Nordic Ware smoker, valid for much more than smoking

I am very fond of a utensil that is nothing seen, and that allows me to achieve results in meat, fish and even vegetables, which are truly wonderful. This is the Nordic Ware smoker , a unique product.

When people think of "smoker" they automatically associate it with smoked salmon. It's good that it is so, because we all know that smoking salmon yourself becomes a real delight, although I think it's a shame that thinking about this utensil is so limited because precisely what we should do with it is open the lid! mind!

The first thing that I must clarify, yes, is that the smoking result that we will achieve is not the same as that of the smoked products that are sold in the supermarket (such as salmon or smoked trout). The smoker does not seek to smoke to preserve, but to give a very special smoked taste. This technique is very common and appreciated in the Nordic countries, and allows you to enhance the flavor of meat, fish, seafood and vegetables, transforming them into authentic delicacies.

The smoker gives us a lot of play. It is true that the function of the smoker is to "smoke" the food (in the sense that we have just defined); but apart from that it allows us to achieve two things that will surely interest you. First of all, it leaves food tender, both meat and fish. And the second thing, that the smoker has a tray in which to pour the desired liquid, such as wine, beer or juice, with which it is possible to give food a taste... incredible!

That being said, I want to go back to giving it a lot of play: the more you use it, the more you realize that you can use it for anything. One day you use it to smoke the fish as it is, another you dare to cook the fish in white wine, the third you add some vegetables (and it turns out that they are very curious and tasty -similar to steaming them, but with a more aromatic touch!)) and finally you use it to cook that Sunday chicken... With spectacular results!

Now you must be wondering how the smoker actually works. Well, it's simple: in the bottom you have some wood shavings (shavings already come with the product, but you can buy different types of wood to get different aromas), and the food to be cooked on the upper tray. The smoker is put on the fire, and as the shavings heat up and toast, they give off the smoke that will smoke the piece. As it is hermetically closed, a heat is achieved inside that cooks the food with the steam that is generated from it. If you have also added the lower tray with some juice, water, wine or beer, it evaporates and waters the food, leaving it even more tender and with a rich flavor.

I do not want to end this post without letting you see a couple of recipes that may interest you. The first one is one that we actually posted yesterday, smoked salmon. But the one that best conveys what I have just told you is a recipe for smoked pork loin that you will find here . Makes you want to smoke, right?