Bugge Derek - Charred & Smoked: More Than 75 Bold Recipes and Cooking Techniques for the Home Cook

T HE M ENU

Charring and smoking food have likely been around since the dawn of cavemen, when meats and vegetables were cooked over an open flame in smoky caves using primitive tools. The first smoker didnt appear on the market until the late 1930s, revealing that incorporating smoke into foods wasnt just something that occurred unintentionally when cooking with fire. The commercial smoker represented a culinary breakthrough to create more complexity in food, offering new aromas and tastes while making the food more interesting to eat. Today, the art of charring and smoking has progressed even further thanks to innovative technology, advanced kitchen appliances, and more efficient tools and equipment for the job. Across the globe, home cooks and professional chefs continue dedicating countless hours to testing the limits of what they can char and smoke using different fuels, temperatures, durations, methods, and products. In the end, the basic steps of charring and smoking remain relatively the same as they were thousands of years ago when that first piece of food was cooked over hot coals.

Its worth noting that the method of charring and smoking, along with searing, burningall those techniques for achieving mouthwatering dishes with crispy textures and deep robust flavorsare not limited to the world of barbecue. Many in the culinary industry whove mastered the exciting art of food and fire are now referring to this savory result as the fifth taste after sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. In fact, fire and smoke are showing up far beyond barbecue on todays menus across the country, which is why youre not going to find brisket, ribs, or pulled pork in this book. Instead, youre going to be introduced to and taught how to prepare innovative and delicious meals using everyday food throughout the pages of Charred & Smoked: More Than 75 Bold Recipes and Cooking Techniques for the Home Cook.

From the comfort of your own kitchen or backyard grill, youll learn through the easy and informative pages ahead that infusing everyday food with char and smoke is not a fad or accident but a culinary technique that requires persistence and practice to achieve that exciting new world of flavor.

Im a culinary school graduate whos worked the grill at notable taquerias, bars, restaurants, oyster houses, champagne parlors, and country clubs throughout the Pacific Northwest, drawing inspiration from my Latin roots. Time spent in the kitchen with my parents and family has taught me how properly burning, charring, and smoking ordinary food increases the flavor profile of many dishes and allows me to entertain friends and guests with new menu options that draws them in and whets their appetite. Incidentally, charred food has deep roots in many cuisines, from Caribbean and Mexican to Turkish and American.

Today, I continue to develop, prepare, and serve up savory charred and smoked-infused dishes at home and at Ascend Prime Steak & Sushi, soon to be one of the hottest new restaurants in Bellevue, Washington.

Because studies have shown that deeply charring meats can produce chemicals that increase the risk of cancer if eaten on a regular basis, not everything in Charred & Smoked is burnt to a crisp. In fact, the majority of recipes only suggest a brief char or smoke. And because studies also show that most carcinogens are found in charred meats, most of the recipes in Charred & Smoked lean toward a bevy of garden-fresh vegetables, fruits, and wild sustainable seafood.

If youre ready to improve on a classic or would like to try something new, open the pages of Charred & Smoked and begin your culinary journey. For example, next time try grilling your tomatoes before tossing them on a salad or burger or charring your scallions before adding them to a marinade or sauce. Your dishes will elevate you to the next level thanks to the irresistible sweet and smoky flavors that emerge. Youll also learn how to purposely burn chilies and spices, which is the secret to enhancing dishes with even bolder flavor and aroma. Youll discover what foods stand up well to a little char, and I will introduce you to many of these delicacies through recipes like Charred Broccolini with Burnt Lime Dressing and Caramelized Beet Bites with Whipped Chvre & Toasted Pistachios. The same holds true with fruits. Natural sugars lead to caramelization, providing home cooks with the right amount of bitterness to counter all that sweetness from, say, a strawberry or peach. And what about those used lemon and lime peels left behind on the cutting board? Thats throwing away free flavor. I will teach you how to make your next salad dressing or side dish much more exciting by incorporating charred citrus. Charring and smoking also takes various proteins like poultry, pork, and seafood to the next level, as youll see through such celebrated recipes as Smoked Pork Chop with Burnt Orange Glaze and Caramelized Scallops with Toasted Barley Risotto & Nettle Pesto. Theres also recipe chapters on rubs, seasonings, dressings, marinades, sauces, creative cocktails, and even desserts using fire and smoke, as well as a run-through of the cooking methods used throughout the book and some essential equipment and tools you should have on hand.