Published in the June/July 2014 issue

As practiced by Native Americans, the long, slow smoking of food to foster dehydration was a preservation technique necessary to bridge nature's annual gap between summer abundance and late-winter scarcity. But unless you're a new survivalist, smoking is no longer about food storage; it's about food flavor, a modified cooking process that can add depth and dimension to smaller cuts of meat and fish.

In recent years, a bunch of designated smokers has hit the market, some with computer-controlled settings that require nothing more than pressing a button. Seems like cheating. Smoking is about deliberation, care, even love. It's active, not passive. But with a little ingenuity, you can jury-rig a classic Weber charcoal grill (or any gas grill) into a backyard smoker. It's a wonderfully imprecise science—you're constantly managing hot and cold spots and tinkering with airflow to keep the wood chips smoking. But you'll soon find your groove within smoking's wide range of "perfect." So what if this makeshift method doesn't carry the same cred as a Texas pitmaster's secret smoking technique that goes back five generations? It's just your backyard, and you've got a leisurely afternoon and a cold six-pack.

The grill you probably already have: a classic 22.5-inch Weber ($109).

First, Prepare Your Meats

Meats

• 1 chicken, about 3 1⁄2 lbs, split in half (Splitting yields more surface area for smoking.) Err on the side of a larger chicken, closer to 4 lbs than 3, which will be big enough to handle a longer cooking time, so it picks up ample smoke flavor.

• 1 1⁄2-lb salmon fillet, thick, center-cut with skin on (The skin side rests on the grill to help hold the fish together, keep it from sticking to the grill, and act as a barrier to the heat.)

• 2-lb coil uncooked sausage, like kielbasa or sweet Italian sausage, casing pierced here and there

Chicken Brine

• 1⁄2 gallon water (8 cups)

• 1⁄4 cup kosher salt

• 2 Tbsp sugar

Mix water, salt, and sugar. Pour over chicken in a sealable container big enough that the liquid covers it. Seal and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Before cooking: Remove from brine, pat dry, and season with red or black pepper (no more salt).

TIP: Lukewarm water helps dissolve the salt and sugar. (The addition of the cold chicken immediately cools the water.)

Salmon Cure

• 3 Tbsp brown sugar

• 3 Tbsp kosher salt

Mix sugar and salt and rub all over salmon. Place on a plate flesh-side down and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. (A brine forms as liquid is pulled from the fish, and you want to brine the flesh, not the skin.)

TIP: Chicken and salmon can be smoked as is, but the simple steps of brining and curing preserve moisture during cooking, which then retains the smoky flavor.

...Then, if You're Using a Charcoal Grill

• Aluminum-foil pan (7 1⁄2-inch by 5-inch)



• charcoal briquettes, preferably with extra smokiness (like mesquite-laced)

• wood chips made from any hardwood (often available wherever charcoal is sold)

TIP: The wood chips must be soaked in water before use, but only long enough (about 20 minutes) to prevent them from starting to burn before you add the meat. When the chips hit the heat, too much water creates steam, which can be mistaken for smoke. Best avoided.

1. Remove the cooking grate and set aside. Follow the instructions for your chimney starter to prepare coals. When the coals are good and hot (about 20 minutes), carefully pour them around the circumference of the grill [A]. next, scatter about the same amount of fresh coals over the hot coals. Wait until the fresh coals catch, about 5 to 7 minutes [B].

2. Place the aluminum pan in the center of the grill bottom and fill three quarters with water [C]. This prevents flare-ups from fat drippings.

3. Scatter three good handfuls soaked wood chips over the hot coals.

4. Replace the grate. Put an oven thermometer right on the grill. The temperature should hover around 300 degrees. Place chicken skin-side up, directly over the drip pan. Cover and set the top and bottom vents to half closed. Check temperature every 20 minutes or so by lifting the lid just long enough to get a read.



5. After an hour, add the salmon and sausage, replace the lid, and continue smoking for another hour. remove the chicken and fish, but place the sausage directly over the coals for a few minutes to get a nice char.

Tips for Heat and Smoke Adjustment

• If you see little or no smoke coming out of the top vent, open the air vent on the bottom to introduce more air. Before you get started, make sure the pathway is clear of accumulated ash. Open and close the top vent to help pull air from the bottom and build smoke.

• When the temperature is running hot, there isn't much you can do apart from lifting the lid to release heat and to let the coals burn off a bit. But this also stops the smoking and gives the chips a chance to start burning. If this happens, flick a little water on the chips.

...Or, if You're Using a Gas Grill

• Two aluminum-foil pans (7 1⁄2-inch by 5-inch)

• wood chips made from any hardwood (often available wherever charcoal is sold)

1. Remove the cooking grate and set aside. Regardless of the heating-element configuration of your gas grill (back to front or side by side), you're going to turn on only half the heating elements. Put unsoaked wood chips in the 2 aluminum pans and place them directly over the heating elements you're going to ignite. The chips don't need to be soaked because they aren't coming into direct contact with the heat.

Now turn on the elements to medium-to-medium-low (about 300 degrees). This temperature should be maintained throughout the process.

2. Replace the cooking grate. Place chicken skin-side up on the unheated side of the grill, close lid, and allow to smoke over indirect heat for 1 hour.

3. After an hour, add the salmon and sausage, replace lid, and continue smoking for another hour. Remove the chicken and salmon to a serving platter and move the sausage over the heat for a few minutes to get a nice exterior char. Transfer to cutting board.

TIP: If there is a need to add more chips (they may burn during the long cooking process), it should be done carefully, as the grate will be hot.

Francine Maroukian and Tony Aiazzi are cofounders of the Workshop Kitchen, a Philadelphia-based culinary development team.

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