Rural Missouri - July 2011 - (Page 20)

H E A R T H & H O M E bout the only thing that makes meat taste better than usual is if it’s smoked as part of the preparation. Historically, smoking came about through necessity. Long ago, when reliable refrigeration wasn’t available, smoking was an effective way to cure and preserve food. Today, smoking is enjoying a revival — and it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Smoke can be created with charcoal, gas, electricity or wood. When smoking meats, the best smoky ﬂavors usually come from hardwoods. Different woods can produce slightly different ﬂavors. Apple, cherry, hickory, maple, oak and mesquite are only a few of the woods that are good for smoking. And you don’t have to spend a lot of money on a grill if you don’t need or want to. You can buy a compact, portable smoker or use a barbecue grill or pit that has a cover so you can control the temperature. Before you start, here are a few things to keep in mind to keep your grilling/smoking season safe: • Make sure you start with clean hands and surfaces when preparing meats. Juices from raw meats can contain harmful bacteria that can spread to raw veggies or already cooked foods. If meat has been in contact with a surface, clean it again. • Use a food thermometer when cooking meat. Color is not a reliable indicator of doneness. When grilling pork, lamb, veal and whole cuts of beef, cook to 145 degrees. Check this by placing a food thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. A Smoked Pastrami Combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar, honey, sherry, ginger, garlic, food coloring, cinnamon and ﬁve-spice powder in a bowl and mix well. Place the tenderloins in a non-metal dish or plastic bag and pour three-fourths of the marinade over them. Marinate for 2 to 4 hours in the refrigerator. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and place on your grill or smoker. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 145 to 165 degrees. Do not overcook. Baste with the reserved marinade every 30 minutes until done. Serve with scallion curls. *Hoisin sauce is a sweet, spicy, dark red sauce made from soybeans, vinegar, sugar, garlic and various spices. It is widely used in southern Chinese cooking. Chinese Barbecued Pork Four 1-pound pork tenderloins, trimmed of excess fat 1 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup hoisin sauce* 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons sherry 2 teaspoons ginger root, grated 1 large clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon red food coloring (optional) 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon Chinese ﬁve-spice powder Scallion curls for garnish Chinese Barbecued Pork 20 WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP photos and recipes courtesy of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. by Heather Berry hberry@ruralmissouri.coop page design by Megan Schibi Hamburgers should reach 160 degrees; poultry should reach a minimum of 165 degrees; ﬁsh should be cooked to 145 degrees. • If smoking meats, the temperature in the smoker should be maintained between 225 and 300 degrees for safety. Like grilled meats, be sure to use a food thermometer to check the food’s internal temperature to ensure it’s done. • Bacteria grow most rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees, so perishable food should never sit out for more than two hours. If the temperature is above 90 degrees, which is common in the summer, food shouldn’t sit out more than one hour. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers promptly. Here are some smokin’ good recipes from the book “Simple Smoking,” by Paul Kirk, which is available online, through local bookstores or larger libraries. Smoking produces delicious results, so enjoy! http://WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - July 2011

Rural Missouri - July 2011
Table of Contents
Comments
Columns
Raising the Great White Arabia
Now showing: rural broadband
Missouri snapshots
Out of the Way Eats
The changing tide
Pyrotechnic pros
Hearth and Home
News Briefs
Sting of relief
Harmony
Marketplace
Around Missouri
Neighbors
Just4Kids

Rural Missouri - July 2011