How to justify $500 for yet another cooking tool. [View all]

[flamin lib]

Okay, so I have just about every kind of cooking equipment imaginable short of a Tandori oven. Inventory includes double oven, high speed low drag ceramic cooktop, microwave, pressure cooker, stainless steel outdoor grill and a cheap smoker. Have I missed anything?

I’m about to drop $500 on a stainless steel outdoor smoker. Really, you may ask, do you actually eat that much brisket, pulled pork and ribs? Let me tell ya’ there’s more to smokin’ stuff than just barbecue.

Smoked Salmon Bisque

Ingredients:

2 tsp butter
½ Onion chopped fine
1 tbs flour
1 medium potato cubed small
2 C fish or shrimp stock
½ C heavy cream or whole milk
4 oz smoked salmon*

Directions:

In a 2 qt. sauce pan over medium heat sauté onion in butter until soft. Stir in flour and continue cooking stirring constantly for one minute, just long enough to cook the raw flavor out of the flour. Add stock and potato, simmer until potato is very soft. Blend in a food processor or with a stick blender until smooth. Flake the salmon in small pieces into the soup. Simmer briefly to blend flavors and add cream or milk, do not allow to boil. Stir and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

*Requires hot smoked salmon, smoked at 200-250 F until it flakes easily, about an hour.

Smoked catfish, oysters, shrimp and a host of vegetables all take on a whole new personality over other cooking methods. Grilled chicken salad? Heh, try smoked catfish or salmon.