Getting Smoky

By Steve Glor

05/09

A lot of people prefer using charcoal or wood for barbecuing because they like the smoke fl avor in their meat. For tailgating there are two major advantages to using propane instead of charcoal: Gas grills are ready to cook on fast. No waiting for the coals to be ready and when you’re done cooking, turn the grill off and it’s off. There are no hot embers to dispose of and the cooling off period is extremely short.

You can have all of the flavor of wood with the convenience of gas. Getting wood fl avor from a gas grill is very easy and even more tasty. All you need is some nice wood chips, aluminum foil, and water.

1. Soak the wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes. I like to put the chips in a resealable bowl or zip lock bag with enough water to cover them on the way to the game. I use about 1 cup of chips per hour of cooking. 2. You can add some whisky to the water for additional flavor if desired. 3. Pre-heat t h e g r i l l to high 4. Place about a half a cup (or a handful) of wood chips onto the center of a square of foil. 5. Bring the edges up to meet in the middle and then fold down together until they touch the wood chips. 6. Fold up the other two ends of the foil packet. 7. Poke some holes in the packet using a fork or knife and being careful not to go all the way through the bottom piece of foil. 8. Put the foil pack right on the burner of the grill and wait about 5 minutes for smoke to start. 9. Turn down the heat and smoke some barbecue. 10. Add more foil packets to achieve the desired amount of smoke fl avor. I use about one packet every half hour.

This technique can be used with anything from cedar and mesquite to more exotic woods found at barbecue shops like orange wood, pecan, and cabernet barrel chips. For indirect cooking, be sure to place the wood chip pack on the burner that is on so the smoke passes over the meat rather than directly under the meat. The best part is that there’s nothing to clean up afterward. Just throw away the foil and you are ready for the next cookout. Stout Marinated Tri Tip - 3-4 lbs Tri-Tip Roast - 1 large sweet onion cut into large slices - 2 Large cans of dark Stout Beer - 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Horseradish - 2 1/2 Teaspoons of Black pepper (10 ml) - 2 Tablespoons of coarse grain Dijon Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder - 3 sprigs of rosemary - 1 tablespoon of olive oil - Sea Salt to taste

This recipe will feed a lot of folks at the tailgate party. Place the tri-tip in a large sealable plastic bag. Rough up the rosemary by rolling over it with a rolling pin or smashing it with a pan to release the fl avor. In a non-reactive bowl (ceramic or glass) combine 1 can of stout, mustard, mustard powder,horseradish, pepper and rosemary. Mix together and pour into the plastic bag over the pork. Add the onions and seal the bag – removing as much air as possible. Don’t let the rosemary poke through the bag. Massage the marinade into the meat and ensure that it is well coated. Leave the meat in the fridge or cooler for 4 hours. This is a good time to drink the second beer.

Remove the tri-tip from the bag and pat dry. Strain the marinade into a saucepan and reserve the onion. Reduce the marinade in a pot on low heat for approximately 20 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Wrap the onions in aluminum foil and throw onto the grill during the last 20 minutes of cooking, making sure to fl ip the packet occasionally.

Heat the grill to medium high (350 degrees). Rub the roast with olive oil and season with salt. Place the meat on the rotisserie and roast at 250 degree F and baste with the thickened marinade every 20 minutes. Cook until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, (about 2 hours.) Use two foil packs of soaked wood chips as described above to impart a wonderful smoky fl avor to the meat. Hickory is a good choice and if you want something really bold cabernet chips or grape vines will work wonders as long as you don’t go overboard with the smoke.

Let the meat rest for at least 10 minutes before serving, always cut against the grain with tri-tip and serve with some extra horseradish.