Smoking for Pleasure

Long before man discovered the sustenance-preserving qualities of the refrigerator, smoke was used to cure fish such as sprats and salmon as well as the flesh of beef and boar and buffalo. Today, we savor smoked frogs' legs, smoked ring-necked pheasant, smoked mussels, smoked capon, smoked Rock Cornish game hen, smoked gruyère cheese, and hundreds of other smoked savories, but for smoke's own delicious sake rather than merely to keep the larder full.

Many of the great old smokies, with their pungent aromas of a past era, are still around and still heartily appreciated. Smithfield hams, for instance, following a time-honored custom, are taken from a special breed of Virginia porkers that have been fattened on peanuts. They're slow cured and deep smoked, rubbed down with pepper and aged at least a year before they're ready to be sliced paper thin for cold-buffet parties. In the same class of nobility is finnan haddie, named after the town of Findon in Scotland, and the Scots' name for haddock. Its joys were discovered in the 17th Century when an oak fishing shack filled with salted haddock caught fire. Unlike the Chinese in Lamb's famed fable of the charred pig, Scottish neighbors put out the blaze before the flames hit the fish, and a new kind of golden-brown fish fillet was the happy accident. Like Scotch whisky, the flavor of finnan haddie is at once both mellow and impudent. You pay your first respects to it by boiling or steaming it until tender. You then have your option of anointing it with sweet butter or flaking it and mixing it with cream and a dash of white pepper. Both versions are classics. Perhaps the most venerable form of Italian smoke is preserved in provolone cheese, which is first cured in brine, then smoked and hung from the rafters till its flavor becomes rich and tangy.

There's a lighter, milder trend apparent in today's smoked foods; they're softer on the tongue and taste buds, as though they were following the light/dry bandwagon in drinking circles. Smoked turkey, for instance, isn't just a bird hung high above a bonfire till it's redolent with smoke, but a mild-tasting flesh, an amalgam of smoke and the oils of coriander, bay leaf, black pepper, thyme, basil and cardamom. Although smoke is still a preservative, freshness--allowing as little time as possible between the ritual of the smokehouse and the final appearance on your platter--is now the prime guiding rule. When you buy smoked eel, smoked whitefish or smoked sausage, your best bet is to shop where the traffic is thick and the turnover fast.

New legions of smoke-it-yourself epicures have arisen, and they can be loosely divided into two categories--the slow and the fast. The slow school is made up of hunters and anglers, who smoke fish and game birds in outdoor ovens containing a firebox and a smoking chamber. A fair-size salmon in one of these devices takes about eight hours to prepare. The second school of smoked-food fanciers, which generally prefers the patio to the great plains, owes its education to the outdoor charcoal fire and to gadgets like the Swedish smoker. The latter is a year-round portable appliance, which can be used indoors or on the terrace with equal ease. Its simplicity is only one of its virtues. In ten minutes it can produce smoked shrimp, smoked brook trout, smoked whitefish or smoked sausage with a wonderfully fresh, tangy flavor. You merely pour powdered hardwood, which comes with the gadget, into a rectangular pan, place the food on a grill above the sawdust, cover the pan with a snug-fitting lid and set it above a flame for about ten minutes. Indoors, there's a slight aroma from the smoker, but it's light and pleasant.

Cooking with smoke from a barbecue fire is an altogether different art. First of all, let's clear the air by pointing out that the holocaust that arises when a fire is started isn't the kind of smoke you want when you're grilling chicken, steaks or seafood. The best outdoor smoke is actually a kind of incense, and the proper way to impregnate food with its sorcery is to throw a handful of wood chips over the white charcoal when the flames have subsided. Different woods give rise to different fragrances. The magnificent flavor of Westphalian ham, for instance, is the result of the burning of juniper branches and berries over the regular hardwood normally used for smoking the German hams. Orange wood, apple, oak, mahogany and birch all produce individual smoke flavors. Wood that's green creates a denser smoke than aged or dry wood. Patio chefs usually take advantage of the hickory chips sold in most places where charcoal is available. One or two handfuls is enough for artful smoking. Presoaking them in water for a few minutes will increase the smoke and discourage flaming.

If you own an outdoor oven fitted with a heavy dome, smoke can be easily captured. But even without the use of a dome, foods like lamb or lobster instantly take into their pores the smoke that curls from a mere handful of wetted wood shavings.

Smoke, of course, can now be bought in bottles. There's hickory-flavored salt as well as liquid smoke that can be mixed with butter or oil and brushed over food before broiling. But bottled smokes, unhappily, aren't very volatile. They're a superficial magic. Real smoke plays not only around the outside of the food, but imparts its scent deep into the flesh.

The easiest way to satisfy a craving for smoke in the hors d'oeuvres department is to open a can of smoked oysters, smoked clams or smoked mussels. All three, it should be conceded, owe their sensuous flavors not only to smoke, but to the oil in which they're marinated.

During Roman times, smoked meats were offered both at the beginning of the feast in order to whet the appetite and at the end of the meal to revive the thirst for post-prandial libations. Smoke, like spice, is a guaranteed catalyst.

It would be completely naïve to tab one kind of wine as suitable for all smoked foods. A pâté of smoked goose liver will stir up a thirst for a vin blanc cassis. With a cold smoked pheasant, you want the best brut champagne in the cellar. When the smoked cheese appears on the cheese platter along with the coffee, the accompanying bottle of port should be at least 20 years old. Where there's smoke, there's usually a delightful repast, as witness the following recipes.

[recipe_title]Smoked Sturgeon Salad[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]1 lb. fancy smoked sturgeon, sliced thin[/recipe]

[recipe]1 medium-size Spanish onion[/recipe]

[recipe]4 pieces celery[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon dried dill weed[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon Dijon mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup white wine vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, white pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]4 large beefsteak tomatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]Boston lettuce[/recipe]

[recipe]12 ripe olives, largest size[/recipe]

Cut sturgeon slices crosswise into julienne strips. Be sure strips are of uniform, very thin matchstick size. Peel onion and cut into quarters through stem end; then cut crosswise into thinnest possible slices. Separate slices to make julienne strips. Peel celery and cut into very thin julienne. In a large mixing bowl combine sturgeon, onion, celery, dill weed, mustard, salad oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Lower tomatoes into pot of boiling water for 20 seconds, then hold under cold running water for about a minute. With paring knife remove peel from tomatoes and cut out stem end. Place lettuce leaves on individual salad plates or large platter. Cut each tomato twice through top almost to bottom, separating, petal fashion, into four wedges. Place tomatoes on lettuce; pile sturgeon salad on top and garnish with ripe olives.

[recipe_title]Cold Smoked Shrimps, White Wine Dip[/recipe_title]

(Four appetizer portions)

[recipe]1 lb. fresh shrimps[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup dry white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons minced shallots[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup mayonnaise[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon anchovy paste[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon Dijon mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon lemon juice[/recipe]

Wash shrimps well, but do not remove shells. Prepare Swedish smoker with powdered hardwood sprinkled evenly over pan bottom. Place shrimps on smoker rack, cover pan and place over moderate flame. Smoke shrimps 10 minutes; then remove from smoker and chill in refrigerator at least three hours. Remove shells and veins from shrimps. In a small saucepan heat wine and shallots over a moderate flame until wine is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Avoid scorching. In a mixing bowl combine mayonnaise, shallots and wine, anchovy paste, mustard and lemon juice. Chill in refrigerator. Arrange shrimps around hors d'oeuvre dish or shrimp cocktail server. Place mixture in sauceboat or glass dish for dipping.

[recipe_title]Smoked Chicken, Horseradish sauce[/recipe_title]

(Serves two)

[recipe]2 small whole chicken breasts[/recipe]

[recipe]4 tablespoons olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons lemon juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1 medium-size onion, sliced[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon ground coriander[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, freshly ground pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]Peel of 1 apple[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup bread crumbs[/recipe]

[recipe]1 packet instant chicken bouillon[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons prepared horseradish[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon butter[/recipe]

Remove bones and skin from chicken and separate each breast into halves. Separate small fillet on underside from rest of meat. Cut each half breast into 6 to 8 pieces. Place chicken, oil, lemon juice, onion and coriander in salad bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Marinate overnight or at least 6 hours. Prepare Swedish smoker with powdered hardwood. Drop apple peel into smoker. Remove chicken from marinade and fasten pieces on skewers 5 in. long. Place skewered chicken on smoker rack. Fit lid onto smoker and place over a moderate flame. Smoke 10 minutes. Bring milk up to boiling point. Remove from fire and stir in bread crumbs, instant bouillon, horseradish and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat sauce just before serving in sauceboat.

[recipe_title]Hickory-Smoked Stuffed Lobster[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]4 live lobsters, 11/2 lbs. each[/recipe]

[recipe]3/4 cup bread crumbs[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. sweet butter, room temperature[/recipe]

[recipe]1 small onion[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, paprika[/recipe]

[recipe]Salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. sweet butter, melted[/recipe]

[recipe]1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges[/recipe]

Prepare outdoor charcoal fire. Soak 1 cup hickory flakes in water 30 minutes to 1 hour. Split lobster by inserting tip of heavy French knife in back of head (this will kill the lobster instantly), separating body into two parts. Remove sac in back of head. Remove lobster liver (green section) and mix with bread crumbs and butter. Grate onion into (concluded on page 118)Smoking(continued from page 84) bread-crumb mixture and season with salt and pepper. Crack each lobster claw with heel of knife. Brush exposed flesh of lobster tail with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place lobsters in hinged wire broiler rack. Drain hickory flakes and scatter over coals. Broil lobster, flesh side down, 5 minutes, no longer. Remove from fire and from wire rack. Fill the hollow of each lobster in back of head with bread-crumb mixture. Sprinkle filling with paprika. Return lobsters to fire, flesh side up. Lobsters need not be placed in broiler rack at this point but may rest directly on grill above coals. Broil 15 minutes. If there is a cool wind, a piece of aluminum foil may be placed on top of lobsters, but foil should not be fitted tightly over stove, or heat circulation will be impaired. Skim top of melted butter. Carefully pour butter, separating clear liquid from solids. Serve lobster very hot with drawn butter and lemon wedges.

[recipe_title]Kippered Salmon Quiche[/recipe_title]

(Six appetizer portions)

[recipe]9-in. unbaked pie shell[/recipe]

[recipe]6 ozs. kippered salmon[/recipe]

[recipe]3 ozs. smoked gruyère cheese[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]2 eggs, beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]1 small onion[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon white pepper[/recipe]

Use prepared unbaked pie shell, now obtainable at many bakery counters. Preheat oven at 450°. Fit pie shell into pie plate; pierce bottom and sides at 1-in. intervals with fork, then bake for 10 minutes, no longer. Remove from oven. Reduce oven heat to 350°. While pie is baking, cut away any hard ends or surface of salmon. Cut salmon into 1/2-in. dice or break into flakes. Cut cheese into very small dice or slivers. Heat milk and cream in saucepan over a moderate flame until bubbles appear around edge of saucepan. Do not boil. Slowly pour milk into eggs, beating well. Grate onion into milk mixture. Add salt and pepper. Place salmon and cheese in pie shell. Place pie shell on oven rack. Pour milk mixture from teapot or saucepan into pie shell, avoiding spillage. Do not overfill. Bake 20 minutes or until top of quiche is firm when lightly touched. Serve warm as appetizer. Quiche may be baked beforehand and then returned to a moderate oven for reheating a few minutes just before serving.

[recipe_title]Cold Smoked Turkey Platter[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]12 ozs. thinly sliced smoked turkey[/recipe]

[recipe]1 bunch broccoli[/recipe]

[recipe]1/3 cup olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons white wine vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon brandy[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]6 ozs. fine egg noodles[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup mayonnaise[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup sour cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon curry powder[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon horseradish[/recipe]

Wash broccoli well. Cut off lower parts of stems, leaving about 3 in. of stem with flowerets. Cut stems lengthwise into three or four pieces, leaving flowerets intact. Cook broccoli in 1 in. salted water in a wide saucepan or Dutch oven fitted with tight lid, until broccoli is just barely tender. Avoid overcooking. Lift broccoli carefully from water, and chill in a shallow dish in refrigerator. Mix oil, vinegar, brandy, cream, mustard and ? teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Pour over broccoli. Let broccoli marinate in dressing two or three hours before serving. Turn broccoli, to marinate on all sides. Cook noodles until tender in boiling salted water. Drain; wash under cold water and drain well again. In a mixing bowl combine mayonnaise, sour cream, curry powder and horseradish. Add noodles and toss well with fork. Place broccoli in center of platter. On one side of broccoli and slightly covering it, place overlapping slices of turkey. Place noodles on other side of broccoli.

With the above offerings for summertime culinary incentive, we're confident that an increasing number of the comestible cognoscenti will be smoking more and enjoying it more.