Specialty Cooking Techniques
Specialty cooking methods often require the purchase of extra equipment or accessories. Decide if the purchase is worth it and if it is a style of cooking that you will employ and enjoy.
Stir-Frying or Stir-Grilling
Stir-frying is best done in a wok. Similarly, stir-grilling is accomplished by grilling in a perforated grill basket over a hot charcoal or gas fire. Either is a delicious way to prepare tender pieces of meat quickly. By adding a variety of vegetables to the mixture and serving the finished food over rice or noodles, it is a great way to stretch a meal, too.
Packet Cooking in Parchment or Foil
Parchment paper and foil packets allow you to cook meat with vegetables and sauce in one neat package. Foil is a bit more versatile, since it won't burn up if placed by flame. So foil packets can cook over campfires, grills, and in hot ovens.
Planking
Modern-day planking can be done in the oven or on the grill. The most popular woods for planking are cedar, alder, oak, or other nonresinous woods. Some cooks prefer to char or bake the plank prior to placing tender foods atop it for baking. Others prefer to arrange the food on top of the water-soaked plank and place it in an oven or on the indirect side of a grill, closing the door and cooking for 20 to 30 minutes or until food is the desired doneness.
Baking planks are 2- to 3-inch-thick rectangular planks of wood with two steel rods inserted through the planks on each end. If the planks begin to split apart with repeated use, the steel rod can be tightened with screws. Baking planks cost more than grilling planks, but they last much longer. To clean planks, simply wash with warm sudsy water, rinse, and let dry until the next use.
Stovetop Smoking
This indoor smoker has been around for many years. It smokes finely shredded dry wood over medium-high temperatures. Items like shrimp cook in about 6 to 8 minutes. The shrimp gets a pretty burnished color and a hint of wood aroma in the taste. Smaller pieces of tender meat and vegetables fit better than large pieces in the stovetop smoker, which is smaller than an outdoor smoker.
Cold Smoking
Cold smoking is a process that adds smoke flavor to foods but does not usually cook the food (exceptions include cold smoking fish). Items like sausage or jerky can be cold smoked at less than 120°F. It is best to use curing products when cold smoking to avoid the growth of bacteria that causes food poisoning. After cold smoking, foods need to be stored in the refrigerator for several days or packaged for the freezer. When ready to eat, the cold-smoked items need to be cooked: hot smoked, grilled, baked, pan sautéed, or braised.
