gotta tell you, if you havn't tried brussel sprouts
grilled over mesq you really should give it a try. Yummy!

On 2007-05-07, EZ > wrote:
>
> But, your idea of just putting them in a regular frypan is great. Now, I
> gotta find a small, cheap stainless steel fry pan that I'm willing to
> destroy the finish on. No way am I gonna put my All Clad in a smoker!

I recently used a La Crueset dutch oven in my smoker and it was green to
start out with but turned color after spending several hours in the smoker.
Needless to say, I was concerned that I had ruined the finish (porcelain
enameled version over cast-iron), but after lightly scrubbing with a brush
and some soapy water, it all came off w/o much ado.. If the All-clad is
not coated (no Teflon hopefully) and just a plain metal pan it should be
just fine.. Sure it might look odd afterwards, but I'd bet it would look
just fine again after a bit of cleaning.. YMMV.

snip
>But, your idea of just putting them in a regular frypan is great. Now, I
>gotta find a small, cheap stainless steel fry pan that I'm willing to
>destroy the finish on. No way am I gonna put my All Clad in a smoker!

I only use stainless for tomatoes because I don't like how they turn
out in cast iron. Must be an action between the iron and the acid.

I guess you could pot them in anything that won't burn up.

Rick F. wrote:

> If the All-clad is not coated (no Teflon hopefully) and just a
> plain metal pan it should be just fine.. Sure it might look odd
> afterwards, but I'd bet it would look just fine again after a bit of
> cleaning.. YMMV.

Ah, there's the rub. Cleaning. I hate cleaning

You're right, though, I'm sure a plain stainless steel All Clad pan should
be able to survive just about any cooking effort, no matter what. After all,
isn't that why I paid the big bucks to get one?

--
EZ
Traeger BBQ075 "Texas"
CharGriller Smokin Pro
Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Wide Body
CharmGlow 3-burner All-Stainless Gas Grill
Weber Kettle One-Touch Silver 22-1/2"
Weber Kettle Smoky Joe Silver 14-1/2"

VegA wrote:

> I only use stainless for tomatoes because I don't like how they turn
> out in cast iron. Must be an action between the iron and the acid.

Yes, I'm thinking you're not really supposed to put anything acidic in cast
iron, or aluminum either. I don't want to start a war over non-reactive
pans, but I've read that it's best to use one for acidic foods.

> I guess you could pot them in anything that won't burn up.

Right you are. You'd think that with all the many varieties of cooking
vessels I have, I'd be able to find a likely candidate for throwing a few
veggies on the grill.

--
EZ
Traeger BBQ075 "Texas"
CharGriller Smokin Pro
Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Wide Body
CharmGlow 3-burner All-Stainless Gas Grill
Weber Kettle One-Touch Silver 22-1/2"
Weber Kettle Smoky Joe Silver 14-1/2"

Steve Wertz wrote:

> You can get really chreap cast iron at the restaurant supply and
> sporting good stores. There's always foil, too.


Thanks for the tip, Steve! As it turns out, I had a $50 gift certificate for
Bed Bath & Beyond, and a 20% coupon to boot. Went there on my lunch break,
and lo and behold, they had a couple of All Clad pans on clearance for
$14.95 each. A 7-1/2" all-stainless skillet, and a 1-qt. all-stainless sauce
pot, and the lid for my 2-1/2 qt. fits it. And, they had a cheapo non-stick
grill skillet and a better all-stainless grill "wok." Both had big holes in
them. I bought all 4, and paid $1.23 of my own money.

Seems I now have no excuse for not turning out great grilled/smoked veggies,
shrimp, etc.

So, beyond just brushing them with olive oil, and sprinkling on the herbs of
your choice with a little S&P, I'll need to find some other recipes to try.
For tonight, I already went to the store yesterday and got a fair amount of
sweet peppers, zuccini squash, cherry tomatoes on the vine, onion, garlic.
We'll be throwing some of all of this on one of the above-mentioned pans
tonight!

--
EZ
Traeger BBQ075 "Texas"
CharGriller Smokin Pro
Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Wide Body
CharmGlow 3-burner All-Stainless Gas Grill
Weber Kettle One-Touch Silver 22-1/2"
Weber Kettle Smoky Joe Silver 14-1/2"

kilikini wrote:
> EZ wrote:

<snip>
> a couple of All
>> Clad pans on clearance for $14.95 each. A 7-1/2" all-stainless
>> skillet, and a 1-qt. all-stainless sauce pot, and the lid for my
>> 2-1/2 qt. fits it. And, they had a cheapo non-stick grill skillet and
>> a better all-stainless grill "wok." Both had big holes in them. I
>> bought all 4, and paid $1.23 of my own money.

> Congrats on your score, EZ. I'd do garlic butter on veggies, balsamic
> vinegar and olive oil is also good. I wish you much success!
>
> kili

Thanks, kili! Great ideas. I'll give them a try!


--
EZ
Traeger BBQ075 "Texas"
CharGriller Smokin Pro
Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Wide Body
CharmGlow 3-burner All-Stainless Gas Grill
Weber Kettle One-Touch Silver 22-1/2"
Weber Kettle Smoky Joe Silver 14-1/2"

VegA wrote:

<snip>
> IMHO that kind of wok is no different than any other basket.

I completely agree! But, actually, a basket is what I was after in the first
place, so I was glad to find a couple that will work. I wouldn't call it a
"wok" at all, but if BB&B wants to call it that, I don't care - it's really
just a square basket with big holes in it.

> The entire point behind a wok is to cook at very hight heat.

Absolutely. No argument here.

> I have a large wok. Hand hammered, one peice (welded handle, no wood).

I had one of those once. It was a beautiful thing. I lost it in the Great
Divorce. Now, I have one of those cheaper, non-stick jobs you can pick up at
Sam's or Costco. It works OK, but it's not as good as the real thing.

> When I gook out doors with it I use the base of my turkey frier. That
> thing gets hot enough to turn the bottom of the wok a dull reddish
> black! Never get a stainless wok or an electric one. That ia IMHO of
> course, but you will be sorry if you do.

Yeah.

Nice readin' ya, Gene! You have good ideas.

--
EZ
Traeger BBQ075 "Texas"
CharGriller Smokin Pro
Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Wide Body
CharmGlow 3-burner All-Stainless Gas Grill
Weber Kettle One-Touch Silver 22-1/2"
Weber Kettle Smoky Joe Silver 14-1/2"

On Tue, 08 May 2007 14:38:06 -0600, VegA > wrote:

>I have a large wok. Hand hammered, one peice (welded handle, no wood).
>When I gook out doors with it I use the base of my turkey frier.
^^^^

You'll fit right in in alt.food.barbecue. They like using ethnic
slurs, too.

EZ wrote:
> Steve Wertz wrote:
>
>> You can get really chreap cast iron at the restaurant supply and
>> sporting good stores. There's always foil, too.
>
>
> Thanks for the tip, Steve! As it turns out, I had a $50 gift
> certificate for Bed Bath & Beyond, and a 20% coupon to boot. Went
> there on my lunch break, and lo and behold, they had a couple of All
> Clad pans on clearance for $14.95 each. A 7-1/2" all-stainless
> skillet, and a 1-qt. all-stainless sauce pot, and the lid for my
> 2-1/2 qt. fits it. And, they had a cheapo non-stick grill skillet and
> a better all-stainless grill "wok." Both had big holes in them. I
> bought all 4, and paid $1.23 of my own money.
>
> Seems I now have no excuse for not turning out great grilled/smoked
> veggies, shrimp, etc.
>
> So, beyond just brushing them with olive oil, and sprinkling on the
> herbs of your choice with a little S&P, I'll need to find some other
> recipes to try. For tonight, I already went to the store yesterday
> and got a fair amount of sweet peppers, zuccini squash, cherry
> tomatoes on the vine, onion, garlic. We'll be throwing some of all of
> this on one of the above-mentioned pans tonight!

Congrats on your score, EZ. I'd do garlic butter on veggies, balsamic
vinegar and olive oil is also good. I wish you much success!

kili

snip

all-stainless grill "wok." Both had big holes in
>them. I bought all 4, and paid $1.23 of my own money.
>
>Seems I now have no excuse for not turning out great grilled/smoked veggies,
>shrimp, etc.
>
>So, beyond just brushing them with olive oil, and sprinkling on the herbs of
>your choice with a little S&P, I'll need to find some other recipes to try.
>For tonight, I already went to the store yesterday and got a fair amount of
>sweet peppers, zuccini squash, cherry tomatoes on the vine, onion, garlic.
>We'll be throwing some of all of this on one of the above-mentioned pans
>tonight!


IMHO that kind of wok is no different than any other basket.

The entire point behind a wok is to cook at very hight heat. Hotter
than your stove at home is likely to be able to get. They are made of
higher carbon steel so as to be "non-stick", like cast iron gets when
well seasoned. Never use soap when cleaning a wok.

I have a large wok. Hand hammered, one peice (welded handle, no wood).
When I gook out doors with it I use the base of my turkey frier. That
thing gets hot enough to turn the bottom of the wok a dull reddish
black! Never get a stainless wok or an electric one. That ia IMHO of
course, but you will be sorry if you do.

Woks are also great as steamers, popcorn poppers, and deep fryers!

I have also used my wok on my grill. I remove the grate and put it on
a fire ring right over the wood. The ring helps air flow under the wok
and allows the heat to stay high.

I know this isn't alt.food.wok, but I hope this helps.


Gene

On Tue, 8 May 2007 14:58:12 -0500, "EZ" >
wrote:

SNIPin to save everyone space......

>I had one of those once. It was a beautiful thing. I lost it in the Great
>Divorce. Now, I have one of those cheaper, non-stick jobs you can pick up at
>Sam's or Costco. It works OK, but it's not as good as the real thing.
>

I would have fought for that wok till the bitter end!

You can grab a good wok at a "China town" cheaper than at any
Wallyworld. Ace hardware has had them from time to time!

Where you at? I could see if I can hook you up with a real wok.

Something to know about that non-stick stuff. If you have birds it can
kill them. Not too good for you either. Woks are meant to cook at up
to and over 500 degrees. Any idea what teflom (all non-stick) burns
at?

You might want to take a look at the following sites:

http://www.tashian.com/carl/archives..._your_tefl.php
http://www.safehavenparrotrefuge.co.uk/dangers.html
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006...nous_teflo.php

This one could scare the hell out of you:

http://www.webmd.com/news/20060127/e...n-chemical-ban

This may have been discussed here before, I don't know.

>Nice readin' ya, Gene! You have good ideas.

Just tryin to give back!

Nice chattin with ya!

On Tue, 08 May 2007 14:17:25 -0600, Kevin S. Wilson >
wrote:

>On Tue, 08 May 2007 14:38:06 -0600, VegA > wrote:
>
>>I have a large wok. Hand hammered, one peice (welded handle, no wood).
>>When I gook out doors with it I use the base of my turkey frier.
> ^^^^
>
>You'll fit right in in alt.food.barbecue. They like using ethnic
>slurs, too.

That was a TYPING ERROR. I meant to type COOK. Sorry if I offended
anyone.

Thanks for pointing out my error.

Kevin S. Wilson wrote:
> On Tue, 08 May 2007 14:38:06 -0600, VegA > wrote:
>
>> I have a large wok. Hand hammered, one peice (welded handle, no wood).
>> When I gook out doors with it I use the base of my turkey frier.
> ^^^^
>
> You'll fit right in in alt.food.barbecue. They like using ethnic
> slurs, too.

VegA, Meet the resident crossposting asshole.

On May 8, 1:17 pm, Kevin S. Wilson > wrote:
> On Tue, 08 May 2007 14:38:06 -0600, VegA > wrote:
> >I have a large wok. Hand hammered, one peice (welded handle, no wood).
> >When I gook out doors with it I use the base of my turkey frier.
>
> ^^^^
>
> You'll fit right in in alt.food.barbecue. They like using ethnic
> slurs, too.

What do you call an Oriental who bites the heads off Klingon food
worms?


Dr. HotSalt

Dr. HotSalt wrote:
> On May 8, 1:17 pm, Kevin S. Wilson > wrote:
>> On Tue, 08 May 2007 14:38:06 -0600, VegA > wrote:
>>> I have a large wok. Hand hammered, one peice (welded handle, no wood).
>>> When I gook out doors with it I use the base of my turkey frier.
>> ^^^^
>>
>> You'll fit right in in alt.food.barbecue. They like using ethnic
>> slurs, too.
>
> What do you call an Oriental who bites the heads off Klingon food
> worms?


Doesn't matter what you call him, he still smells terrible.

No, wait .....


--

"Truth matters, God doesn't & life sucks."

-- House, M.D.

On Tue, 08 May 2007 19:52:04 -0400, Dan > wrote:

>Kevin S. Wilson wrote:
>> On Tue, 08 May 2007 14:38:06 -0600, VegA > wrote:
>>
>>> I have a large wok. Hand hammered, one peice (welded handle, no wood).
>>> When I gook out doors with it I use the base of my turkey frier.
>> ^^^^
>>
>> You'll fit right in in alt.food.barbecue. They like using ethnic
>> slurs, too.
>
>VegA, Meet the resident crossposting asshole.

Yea, I noticed he cross posted.

I been on the Internet from before the Internet. Back in the old BBS
days. In fact, before then. Old stuff called AOS that linked AT&T Bell
Labs with the data support centers and Universities. You run into all
kinds. I learned to develop thick skin

VegA wrote:

> I would have fought for that wok till the bitter end!

Well, I didn't get to fight for my Martin D12-20 guitar, so I figured the
wok was another battle not worth waging in the grand scheme of things.

> Where you at? I could see if I can hook you up with a real wok.

St. Louis. I've seen the real kind around here and there - just been too
lazy to go get one, since I don't do cooking with a wok nearly as often as I
do bbq. And there's that whole thing about where do you store such a large
beast, anyway.

All excuses, of course.


> You might want to take a look at the following sites:
>
> http://www.tashian.com/carl/archives..._your_tefl.php
> http://www.safehavenparrotrefuge.co.uk/dangers.html
> http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006...nous_teflo.php
>
> This one could scare the hell out of you:
>
> http://www.webmd.com/news/20060127/e...n-chemical-ban

Yikes! Microwave popcorn, too! That's pretty scary.


> Nice chattin with ya!

Likewise.

--
EZ
Traeger BBQ075 "Texas"
CharGriller Smokin Pro
Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Wide Body
CharmGlow 3-burner All-Stainless Gas Grill
Weber Kettle One-Touch Silver 22-1/2"
Weber Kettle Smoky Joe Silver 14-1/2"

VegA wrote:

> I have a large wok. Hand hammered, one peice (welded handle, no wood).

Just a question. If it's hammered carbon steel, how does it do with acidic
veggies like tomatoes?

> I been on the Internet from before the Internet. Back in the old BBS
> days. In fact, before then. Old stuff called AOS that linked AT&T Bell
> Labs with the data support centers and Universities. You run into all
> kinds. I learned to develop thick skin

Yup. Me, too. I'm 57 years old. I remember my first 300-baud modem on an
Apple //e. And Gopher, before the Internet.

No more, or I'll have to change the subject line to OT: something or
another.

--
EZ
Traeger BBQ075 "Texas"
CharGriller Smokin Pro
Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Wide Body
CharmGlow 3-burner All-Stainless Gas Grill
Weber Kettle One-Touch Silver 22-1/2"
Weber Kettle Smoky Joe Silver 14-1/2"

Forgot to mention how last night's veggies turned out. I fired up the
Traeger on High, let it get up to temp in about 10-15 minutes, sliced a
yellow squash lengthwise into quarters, cut a green pepper into 1" wide
slices, washed up a half-dozen cherry tomatoes on the vine, olive oiled 'em
up on a plate, sprinkled 'em with S&P, threw 'em into my brandy-new grill
basket, onto the Traeger for about 10-15 minutes. They came out just right -
hot, still crispy, just slightly charred, great smoky flavor, sweet from the
olive oil. They went great with the leftover pork tenderloin I'd done on the
Weber a few nights ago, and some pasta on the side.

--
EZ
Traeger BBQ075 "Texas"
CharGriller Smokin Pro
Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain Wide Body
CharmGlow 3-burner All-Stainless Gas Grill
Weber Kettle One-Touch Silver 22-1/2"
Weber Kettle Smoky Joe Silver 14-1/2"