Ted Reader - Smoking Foods: More Than 100 Recipes for Deliciously Tender Meals

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As Im writing this, were in the midst of a global pandemic. Were all living through some tough times. Lockdown is very real. I know its crazy, but Ive had fun every day of this. Ive decided its time I share the fun I have every single day. With everybody. Even my miserable neighbor Bruce should be able to find fun in these pages. Theres something amazingly comforting and warm about pulling a pork shoulder out of the smoker, shredding it into succulent, juicy threads, and piling it high on a bun with maybe some sauce. I defy you not to smile at each other while you mow into that pile of deliciousness. Good smoking could stop wars!

When I was a kid, my father built his own smoker/barbecue. I was his helper. From a very early age, I was fascinated by the smell of smoke off a carefully built fire. I doubt my dad realized he was inspiring me in ways he could only imagine. Watching him grill the perfect steak on a home-built oil drum barbecue pinged the deep recesses of my tiny mind. On top of my dads love of the outdoors, my mother is Latvian. My brothers and I lived for the several visits a month from our grandparents. These always involved magical smoked meats and sausages and even cheeses. Every visit included a visit to one or another of their favorite Eastern European delis. We were eager for those Sunday afternoon feasts. As I grew, I began to want to know how these flavors came to be.

Fast-forward 50 years. Ive somewhere around 100 smokers and grills in my backyard. Ive got a firepit and a full-sized wood-fired brick oven. Theres a pellet grill and a pizza oven in the garage (aka my office). Ive got a tree full of hanging spatulas. And to top it all off, theres a hot tub! The whole neighborhood knows the smoke coming from my house is all good. My backyard has seen some pretty stupendous parties. Some of my chef buddies and I have fired up more than one of those units and turned out some awesome eats for anyone who happens along. Sitting around the firepit after eating slow-smoked beef or pork or chicken or even whole pineapple is the best feeling.

What you need to understand is that smoking isnt my hobby. Its not my job either. Its my vocation. If you dropped me on a desert island with meat and matches, Id find a way to dig a pit. Id find me some banana leaves to wrap that meat and bury it with hot rocks. The point Im trying to make is, you can smoke anywhere and you dont have to have one of those fancy expensive rigs Ill discuss in this book. Nice to have if, like me, you literally light it 7 days a week. If you arent that crazy, read on. Ill tell you how you can even smoke on a hibachi or right in your oven. Curiosity and passion have pushed me in multiple directions over the years but never far from my rig. Theres always smoke!

#itbetasty has become my well-known catchphrase. I live for this thrill ride of deliciousness. Im a barbecue guy. Always have been, always will be. Ive been obsessed with food, fire, and smoke almost my whole life. Ive grilled and smoked my way through a crazy variety of foodsfrom chocolate to cheese to whole prime ribs. Almost nothing has gotten past my gaze. Not even Twinkies. What can I say? Im a curious guy!

I attended culinary school at George Brown College in Torontoback when the culinary campus was smack in the heart of one of the oldest open-air markets in North America. We were free to roam through the spice shops, cheese shops, and, especially, butcher shops of Kensington Market. Back then, there was even an old kosher shop where you could choose a live bird and wait for it to be killed, blessed, and dressed to take home. The freshest product possible. Then there were Spanish shops with serrano hams, sausages, and smoked meats hanging from the ceiling. The Ukrainian and Polish shops were filled with kielbasa, sausages, hams, hocks, chickens, and all sorts of oily fish. All these shops had one thing in common: an old smoker pumping out rich, oily smoke.

Im a meat guy. I just am. Which is why, as my culinary career progressed, I found myself drawn to the grill and then to the smoker. At one point, I reached the lofty position of corporate chef for one of the largest grocery chains in Canada. I was sent all over the world to research suppliers, learn about various cooking methods, and attend culinary events. While on the job, I ate brisket that was to die for at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texasit was so moist, your napkins needed napkins. I researched the most incredible smoked duck at R.U.B. BBQ, Paul Kirks former barbecue joint in New York City. I studied many a sausage in Texas and had the satisfying job of eating brisket, ribs, and beans at The Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas. Oh, it be tasty!

Ill smoke anything, anyway, anywhere, anyhow.

As my career grew, I discovered research and development. I worked for meat guys all over North America, developing pretty much any smoky product I was approached about. Using the great industrial smokers in these plants taught me that much more about refining technique on my own smokers. Smoking is as much a science as it is an art. You work with the food scientists responsible for quality control and you gain an incredible amount of knowledge about the proteins I love so much. Its only right I share some of that knowledge. Im a sharing kind of guy!

It was because of all the business trips that I began to look into this phenomenon further. Its been close to 30 years and theres no stopping now. Ive become known as the Godfather of the Grill far and wide, but the smoking aspect of barbecue is my real passion. Theres absolutely nothing I wont put in a smoker.

This is just a bit of my story. I hope this book is the beginning of your own story. It doesnt have to turn you into a pro or a fanatic, but it might. To me, smoking food is about spending time in the great outdoors and preparing some outrageously delicious food. My wife and my kids play too. Its not a solitary activity. The pit world is a social world. In these rough times, this is just what you need to get to know your family all over again. The thing I most want you to get from this book is that smoking foods isnt hard! My kids have been helping me since they were old enough to understand HOT!

Ill take you through every step of smoking by offering you the basic principles. Im not going to lie: There will be times when youll have to figure a few things out for yourself. Because every smoker is different and every situation is different, I can only predict and troubleshoot so much for you. Then you need to let your natural instincts kick in. Years ago, a wise old chef told me the way to really judge a chef was by how well they could make their mistakes look like they meant it. I believe this book will give you the tools you need to be prepared for most of the smoking obstacles that might come your way.