Smoked Vegetables; Is This Really a Thing People Do?
Are There People That Really Smoke Vegetables? Evidently. I’m not sure why anyone would want to take up valuable real estate inside a smoker when there are pounds of meat to cook. They exist though. There are actually people that smoke vegetables, and fruit. Let’s not cast dispersions on them though. After all, smoking is smoking right? It’s kind of like a Harley guy getting uppity on someone that rides a Honda, riding is riding. Who knows, maybe smoked vegetables are the next great frontier. Doubtful but let’s explore this contradiction anyway.
Smoked Vegetables Recipes
Doing the research for this article was an eye opener. There weren’t any prominent YouTubers that exclusively smoke vegetables or have any videos that cover it at all, but there are people that do it. Smoking vegetables isn’t about taking a raw ear of corn and letting it sit for a few hours, even though that sounds amazing. It harkens back to the county fair and roasted sweet corn drowned in butter and coated in salt. Recipes for smoked vegetables read like menu of delectable treats that boggle the mind. For example, smoked almonds are dredged in butter, brown sugar, curry powder, and cayenne pepper, then smoked for 2 hours at 225 degrees. If that doesn’t get your mouth watering, then there’s something wrong with you. Most recipes you’ll encounter follow the same path. The vegetables are usually coated in the same spices and ingredients that make up BBQ rubs. While we would all love to eat nothing but meat and nothing else, that tends to get boring. Reserve some space on the smoker next round for a side dish of smoked vegetables.
What Kind of Veggies are Best Smoked?
The only limitation is your imagination and willingness to try something new. Now that you’ve mastered brisket and pork butts try something new. Any and all vegetables and fruits are smokable all you need is a good recipe. There are recipes for smoked bananas, artichokes, asparagus, apples, baked beans, beets, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, and the legend, smoked corn on the cob. Think of smoking vegetables the same way you did the first rack of ribs and proceed with caution. Odds are it won’t be perfect the first time out but practice and all that right? Toss something on during the next cook and give it a rip. Become one of those people that smokes vegetables.
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