Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Oct 25 2022 - Grilling

 

Do you stop grilling and barbecuing when the temperatures start to drop?  Gerry and I were at the large fireplace store in St. Catharines.  Given all the big - really big barbecues -  it seemed to me that there a lot of grilling and barbecuing all year long.   And I noticed a lot of different flavours can be added with the different kinds of wood/wood chips available.  Surveys say that 1/4 of Canadians barbecue in winter.  In Ontario it is 45%!  That's brave and dedicated.  The headlines say it:  "Just because it's 20 below zero, doesn't mean you can't throw a nice steak or a few burgers on that outdoor grill!

What's the difference with cold weather barbecuing?  I think there's one big difference:  Scrape off the snow flakes - a layer of snow or ice can gather on the barbecue.  All the others like - look for little critters, keep a bottle of warm water on hand for a bit of grease, cook in an open space, preheat the grill, etc.  These seem mundane.  

But what about this delicacy?  Cold smoking cheese and vegetables.  
Cold smoking is the process of adding smoky flavors to food without using enough heat to cook the food. That makes perfect sense for smoking cheese. For cold smoking, you want to keep your grill or smoker under 90°F so you don’t end up with a mess of melty cheese in your grill. 

Colder days are best - so when better than late fall, and winter to bring some rich flavours to your table.

These ideas come from the angrybbq.com  on how to cold smoke cheese.

"You want a cheese that is hard or semi-hard that can hold up to the smoky flavors from burning wood.

Cheddar is one of the most common cheeses to smoke, and you don’t have to go with just a normal sharp cheddar. If you have a favorite cheddar that already has some extra ingredients, such as peppers, you can smoke it to add even more flavor. Speaking of peppers, grabbing a block of pepper jack to smoke is a good move. Other common cheeses include gouda, provolone, parmesan, and hard mozzarella. 


You want to balance your wood choices with your cheese. If you are only looking for a subtle smoky flavor, going with a fruitwood like apple or cherry is a great option. Oak, pecan, or hickory bring a much stronger flavor, so be aware when using them. Some even say they can bring a bacon-like smokiness to cheeses, so cheddar is a great option for stronger-flavored wood smoke.

Using a smoker box or tube can be a huge help since you are looking to smoke the cheese, not cook it. These allow you to put wood chips or pellets in them and slowly release smoke throughout the grill without generating much heat. "



Here are Autumn leaves in Kingston. 

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