Smoked Beets With Multiple Presentations

The Beet, native to the coasts of western and southern Europe, is a herbaceous biennial or perennial plant. The cultivated forms are thought to have come from sea-coast plants of Europe and Asia. The root and the leaves are edible.

Major varieties include:

- "Albina Vereduna", a white variety
- "Burpee's Golden", a beet with orange-red skin and yellow flesh. Sweeter than red beets.
- "Chioggia", a beet with concentric rings of ed and white. A heritage variety, with a mild flavor, originally grown in Italy. Pictured here.
- "Cylindra", a long cylindrical variety, also known as Formanova, is an heirloom variety originating in Denmark.
- "Detroit Dark Red", is a popular commercial beet in the United States.
- "India Beet", not as sweet as Western beets, but more nutritious.
- "Lutz Greenleaf", a variety with a red root and green leaves, and a reputation for maintaining its quality well in storage.
- "Red Ace", the principal variety of beet found in the United States, typical for its bright red root and red-veined green foliage.

For more on the beet read the Wikipedia article.

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There are three basic approaches to smoking: the outdoor smoker, the charcoal or gas grill, and the indoor stove top smoker.

Outdoor Smokers:

Outdoor smokers are generally fueled by hardwood or wood pellets and can be supported by electric convection fans..Hardwood smokers are often referred to as water smokers because a tray of water usually sits between the fire and the food. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages but some are better choices depending on your preferences. The most important determining factor in choosing the right smoker is figuring out what type of cook you are. Do you want to be really involved in the process of tending the fire and cooking the food? Or do you want to turn on your smoker and cook something fast and easy? In general, pellet smokers have thermostats integrated into the systems that feed the pellets to the burn pot at a rate sufficient to maintain the temperature that you have set. Whereas the hardwood smokers depend on you to stoke the fire with logs and closely monitor the temperature.

I use a Traeger pellet smoker (see the right sidebar) because I usually want to do other things besides monitoring the temperature. In reality, I use my Traeger to do everything. I can't remember the last time I bought or used gas or charcoal. All I have to do is pour in the pellets and turn it on (assuming the grates, etc. are clean) and in about 15 minutes I have smoke and am ready to cook.

Charcoal or Gas Grill Smoker:

To smoke food in your gas or charcoal grill you will use the indirect method. With this method, the food is never directly over the heat source. This means that you must be able to turn off one side of your gas grill. And, after your charcoal grill has reached cooking temperature divide the briquets into two piles, one on each side of the grill. When using charcoal you may need to periodically add briquets to keep the temperature up.

Although you may purchase charcoal with wood already embedded in the briquets, I would recommend that you add wood chips to keep the amount of smoke high. Wood chips will need to be soaked for 30 to 40 minutes (follow the directions on the bag of chips) prior to adding them to the grill. It is always better to soak more than you think you'll need as you can always dry the excess out for later use, but you won't have time to soak a new batch of chips if you run out. You can use beer, wine, water, or any liquid of your choice.

You may put the chips directly on your charcoal piles, but there is a danger that the water soaked chips will cool your fire too much before they start to smoke. The better way, and how you have to do it on a gas grill, is to wrap the soaked chips in aluminum foil with sufficient holes poked in the packet to allow the smoke to escape. Place the packet(s) directly on the coals or burners. You will want to have multiple packets prepared and you will want to place the new packet onto the fire before the old one burns out. Or, you may put the wood chips into a smoker box. Or, use the Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Wood Chip Soaker Set, below. It is a very unique, ingenious and convenient way to add wood chips to your charcoal or gas grill.

Place a heavy duty aluminum pan directly under the food. Fill it halfway with water. You can add spices, herbs, veggies, beer or wine to the water to add flavor to the food as it cooks.

Partially close any lower air vents to slow the burn rate of the charcoal and to maintain a lower temperature. This is something that will take some experimentation and practice, since grill design and type of charcoal used will both affect the temperature.

Stovetop Smoker:

Using a stovetop smoker isn't hard and they have a relatively low entry point compared to the other options. They usually come with an adequate instruction guide, but basically you do the following:

You soak your wood chips as discussed previously. Sprinkle your wood chips in the very bottom of the smoker. Place the drip pan in the smoker over the wood chips. Place your food to be smoked on the cooking rack. Place the smoker over a burner or two on your stove. Close the lid about 2/3 of the way until you see signs of smoke, then close the lid fully and secure it.

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Here are three possible ways to smoke your beets in order of my preference. Where my preference is characterized by the amount of smokiness achieved.

HIGH SMOKINESS::

Scrub and trim your beets, removing the skin. Slice, cube, julienne or quarter your beets according to the final presentation. Drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil and any seasoning required by your recipe. Toss and add to your smoking basket or tray. Bring your smoker to between 350 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit (F). Making sure you have consistent smoke, smoke them, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and beginning to brown, about 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Note: if you are not time constrained smoke them for a longer period at between 200 and 250 degrees F.

MEDIUM SMOKINESS:

Heat an oven to 350 degrees F. Scrub and trim your beets, LEAVING THE SKINS ON. Drizzle with olive oil, season with the salt and pepper and toss. Add enough water to a deep-sided roasting pan to keep the juices from scorching the pan. Add the beets to the pan and roast covered until tender, approximately 1 hour. Remove the beets, allow them to cool enough to pick up and remove their skins while they are still warm..

Slice, cube, julienne or quarter your beets as required for your final presentation. Lightly drizzle again with extra virgin olive oil, season as required by your recipe, toss and add to your smoking basket or tray.

In the meantime prepare your smoker, bringing it to between 200 and 250 degrees F. When you have consistent smoke, place beets in smoke for 10 to 20 minutes.

MEDIUM TO LOW SMOKINESS:

Recommendations: Only take this approach if you are using a charcoal grill (not gas or a smoker). Use a charcoal, such as Kingsford, that has hickory embedded in the briquets. Add additional hickory chips DIRECTLY to the briquets, making sure to pat off any excess liquid with a paper towel.

Light your charcoal. You will be placing the packages of beets directly into the coals, not using the indirect method described above, so there is no need to separate the coals into piles.

Scrub and trim your beets, LEAVING THE SKINS ON. Drizzle with olive oil, season with the salt and pepper and toss. Fold a large piece of HEAVY DUTY aluminum foil in half to form a double layer. Add your beets to the center of the foil leaving space between them. DO NOT DENSE PACK! Leave room for the smoke to circulate. Roll up the foil, folding in the edges and twisting the ends together. Stab the foil all over, especially between the beets, to allow the smoke to get inside and flavor the beets. Be careful not to compromise the overall integrity of the packet(s). When the coals have stabilized to a medium (not flaming) temperature, use tongs to carefully insert your foil package(s) into the coals, making sure to cover it with briquets.

Roast your beets for 30 to 40 minutes, or until they are tender. Remove the package(s), allow it to cool down and remove the beets. Once cooled, peel the beets and discard the charred skin. Slice, cube, julienne or quarter depending upon what is required for your final presentation.

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