Smokin'

These bad boys made their way into my life over the Christmas period, thanks to my family being fully aware of my leanings towards intense flavours and alternative cooking methods.  I'd never cooked smoked food before, so being the risk taker I am (I do live life on the edge. Entertaining people at dinner without first trialling the recipe is completely insane), the decision was made to smoke up some meats on Saturday night.  One of the friends I had over used to work in an American style smokehouse with me, so it only seemed right.

I won't bother giving you a full on recipe breakdown, as you can literally throw anything into these and it'll taste delicious. My personal choice was chicken thighs wrapped in bacon - I find that chicken thighs are a tastier, more tender cut than breast, and bacon just makes everything better.

The smoking wraps were actually incredibly easy to use, if a little alarming. They were essentially just very thin strips of wood that you wrapped your food in, after soaking them for five minutes or so. I assume the moisture is key to unlocking the flavours within the oven.  It was a little disconcerting that the instructions on the pack told you to keep a spray bottle on hand though... I did spend the full 40 minutes of cooking time very on edge, aware that my oven could combust at any second. It gave my guests great pleasure to see me so concerned.

I served it all up with roast carrots, butternut squash and sweet potato. A delectable orange feast. The key to crispy sweet potato fries by the way, is to soak the fries for half an hour or so before you roast them. Cheeky little tip for you that might just help you in life. Also, if that fails, chuck a little dusting of parmesan on for the last ten minutes of cooking, and let them cool slightly before you serve them. Perfect.

Oh and one last thing. The smoking wraps are very exciting on a plate. Clearly my vegetables aren't, 'cause they were just a side thought really... Just remember to leave a really sharp knife on the table.

If you do want to give these a bash, they can be found at Whole Foods, or if you're not as posh in your location, give a Google to the brand on the picture above and I'm sure you'll find a stockist.

Next on my mission list is earl grey smoked fish, 'cause apparently it'll ruin all other food for me forever. I do feel like that one will just burst into flames though. Wish me luck.