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Smoked Caponata Side & Smoking Vegetables in general

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    Smoked Caponata Side & Smoking Vegetables in general

    Hello ALL:
    I am brand new to the site so pardon if I am posting incorrectly. My post is more of an overall question to obtain some feedback on the how's, why's and how to's of smoking vegetables. I find surprisingly little out there on the "inter-web" relative to the overwhelming amount of information on standard BBQ. Before I reluctantly admit (in shame) that my cook took place on an MES digital 40" that my GF got me as a gift, my experience has been on MeadowCreek Pig roaster, Lang 48" deluxe and most definitely my favorite Weber 22.5. I have done a lot of long cooks for events (pig roasts, etc) but I still consider myself an amateur backyard enthusiast in particular when it comes to the smoking component of the cook (as opposed to time & temp). Having said all that (too much, I apologize) I set out to make a larger qty veg side for the GF's family BBQ.

    - Process and "thinking out loud"
    - I loaded up smoker (all 4 racks) with egglant (rounds), zucchini (halved), portobellos (whole), yellow peppers (halved), yellow squash (halved), vidalia onions (halved with toothpicks so I could pull them whole).
    - I used apple.
    - Why? Because that's what I had and because I'm still experimenting and desired a lighter smoke and because I don't really know what I am doing.
    - I cooked high (275) with vent wide open.
    - Why? My thought was that i wanted a quick smoke and as stated earlier and I desired to keep some texture in the veg.
    - I speculated on 1:30 - 2:00 hour smoke
    - Why? I basically guessed.
    - I removed water pan.
    - Why? I thought with all 4 racks of the MES filled there would be enough moisture in the veg by default. Also, I'm uncertain of water pan usage in general in such a confined cooking space (even with meat for the entire cooking time).
    - I lightly sprayed with cooking spray (no olive oil).
    - Why? I debate if olive oil is necessary in the initial cook (including grilling). I would prefer to use a nicer EVOO at the end to flavor than to have it's flavor diminish during the cook.
    - I did not season with S&P.
    - Why? I did not want the salt to extract the moisture because I hoped to retain some "al-dente-ness" to the veg.
    - I pulled little less than 2 hours and probably could/should have pulled earlier to achieve my textural goal.
    - I let all veg come to room temp.
    - Why? I wanted to be able to cut the veg in uniform pieces without the knife pressing down and deforming the veg.
    - I put veg in large bowl one at a time and seasoned with S&P, EVOO and red wine vinegar.
    - Why? I wanted to season the veg evenly and i did not want to affect the shape and texture by over-handling.
    - I very finely diced celery and diced red onion and added to veg.
    - Why? I desired a textural counterpoint and some added brighter color to the softer and darker smoked veg.
    - I gently tossed / folded veg in large bowl and refrigerated.
    - I wanted to add some "liveliness" and "freshness" (and additional color) so I waited to add good amount of parsley and decent amount of mint (my GF's suggestions) on Sunday.
    - I smoked veg on Saturday because I wanted to cook ahead and I wanted veg to marry with the oil and acid and to give me an opportunity to re-season before serving.
    - Before gathering, I re-seasoned and had the GF taste (postive feedback and she is a chef) and off to the BBQ.
    - At the event the feedback was very positive but I am overall "iff-ey" on the dish.
    - Why? Could simply be my palette and my na·ive·té with smoking. In addition, I am not sure of the proper marriage of smoke & veg. Maybe veg are simply more inherently grillable due to their moisture content.

    - I would greatly appreciate any general comments on smoking, smoking vegetables, smoked veg recipes, the process described and comments on the "why's" pondered out loud above.

    Thank you kindly in advance and for taking some time.





    #2
    Welcome to the Pit! Your smoked caponata sounds awfully good and well worth fiddling with until it's perfect.

    Comment


      #3
      Welcome!

      I don't really care for smoked vegetables. Grilled vegetables are pretty good, but for me the smoke doesn't do veggies any justice. Their flavors are too mild and subtle to stand up to the smoke. There's no umami to balance it.

      For me the biggest thing to watch for when doing veggies outdoors is flareup from too much oil (or butter on grilled corn). That sooty taste can ruin everything in a hurry. I use the spray like you do.

      Comment


        #4
        I make grilled caponata and it's the bomb! I smoke potato occasionally. I occasionally smoke zucchini for use in a ratatouille, but I don't smoke everything else. I grill tomatoes for marinara. I grill more veggies than I smoke.

        Comment


          #5
          Welcome to The Pit l'inferno. It's great to have you here. Thank you for your support. I would grill vegetables using charcoal in my kettle or BGE and no added wood. I think just the charcoal adds enough flavor for me.

          Since this is your first post, please check out our homework assignment post for new members. It contains a few how-tos and please-dos. This will help you learn your way around so you can get the best experience from our forum.

          Also, it's very important that you add the domain AmazingRibs.com to your email safe list in case you are ever drawn as our monthly Gold Medal Giveaway winner!

          See you around The Pit!

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by l'inferno View Post
            - At the event the feedback was very positive but I am overall "iff-ey" on the dish.
            - Why? Could simply be my palette and my na·ive·té with smoking. In addition, I am not sure of the proper marriage of smoke & veg. Maybe veg are simply more inherently grillable due to their moisture content.
            Iffy is a great word, but inadequate for good assistance. Is there something specific about it that didn't work for you? too smokey, not noticeable smoke, funky flavor, etc.

            As others have said, I think most veg work better grilled due to flavor components. Eggplant is very mild to take on much smoke.

            I might recommend a shocking post cook if clean cuts are something you want and didn't get. Maybe do a bag and ice bath to keep their moisture content where you want it, and the smoke adhered.

            Comment


              #7
              Welcome l'inferno

              Comment


                #8
                Thank you kindly for the responses. In regards to the description of "iffey" I would say more specifically that I felt the smoke may have muddled the flavor profile of the vegetables. But again that may simply be my palette. If I could explain the goal I would use wine as a metaphor. I am an italophile and wonderful are those examples of wine that allow the freshness of the fruit to shine whilst simultaneously integrating earthiness and smokiness. I guess that kind of integration was the goal. Maybe grilling is the only way to go. Or, perhaps a quick smoke followed by grilling / broiling etc. Candidly I don't really want to be that "chef-ey" with multi stepped cooking. In fact, as far as overall project, what I really hope to achieve is preparing the entire meal or nearly all in the smoker. Maybe beans and root vegetables and mushrooms are the only candidates. Any thoughts?
                Thank you for the suggestion of "shocking" the veg to preserve texture. I could simply put veg on multiple sheet pans, clear some fridge room and stack the pans to stop the cooking.
                I appreciate the feedback.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Maybe a very small amount of smoke is what you're looking for. Something like ten minutes or just straight charcoal with no wood smoke.

                  Comment

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