Dancing Spoon

How to Smoke Cheese

Cheese Smokin'

by J. Michael Wheeler
How to Smoke Cheese
Don, a reader of Dancing Spoon, was browsing through Foodie’s Emporium (our online store) in the Grilling category when he came across EZ Smoke, our natural wood chip smoker in a can. He asked:

Can you cold smoke with ez smoker. I want to smoke cheese. Thanks Don

Yes, Don, you can. And it’s a simple process.

Just about any kind of cheese can be smoked. Most commonly known are smoked provolones, mozzarellas, cheddars, and goudas, but goat cheeses and even blue cheeses can be deliciously smoked. Because of it’s low melting temperature, cheese must be smoked using the cold smoked technique. Cold smoking takes place at temperatures of 90 degrees or less. Here's how to smoke cheese:

1. After selecting your cheeses (at least 8 oz each) for smoking, unwrap them and set on aluminum pans. Leave at room temperature for 1-2 hours. The cheese will form a slight skin that will protect it from melting while allowing the smoke to penetrate. 

2. When your cheese has set, prepare a grill with a lid. Place 3-4 pieces of charcoal on one side of the grill and light them. The goal is to produce smoke, but not heat. If you have a small grill you may need to use less charcoal at the onset and add a piece of charcoal if you want to smoke the cheese longer. Leave lid off initially, to prevent heat build up.

3. Select one of our EZ Smoke BBQ wood flavors, Apple, Mesquite, Pecan or Hickory. When the coals are hot, peel off the can’s seal and place on top of the coals. (You don’t need to soak the EZ Smoke chips.)

4. Place the aluminum pans on your grill on the opposite side of the charcoal and close the lid. Open the top and side vents to allow the smoke to circulate.

5. Check the cheeses after about a half hour to make sure they are not melting, and then every 15 to 20 minutes to taste the cheese. Remove the cheese when they have absorbed the smoky flavor you desire.

6. Remove the cheeses, let them cool, and enjoy. Store as you normally would.

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Peel off the seal and put the flavor into your meal with EZ Smoke BBQ! Four varieties of natural wood chips flavors to give your meats, poultry, fish or vegetables a unique smoky taste with no mess or fuss. Re-usable up to 3 times. Quick and easy! No soaking, no mess, no flying ash. Produces natural wood smoke in about 2 minutes. One can of EZ Smoke produces the same amount of smoking time as a 180 cubic inch bag of chips. Easy to use! Simply remove the label, place can on coals or lava rocks, and within minutes it begins to smoke. Grill as you normally would. Use on gas or charcoal grills.

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Grilled Lobster & Arugula

Ordinary Out of the

OOO by Kate Krukowski Gooding

Grilled Lobster Tail with Arugula
& Sherry-Ginger Vinaigrette
I was recently asked by Dancing Spoon’s own, J. Michael Wheeler, “Are the lobsters still as good when they're shedding and have soft shells? And are summer lobsters as good as cold weather lobsters?” I know some people that disagree with me but I have never tasted anything as sweet and tender as a Maine lobster in the summer that is shedding. And, they are easier to eat because you can break the soft, cooked lobster shells with your hands.

My friends just arrived this week for a visit from New Haven, CT. We treated them to lobsters just caught from a local lobsterman and friend.  We ate them the old fashioned way: with lots of newspapers on the table, paper towels galore, fresh picked corn on the cob and melted, salted butter. We finished it off with my new Blueberry Cake recipe. The consensus was — sweet, tender, and just keep them coming!

I bought extra lobsters to test for this new recipe below, which we had for lunch. The sherry really adds another level of richness to this already decadent crustacean. YUM!!!

Two Skewer Kebabs

Tips Grilling

by J. Michael Wheeler
Wrestling Skewers
Grilling shrimp, veggies, and other small tasty kebab items on skewers is a great technique: until you’re ready to flip the skewer. Then, often the skewer will turn but some, or all, of the those kebab-ers won’t budge. They just spin on the skewer or try to escape entirely. Here’s the secret: thread each piece of food with two parallel skewers. Then when it’s time to turn the food, you can use tongs to turn the skewers. The food stays put, cooks more evenly, and the kebabs are easy to handle.

Grilling Recipes
We've got some very tasty summer recipes at Dancing Spoon Magazine. Try Kate Gooding's Grilled Shitake Encrusted Buffalo Rib Steaks & Warm Black Fly Vinaigrette Salad, Smoked Duck in a Raspberry Sauce is from her new Dancing Spoon column Out of the Ordinary. Gloria Bakst brings us Black Cod or Sable Grilled in Miso Marinade and Nori Topped Summer Salad an inventive, refreshing salad using a world of ingredients.
Find more grilling recipes, Click here.

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EZ Smoke BBQ 3-pack (1 each: Hickory, Mesquite, Apple).

EZ Smoke BBQ 3-pack (1 each: Hickory, Mesquite, Apple)
Peel off the seal and put the flavor into your meal with EZ Smoke BBQ! Four varieties of natural wood chips flavors your meats, poultry, fish or vegetables with a unique smoky taste with no mess or fuss. Re-usable up to 3 times. Quick and easy! No soaking, no mess, no flying ash. Produces natural wood smoke in about 2 minutes. Use on gas or charcoal grills. Ready to use in seconds, and can be used throughout the year. Compact and easy to transport, great for boat and RV owners, capers, tailgaters, hunters and fishermen. Easy to use! Simply remove the label, place can on coals or lava rocks, and within minutes it begins to smoke. Grill as you normally would. Easy to store! One can of EZ smoke produces the same amount of smoking time as a 180 cubic inch bag of chips. EZ Smoke BBQ chips adds flavor to foods when gas grilling.

Hand selected grills and grill accessories are at Foodie's Emporium!
Click here.

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Grillin' Basics Part Two

Tips Grilling

 by J. Michael Wheeler
Grill Greener
In L.A. where I grew up, it was always grilling season. Here in New England it isn't. (There are exceptions: see Shep's Winter Grilled Turkey.) So when the last of the snow is gone and any bit of vegetation merely thinks the word sprout, we break out the grillin' gear. This year we're also concerned with grilling greener. How do you lessen your carbon (bare)footprint? Here are a few ideas and some links for more info:

• Gas grills have lower emissions than charcoal or electric grills. A gas grill emits about half as much CO2 as charcoal grills and about one-third as much as an electric grill.

• Use sustainable-farmed charcoal or chips. If you do use a charcoal grill, the Forest Stewardship Council certifies producers that follow good resource management.

• Avoid lighter fluid which releases Volatile Organic Compounds. VOCs are hazardous to health. Use a chimney starter instead.
Check out these Grill Greener links: The Sundance Channel's The Green Blog and Treehugger How to Grill Green.

Tips: Grilling with Cedar Planks
Using wooden planks for grilling adds moisture and flavor to your grilled food. Grill with the lid closed: it's the best of both worlds, steaming and grilling combined. Turn thick pieces of fish and chicken. Thinner cuts like baby red snapper don't need to be turned during grilling. Using a cedar plank will take a little longer than regular grilling.

You can purchase cedar planks that are sold for specifically for grilling, (like the Camerons Products Cedar Planks pictured here) or you can go to your local lumberyard and buy untreated cedar planks. You can buy them as 1 x 4 inch planks in varying lengths. Ask to have them cut it into 12" lengths, which would handle two or three pounds of fish or chicken.

Soak the planks in water for one hour or longer before grilling. When the grill is hot, put the plank on the grill, smooth side down and char. Turn the wood over and then place fish or chicken on top to cook. The planks maybe reused.

Buy cedar planks for grilling. Click here.

Easier Grilling
Time to uncover the grill, find the super-long tongs, and fill the beer tub with ice, beer, and maybe a nice Spanish Albarino: it's grilling season. And while we can all get over-the-top with complicated, time-consuming preparations and fussy ingredients, sometimes keep it simple is just the way to go.

Thin is In Grill thin cuts of marinated meat. Marinating starts the cooking process and because the meat is so thin, it cooks quickly.

Organic Timers Grill foods that tell you when they're ready. It's easy to know when most shellfish is done: Shrimp curl and turn pink, and clams open.

No Fuss Foods Grill foods that are hard to under- or overcook. Salmon is great served rare or medium.

Common Cooking Temps If all the ingredients in a meal cook over the same temperature, then you can grill them all simultaneously.

Read more grilling articles, Click here.

Grilling Recipes
We've got some very tasty summer recipes at Dancing Spoon Magazine. Try Kate Gooding's Smoked Duck in a Raspberry Sauce is from her new Dancing Spoon column Out of the Ordinary. Gloria Bakst brings us Black Cod or Sable Grilled in Miso Marinade and Nori Topped Summer Salad an inventive, refreshing salad using a world of ingredients.
Find more grilling recipes, Click here.

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Weber 22-1/2-Inch One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill, Blue.
Qualifies for FREE SHIPPING!

Weber 22-1/2-Inch One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill
Weber Gold Series, 22-1/2" Dark Blue 1 Touch Charcoal Kettle Grill, Heavy Gauge Porcelain Enameled Steel Lid & Bowl, High Capacity No Rust Ash Catcher, Patented 1 Touch Cleaning System, Heat Resistant Nylon Handles On Lid & Bowl, Hinged Cooking Grate, 10 Year Limited Warranty.

• Charcoal grill with heavy-gauge porcelain enamel to prevent rust
• Nickel-plated cooking grate includes 2 hinged side openings for easy re-fueling
• Tripod base, nylon handles, and all-weather wheels provide easy maneuvering
• One-Touch stainless-steel cleaning system; removable high-capacity ash catcher
• Measures approximately 23 by 27 by 35 inches; 10-year limited warranty

Hand selected grills and grill accessories are at Foodie's Emporium!
Click here.

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Grillin' Basics Part One

Tips Grilling

 by J. Michael Wheeler
Grillin' Basics Part One
Cooking on an open fire goes all the way back to prehistoric Barbecue-Man. And while he probably wasn't clutching a can of Budweiser in one hand and a can of charcoal starter in the other, the basics of cooking over an open fire remain the same.

I admit that the start of each grilling season it takes me a while to get my chops back. I'll over cook the salmon or under cook the sliced potatoes. So in the interest of loosening up for the grill we present some Grillin' Basics.

Paint it black and the kettle grill pictured here looks pretty much like the one in over 85 million American backyards today. But this one is the very first. Read more...

Burn Baby, Burn
Of course if you use a gas grill for your outdoor cooking your selection of fuels is, well, gas. But for those of us who prefer to cook on real fire, there are more choices. Here are some of them:

Lump Charcoal Usually made from softwood. It comes in a variety of sizes. Easy to light, but quick burning.

Charcoal Briquettes Slow burning, easy to find. Some claim they give food an unpleasant taste.

Self-igniting Charcoal Briquettes or lump charcoal treated with a flammable substance. Easy to light. Let all of that flammable substance burn away before cooking.

Wood Hardwoods like oak and olive burn slowly and the aromatic smoke imparts a great taste to the food. Wood fires must be tended carefully to keep an even and steady heat.

How Hot is Hot Enough?
"Heat your grill to medium-high and place the . . ." How do you determine the temperature of your grill? While some grills have built-in temperature gauges, and there are even infrared heat seekers to tell you how hot your grill is, you've got a couple of built-in thermometers yourself: your hands.

Place your hand, palm facing down, just above the grill where you'll be cooking. (Please don't wear long, loose-fitting clothing while grilling.) Without being too macho about it, hold your hand over that spot and count how many seconds it takes before you say "ouch" and have to take your hand away from the grill.

Here's a chart to help you determine your grill's temperature. If you can hold your hand above the grill for this long, the grill is that hot:

· Two seconds is high heat
· Three seconds is medium-high heat
· Four seconds is medium heat
· Five seconds is medium-low heat
· Six seconds is low heat
· Seven seconds or more means you have time to open another beer

Read more grilling articles, Click here.

Grilling Recipes
We've got some very tasty grilling recipes here at Dancing Spoon Magazine. Kate Gooding's Grilled Wild Turkey with Apricot Glaze on Basmati Rice is from her new Dancing Spoon column Out of the Ordinary.  Gloria Baskt is very much into cedar planked grilling. She's got several tasty recipes like Cedar Plank Grilled Snapper and Lime Ginger Marinade for Cedar Plank Grilled Chicken.

Steak lovers might want to try David Haley's Chimichurri Grilled Flank Steak. He has some great wine suggestions too. And for something really over the top check out Steak & Truffles: Wow. As part of his Super Bowl Shuffle, Chef Gavan Murphy gave us grilled Mini Beef Sliders and Asparagus Skewered Shrimp.

Find more grilling recipes, Click here.

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Weber 22-1/2-Inch One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill, Blue.
Qualifies for FREE SHIPPING!

Weber 22-1/2-Inch One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill
Weber Gold Series, 22-1/2" Dark Blue 1 Touch Charcoal Kettle Grill, Heavy Gauge Porcelain Enameled Steel Lid & Bowl, High Capacity No Rust Ash Catcher, Patented 1 Touch Cleaning System, Heat Resistant Nylon Handles On Lid & Bowl, Hinged Cooking Grate, 10 Year Limited Warranty.
• Charcoal grill with heavy-gauge porcelain enamel to prevent rust
• Nickel-plated cooking grate includes 2 hinged side openings for easy re-fueling
• Tripod base, nylon handles, and all-weather wheels provide easy maneuvering
• One-Touch stainless-steel cleaning system; removable high-capacity ash catcher
• Measures approximately 23 by 27 by 35 inches; 10-year limited warranty

Hand selected grills and grill accessories are at Foodie's Emporium!
Click here.

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Smoked Duck & Raspberry Sauce

Ordinary Out of the

OOO by Kate Krukowski Gooding
Smoked Duck in a Raspberry Sauce
The first time I tested this recipe my brother had just given me a couple fresh ducks. I love cooking fresh, which is something we can’t do in New England all the time. The second time I purchased ducks from a local market to test the difference. The fresh ducks were moister, so I adjusted the recipe to provide a little more moisture.

You don’t have an electric or charcoal smoker? You have two other options. First heat your grill on medium. Soak 1 cup of apple wood chips in water for an hour, drain and wrap in heavy aluminum foil. Cut 5 slits across the top and place in bottom of grill and close cover. When grills smokes, place the duck on a greased grill and smoke for 20 minutes; turn over and smoke another 10 minutes for a medium center. The other option I use (and this is not cheating) especially in the dead of winter at 19 below zero, is put one drop of liquid smoke in the marinade and 1 drop in the sauce.

Grilling with Cedar Planks

Grilling Tips

 by J. Michael Wheeler
Grilling on Wooden Planks
Using wooden planks for grilling adds moisture and flavor to your grilled food. Grill with the lid closed: it’s the best of both worlds, steaming and grilling combined. Turn thick pieces of fish and chicken. Thinner cuts like baby red snapper don’t need to be turned during grilling. Using a cedar plank will take a little longer than regular grilling.

You can purchase cedar planks that are sold for specifically for grilling, (like the Camerons Products Cedar Planks pictured here) or you can go to your local lumberyard and buy untreated cedar planks. You can buy them as 1 x 4 inch planks in varying lengths. Ask to have them cut it into 12” lengths, which would handle two or three pounds of fish or chicken.

Soak the planks in water for one hour or longer before grilling. When the grill is hot, put the plank on the grill, smooth side down and char. Turn the wood over and then place fish or chicken on top to cook. The planks maybe reused.

Buy cedar planks for grilling. Click here.

---

Weber 22-1/2-Inch One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill, Blue.
Qualifies for FREE SHIPPING!

Weber 22-1/2-Inch One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill
Weber Gold Series, 22-1/2" Dark Blue 1 Touch Charcoal Kettle Grill, Heavy Gauge Porcelain Enameled Steel Lid & Bowl, High Capacity No Rust Ash Catcher, Patented 1 Touch Cleaning System, Heat Resistant Nylon Handles On Lid & Bowl, Hinged Cooking Grate, 10 Year Limited Warranty.
• Charcoal grill with heavy-gauge porcelain enamel to prevent rust
• Nickel-plated cooking grate includes 2 hinged side openings for easy re-fueling
• Tripod base, nylon handles, and all-weather wheels provide easy maneuvering
• One-Touch stainless-steel cleaning system; removable high-capacity ash catcher
• Measures approximately 23 by 27 by 35 inches; 10-year limited warranty

Hand selected grills and grill accessories are at Foodie's Emporium!
Click here.

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Grilled Black Cod

Fresh Fish Grilling

by Gloria Bakst

Cooking with Gloria
Black Cod or Sable Grilled in Miso Marinade
Black Cod is also known as Sablefish. It is from Alaska and has a lot of good
Omega 3’s in it. It is most like Chilean Sea Bass, thick, moist and can withstand a great deal of cooking heat. It’s a hard fish to over cook. It does shrink a lot with cooking. I would start with a medium high heat until the fish gets golden and then turn the heat down and continue to cook on a slower heat. This marinade is best soaking overnight. The ingredients can be found in an Asian grocery store or a health food store. Because I special order the fish I usually get three pounds. This fish tastes better each time it gets reheated!

Sablefish is found from central Baja California to the eastern Bering Sea, with about 75 percent of landings taken off Alaska. It is a rich fish that is high in Omega 3 fish oils. A valuable source of high-quality protein, Alaska sablefish also furnishes important minerals, among them: iodine, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc and calcium. The fats in sablefish are highly polyunsaturated and thus well-suited to low cholesterol diets.

Recipe: Grilled Wild Turkey

Ordinary Out of the

OOO by Kate Krukowski Gooding
Grilled Wild Turkey with Apricot Glaze on Basmati Rice
Recently, my girlfriend Kat brought me a wild turkey breast from her last hunt. With fresh game I immediately began going through my spice cabinets to see how I could honor such a gift. Maine has such delicious wild game and seafood and I take advantage of it whenever I can. Get to know your local markets, farmer’s, seafood and meat markets for great selections of seafood and free-range meats and birds.

The smoky paprika gives this dish a mysterious underlying flavor that works wonderful with the apricot glazed turkey. Enjoy!

Too Hot to Cook Dinner

Gloria Cooking With

Too Hot to Cook Dinner
by Gloria Bakst
When summer becomes too much of a great thing, when it gets really hot and really humid the last thing you want to do is heat up the kitchen to cook dinner. And when it gets too hot even to grill, try this no-heat meal from Gloria.

This salad is so refreshing and cool to eat on a hot and humid night.  No cooking is involved. For protein I will add a container of lump crabmeat, sardines, or anchovies, and a hard boil egg. This is a very filling, delicious and easy meal.