If you joined us for our series on a smoking banana , now it’s time to learn just what you can do with this flavorful fruit. This recipe for Smoked Banana Double Bites makes for a perfect snack, kid loving dessert, or even a sweet party item. Gather together the following:
We love this Winter cocktail, because of its smoky twist! Simple ingredients and easy to mix.
WINTER COCKTAIL GETS A BIT SMOKY
As we wait for warmer days, I have a perfect winter cocktail that will make you content as you bear the cold. Featuring just 4 ingredients, I’m taking a single ingredient and cold smoking it to give a smoky flavor. We’ll use a handheld food smoker for a quick, easy means of infusing the smoke flavor.
Ingredients and Smoke
#coldsmoking
Our Smoked Winter cocktail has just 4 ingredients:
cream of coconut
vanilla vodka
crème de cocoa
ice
By using a handheld food smoker, you can make quick time of smoking the cream of coconut needed for our Winter Wonderland cocktail. I’m making a full batch of drinks to serve about 6 so I’ve placed 6 ounces of cream of coconut, (I like the CocoLopez brand), into a container. That container is placed inside a plastic bag. I’m using The Smoking Gun® by Brevillewhich is a stand-alone, easy to control cold smoke appliance. I simply place the smoking hose into my container, cinch the bag around the hose, lite my Piccolo® wood chips while the food smoker is turned on, and allow the smoke to fill the container. I then turn off the unit, remove the hose, cinch the bag tight, and allow the smoke to sit for a few minutes to infuse the coconut cream. That’s it! Now time to assemble our Winter Wonderland cocktail.
Tasting Notes: Although I elected to smoke the cream of coconut, you can smoke one of the alcohols or even the water to make the ice cubes. For those looking for a bolder smokiness, feel free to smoke the entire cocktail mixture before serving over ice.
Quick Shake to Yum
After smoking the cream of coconut, it’s time to mix the cocktail. This is best done in a shaker. For a single cocktail, fill the shaker with ice, add 1 ounce of the smoked cream of coconut, 1-1/2 ounces of vanilla vodka, and 1-1/2 ounces of crème de Cocoa. Shake until well chilled and the flavors marry. Strain into an ice filled glass and serve.
This is one winter cocktail you’ll enjoy sipping as you wait on those warmer days.
The Culinary Crew wants you to know …
… that the hand-held smoker can do “smoky wonders” to just about any of your favorite cocktails or drinks. Just make sure that you have the right size of smoking wood chips in the unit and don’t overpack the vessel! Remember, if you choose to enjoy any alcoholic beverage, drink responsibly!
Do you have a favorite smoked cocktail? Leave us a comment to let us know and subscribe to our channel to get all the tips, techniques, and recipes we bring your way. Always eager to share our expertise on all things wood fired, that’s SmokinLicious®!
Fresh strawberries are pretty much available all year, so why not do something different with this fruit favorite and try your hand at smoking them! One of the easiest methods for controlling the smoke level to a fruit is to use a hand held food smoker.
When you don’t want to smoke the actual protein, think about smoking another ingredient that will be married to the pork. For me, that was the maple syrup I use in my marinade recipe. I’ll review for you the cold smoking technique for this and then provide my recipe for this great marinade that can be used on fish, chicken, turkey, pork, and goat.
The Simple Cold Smoke Method
I’m sure you’ve read or seen some type of information for cold smoking cocktails, cheese, salt, and spices. This technique is easiest when you use one of the many types of handheld food smokers on the market today.
For my method of smoking maple syrup, I’ve selected the Gourmia® Mini Smoker which works best with a very clean, dust-free micro wood chip to produce the smoke for infusion. This is easily available from SmokinLicious®, offering a variety of sizing to fit your need in 8 hardwood species. I’ll be using the Minuto® Wood Chip Size #8 for this smoking infusion.
I’ve found the easiest method of smoking and maintaining the maple syrup, is to use a glass container like a wine bottle. Just be sure that the container is completely clean and dry.
I place about one cup of maple syrup in the glass bottle. Taking the tubing of the Gourmia® Mini Smoker, I place the end in the glass bottle. Taking just a finger size pinch or two of the wood chips, I place in the handheld food smoker’s chip bowl and then ignite the wood chips with a lighter while turning the unit’s fan on. Once the smoke is generated, I turn the unit’s van off and allow the bottle to fill with smoke. Save a cork as you can use it to plug the bottle allowing for maximum infusion of the smoke. Be sure to rotate the bottle to allow for the smoke to travel completely within the maple syrup.
The Smoked Maple Syrup Marinade Recipe
Once the maple syrup has been smoked, it’s time to collect the other ingredients and make our marinade. Using equal parts smoked NYS maple syrup Grade A and Dijon mustard, I add 3 tablespoons of lime juice and fresh ground pepper and whisk until just combined. Taking a storage bag, I place a 4 lb. boneless pork roast inside, then pour in my Smoked Maple Syrup-Dijon Marinade. Sealing the bag, I place the bag in the refrigerator for a least 4 hours though I prefer to marinate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 325° F. Place the marinated roast in a roasting pan with rack. This will take about 75 minutes to reach 145° F internal temperature. About halfway through the cooking process, I rotate the cooking pan and spoon some of the pan juices back over the roast. That will give it a beautiful bronze finish. Remove from the oven and cut into ½” slices. The Aroma-taste of pure maple joy with a smoky kick!
Bringing you great recipes for all types of food ingredients to grill, ember cook, hot smoke, and cold smoke. We welcome your suggestions on foods you want to see smoked or charred so leave us a comment. Don’t forget to subscribe for more great recipes, techniques, tips, and the science behind the fire, smoke, and flavor.
We’ve always tried to stress that smoking doesn’t necessarily have to involve the entire item but rather you can simply smoke one component. That’s just what we are doing with our latest smoked cocktail. We are making a cranberry bourbon cocktail that contains a smoked simple syrup to give this extra flavor and balance. Pick out your favorite brand of bourbon and let’s make this super easy, yet super flavorful smoked cocktail featuring bourbon and cranberry.
Making and Smoking Simple Syrup
#simplesyrup
Before the simple syrup can be infused with smoke vapor, we need to construct the syrup.
In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. Add a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary and fresh sage to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Strain the herbs from the finished syrup and allow to cool before smoking.
With the fresh herb infused simple syrup cooled, it’s time to infuse another layer of flavor using a cold smoke technique. I’ve added a pinch of Piccolo® wood chips to the bowl of The Smoking Gun™ by Breville. Using a large plastic bag, I insert my measuring cup of the simple syrup into the bag as well as the hose to the smoking unit. I turn on the unit and light the wood chips which begins the smoke generation. After filling the bag with smoke, I turn the unit off and remove the hose, while quickly cinching the bag closed. I prefer to leave the smoke in the bag until it has naturally dissipated. I do move the simple syrup around to allow the smoke vapor to penetrate completely thru the syrup.
#handheldsmoker
Tasting Notes: You can control the level of smoke infusion in two ways – your choice of the hardwood chips for the actual flavor infusion and the amount of time you leave the syrup exposed to the smoke.
Cocktail Time!
#cranberrybourbon
With our herb infused simple syrup cold smoked, it’s time to assemble our cocktail. Fill a serving glass with ice, add 2 ounces of your favorite bourbon, 2 ounces of 100%, unsweetened cranberry juice, ½ ounce of the smoked simple syrup, and a splash of fresh lemon juice. Stir until well combined. Add a fresh rosemary and sage sprig for garnish and serve.
This is a cocktail you can adjust the ingredient levels to change the level of sweetness versus pungency. When dialed in correctly, the smoke and sweetness levels balance each other for a well-rounded cocktail to enjoy any time of year.
Do you have a favorite smoked cocktail? Leave us a comment to let us know and subscribe to our channel to get all the tips, techniques, and recipes we bring your way. Always eager to share our expertise on all things wood fired, that’s SmokinLicious®!
We did a smoky whiskey cocktail with a sparkling twist!
SMOKY WHISKEY COCKTAIL FOR THE HEARTY DRINKER
I’m bringing you another smoked cocktail that is deep in flavor and suited for those who like hearty cocktails. For this cocktail, I’ll be adding even a deeper flavor to the whiskey by cold smoking it with a handheld food smoker. A rich syrup is made first and then added to our cocktail that can be served hot or cold. Perfect, either way, to warm you up on cold winter days!
The Syrup
#whiskey
To get our Harvest Smoke & Sparkle cocktail started, we need to make the sweet syrup to balance the boldness of the smoked whiskey. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together ½ cup of honey, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground clove and 1 cup of orange juice until it starts to bubble. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
If making individual cocktails, it is important to still make the full batch of cider-honey syrup and take the 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of cider-honey syrup from the batch per cocktail.
Tasting Notes: This is referred to as a harvest sparkle due to the traditional spices associated with the Fall. Feel free to experiment and adjust these flavors as cardamom and allspice also work well.
The Construction
#Breville #coldsmoking
With the cider-honey syrup made and cooling, it’s time to take your favorite brand of whiskey and cold smoke flavor into it. I’m using The Smoking Gun® by Breville which is self-standing to make the actual smoking process easy.
After placing the whiskey in a measuring cup, I place the measuring cup in a plastic bag and insert the hose of the smoking appliance into the bag. I then add a pinch of Piccolo® wood chips to the bowl and turn on the unit while lighting the chips. Once the smoke fills the bag, I shut off the unit, remove the hose, and cinch the bag closed to allow the smoke to penetrate the whiskey. It helps to move the whiskey around in the cup to help the smoke molecules to cling to the alcohol. That’s it!
What is so great about this whiskey cocktail is that is can be served hot or cold. Today, I’m making the cold version in a large batch to serve many guests. I start by adding my smoked whiskey and cider-honey syrup to a large pitcher with lots of ice. Next, I whisk these two ingredients together well. If making a single cocktail, add an ounce of the smoked whiskey and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the cider-honey syrup to a shaker filled with ice. I strain into a serving glass and add Prosecco and a garnish of rosemary. I prefer a bit of ice in the glass for the cold version.
#smokedcocktail #warmcocktails #hotcocktails
Now, for those that like it hot, simply whisk together the smoked whiskey and cider honey syrup in a saucepan or heat in the microwave for 45 seconds in a mug. This is one smoked cocktail that will take away any chill in the air!
Do you have a favorite smoked cocktail? Leave us a comment to let us know and subscribe to our channel to get all the tips, techniques, and recipes we bring your way. Always eager to share our expertise on all things wood fired, that’s SmokinLicious®!
Smoky bourbon cranberry cocktail is a simple but elegant drink for holiday celebrations during the colder months.
SMOKY BOURBON CRANBERRY COCKTAIL
For those of you who love bourbon, we’ve got a special cocktail for the sampling. This is a rather festive drink containing cranberry. We add an additional layer of flavor by cold smoking the cranberry cocktail syrup for a unique blend of sweet, tart, and smoky. Let’s get started on how it’s done.
Making Cranberry Syrup
Our smoked bourbon cranberry cocktail starts with the ingredients for a cocktail syrup. Similar to traditional simple syrup, this one has a bit more acid in the form of white wine vinegar. You’ll need to gather together:
1 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup of white wine vinegar
Sugar- 1 cup
You also need a saucepan and heat tolerant spoon.
Start by placing a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the white wine vinegar and the cup of sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Next in, one cup of cranberries, fresh or frozen, though I’m using fresh as they are available at the time of this recipe. Bring the mixture to a boil stirring constantly. Once the sugar is dissolved and the cranberries have reduced, remove from the heat and allow to cool in the saucepan. While the mixture is cooling, let’s prepare the handheld smoker for the smoke vapor infusion.
Cold Smoking is in Your Hand
It’s never been so easy to produce smoked ingredients with the development of the handheld food smoker. It all began with The Smoking Gun™ which is the unit I will be using today, but know there are many options available to you. I set up my handheld food smoker with Sugar Maple Minuto® Wood Chips.
Bringing the cooled saucepan to a table, I have a piece of press and seal at the ready, but you can use plastic wrap, a food storage bag, or vacuum bag, anything that will provide a seal. I seal around the saucepan leaving a small opening to insert the tubing of the food smoker. Turning the unit’s fan on, I light the wood chips and allow the smoke vapor to fill the saucepan. Once filled, I release the tubing from the pan and seal the pan completely with the wrap, allowing the smoke to penetrate the cranberry syrup. The longer the pan stays wrapped, the more smoke flavor the syrup will take on. Once infused, remove the wrap and prepare to make the cocktail.
Building a Smoky Cocktail
To make the cocktail, place ice in a rock glass. Add ¼ cup plus a splash of your favorite bourbon. Add two tablespoons of seltzer and two tablespoons of the cranberry syrup. Stir and add a tablespoon of fresh cranberries. It’s now ready to serve! Smoky Bourbon Cranberry Cocktail – a unique drink for all those bourbon lovers you know.
NOT JUST ANY MAPLE SYRUP-A New Flavour Twist- Smoked Maple Syrup
The Gourmia® Mini Smoker or any handheld smoker is the perfect equipment for those who want to infuse smoke flavor into raw and cooked foods, beverages, herbs, and spices. Using SmokinLicious® Minuto® or Piccolo® Wood Chips ensures maximum flavor infusion from a clean, 100% bark-free hardwood. Select from 8 hardwood species and combine woods for your owncustomized flavoring.
We are taking a step on the intense side and preparing to smoke pure New York State maple syrup. I am using SmokinLicious® Sugar Maple Minuto® Chips in Size 8. In addition to the smoker and chips, you will need a container to hold the syrup, some plastic wrap and a lighter. Keep in mind, this smoked syrup isnot intended to be used on waffles, pancakes, or french toast due to the intense flavoring. Get ready, for a fun, quick way to smoked maple syrup!
So simple to do, cold smoke generators let you direct the smoke just where you want. With the maple syrup placed in a glass bottle, the tubing of the Gourmia® Mini Smoker or any handheld smoker is inserted into the bottle and then sealed with simple plastic wrap. This ensures that all the smoke vapor produced is contained within the bottle and exposed to the syrup. You can fill the smoke to the level you want – just a little or right up to the top like we did. Remove the tubing and tighten the plastic wrap or secure the bottle’s cap, and the flavor infusion begins.
Once the smoke is retained within the bottle, we gentle rotate the bottle, turning the liquid within so that it mixes with the smoke vapor. Remember, the more smoke in the bottle, the stronger the flavor will be as you mix it in. You can see how the amber color of the syrup darkens as it is combined with the smoke vapor. That’s it!
Now, you can take this smoked maple syrup and use it in place of simple syrup for cocktails, add it to marinades and sauces for a balance of flavors that are unique. We will be using this batch in a special maple glaze for pork (see our recipe blog for our recipe and technique).
The Gourmia® Mini Smoker is the perfect equipment for those who want to infuse smoke flavor into raw and cooked foods, beverages, herbs, and spices. UsingSmokinLicious® Minuto® or Piccolo® Wood Chips ensures maximum flavor infusion from a clean, 100% bark-free hardwood. Select from 8 hardwood species and combine woods for your own customized flavoring.
Minuto® Wood Chips and the Gourmia® unit.
We are going to show the versatility of cold smoke techniques by infusing smoke into some raw shrimp that have been marinated in BBQ sauce. I’m using SmokinLicious® Sugar Maple Minuto® Chips in Size 8. In addition to the smoker and chips, you will need to place your marinated shrimp in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or in a food storage bag, and a lighter. Get ready, for a fun, quick way to fabulous smoked BBQ shrimp, in an instant!
Tip-Using a bag and the smoker unit to infuse the flavor
So simple to do, cold smoke generators let you direct the smoke just where you want. I’ve taken my uncooked shrimp and marinated them overnight in my favorite BBQ sauce. Any sauce will do whether homemade or store bought. I set up my Gourmia® Mini Smoker with Size 8 Minuto® Wood chips from SmokinLicious®, inserting the smoker’s tubing directly into my marinade bag. I seal the bag around the tubing, turn on the smoker, and light the wood chips. As soon as I see the smoke start to the fill the bag, I turn the smoker off, pull the tubing out, and seal the bag completely.
You can leave the smoke sealed in the bag until you are ready to cook the shrimp. Any method of cooking will do – in the pan, baked in the oven, on the grill – whatever your pleasure! So much flavor you will think you just smoked for hours on a traditional smoker. Unlock your imagination and get smoking with SmokinLicious® and Gourmia®!
