My take on the Nordic Ware smoker

On several occasions I have asked Loreto, author of Sabores de Colores , to make us a recipe with a utensil she knows very well, the smoker . On those occasions he has achieved incredible results! For this reason, and as the smoker is a great unknown to many, and so many others ask us for information about it, we have thought it interesting that she be the one to give you her opinion and explanations about it. I leave you with the story of his experience.

I cannot deny that anything that involves a different cooking technique than the ones we normally use catches my attention. That's why when I discovered the smoker it was love at first sight.

I was very interested in being able to smoke at home. I had already heard about it and yes it is true that in the northern countries they get by with anything, say anything a tin of biscuits and a metal mesh to smoke, but I needed a little push and he came with the Nordic Ware smoker .

I know that many of you are associating smoking with what we find in different products, usually fish, in supermarkets. I already tell you that it has nothing to do with that: with the smoker we can cook the foods we like the most, be it meat, fish, poultry, eggs or vegetables, with or without steam, giving them a delicious smoked flavor.

The biggest fear I had while thinking of recipes was if the flavors would be too strong, but this is far from the case: always depending on the wood chips , spices, or even tea that we use to smoke our products, it will influence the aroma of the smoked result. final. For example, when I made the smoked pork loin we used apple shavings , they gave off a delicious sweet smell when burned, achieving a very mild smoky flavor; and when we smoked salmon we decided on pecan chips , with an absolutely delicious nutty touch.

Recipe "How to smoke pork loin at home"

Characteristics, maintenance and operation of the Nordic Ware smoker

The Nordic Ware smoker is quite light and we can use it both indoors and outdoors. On ceramic hob, fire or even on the barbecue . The important thing is to control its internal temperature, for the correct cooking of food, thanks to the thermometer that it incorporates. And the best of all is that we don't bother anyone when we are smoking that product that we like the most (I am in love with smoked duck magret, a real delicacy) since there is hardly any smoke coming out of the smoker , we will simply enjoy the delicious smell of chips or spices burning slowly to generate smoke.

When they designed the smoker they thought of everything, and when I say everything, I mean everything: the trays where we will place the food to be smoked or the liquid to create a wet smoke are non-stick, so we will ensure that the food does not stick to us and when Cleaning it will be very comfortable, both by hand and if we are more of a dishwasher.

I'll tell you a bit about how it works, the truth is that it's very simple and there's no more science than placing a spoonful of wood chips , spices or tea at the bottom of the smoker . From there you must decide if you want to smoke dry or wet smoke (this is more typical of America, it is used mainly for vegetables or foods that tend to dry out such as fish). If you opt for dry smoking, it will be the internal heat that the smoker acquires when you put it on the fire that will cook the food, and smoke it with the smoke that the shavings give off when they heat up.

If you decide that what you want is a wet smoke, you introduce the liquid in a lower tray that the smoker has. You can choose any liquid, be it water, wine, beer, juice,... When this liquid evaporates with the heat, steam will be generated that will cook the food, while the same flavored smoke gives it the smoky flavor that you have introduced.

Having explained this, you can see that the key is deciding what aroma you want your smoked products to acquire. Once you have introduced the shavings (and the liquid that will flavor in case of wet smoking), we have the tray where our ingredients will go in the smoker and cover. We light the fire at medium temperature and check that the thermometer marks 100º C. It is important that the interior temperature is constant, so we will regulate it by adapting the fire. And that's it, now to wait and enjoy the delicious smell that will invade your kitchen.

Arrangement of wood chips in the bottom in case of dry smoking (left); introduction of liquid in case of wet smoking (right).

The times will depend on the food that we are going to smoke. For example, 1.5 kg of pork loin would take 1 hour, an hour and a quarter, a previously marinated salmon loin would take about 15 minutes, a whole chicken about 4 hours, some duck or chicken breasts about 25-30 minutes... I I always say that it is important that you have a time reference, but if you doubt you can open the smoker and check the cooking point since a 1 kilo chicken is not the same as a 2 kilo chicken; I do it like this and there is no problem, so fears aside.

Recipe "How to smoke spiced salmon"

As for wood shavings , in the same Claudia&Julia store they have a variety, in the barbecue section. Discovering the different aromas of each type is a joy.

For me, the Nordic Ware smoker has become an essential kitchen utensil to prepare that type of dish with which to leave guests speechless and also with which to enjoy quality homemade smoked products.