{"id":1881,"date":"2018-10-10T10:41:01","date_gmt":"2018-10-10T14:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lionsdeal.com\/blog\/?p=1881"},"modified":"2022-07-11T14:06:51","modified_gmt":"2022-07-11T18:06:51","slug":"smoked-foods-on-menu-increase-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lionsdeal.com\/blog\/smoked-foods-on-menu-increase-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Promote Smoked Foods on Your Menu to Increase Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Smoked<\/p>\n

Catering Trends: Smoked Food<\/strong><\/p>\n

When it comes to catering and keeping up with the latest trends, there\u2019s no rest for the weary. Just when you thought you had a handle on the latest trend \u2013 be it craft butter<\/a> or Greek cuisine<\/a> \u2013 along comes the next big thing and the cards are in the air. Now it\u2019s time to prepare for the era of smoked food of all kinds. It\u2019s hard to ignore the appeal of smoke-flavored foods; from the distinct taste to the pleasant and distinctive aroma, smoked foods are definitely rising in popularity.<\/p>\n

Smoke is Not Just for Meat<\/strong><\/p>\n

We spent some time in a recent blog discussing how you can incorporate barbecue into your catering menu, in particular Korean barbecue<\/a>. But smoke is not just for brisket or other cuts of meat and, in fact, nearly any food or dish can be smoked. The Smoke restaurant in Dallas, Texas, serves a cedar-wood infused tequila cocktail and they are not alone<\/a> \u2013 smoky cocktails are all the rage. All you need in order to cook up original and delicious smoked foods are some wood chips (such as hickory, maple, cherry, mesquite, etc.), a grill or smoker, a variety of herbs and seasonings, and your own instinct, imagination, and creativity and voila, a smoked food is born.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The important thing to know before you start smoking up a storm is that there is more than one way to smoke food. Even if you don\u2019t have a smoker, all is not lost, and an article on Food Hacks<\/a> explains what to do. Other types of smoking include dry smoking and wet smoking. If you go with a traditional smoker, you\u2019ll need to know how to best pair the food with the appropriate wood chips, at what temperatures to smoke your food, and what kind of grill or smoker to use. The people at Weber grills are happy to give tips and advice to the new food smoker looking to put it on the menu.<\/p>\n

\"Mix<\/p>\n

Mix Up Your Smoked Offerings<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for interesting ideas for smoked food that veer away from meat into the unexpected, the Internet is full of ideas, as are the many creative chefs working across the United States these days. In restaurants around the country, smoked foods are big and chefs today are smoking more than just meat and fish. Pots and pans can be placed right on the fire in wood-fire ovens (if you\u2019re lucky enough to have one) and trendy cooks are smoking everything from fruits and vegetables, and meats and fish, to breads and desserts.<\/p>\n

Take for instance, Blackbird Restaurant\u2019s roasted Alaskan halibut with turnips, almond, turmeric and smoked butter sorbet, or the smoked gouda macaroni and cheese at another Texas restaurant \u2013 Wine Wood. The Vibrant Plate website offers a recipe for smoked ricotta ravioli, very similar to the dish served at The Dutch restaurant in NYC, while in San Francisco \u2013 where else? \u2013 you can find ice cream with the distinctive flavor of chocolate smoked sea salt at Humphry Slocombe.<\/p>\n

The Meat of the Matter<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the current trend in smoking that includes everything from drinks to fish, many people like their smoke straight up \u2013 with their meat. A Digital Trends article entitled, \u201cLove Smoked Meat? Scientists Figured Out How to Make it Better,\u201d explains how the latest smoking methods and technology make smoked food safer and<\/em> tastier \u2013 a win-win situation. The article maintains that although smoked food is delicious, the process that brings the smoked items to our plates can also cause carcinogens, i.e., substances that may cause cancer in our body. And, as they say, \u201cThat\u2019s something that no amount of tasty food is worth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Coking<\/p>\n

However, borrowing from the automobile industry, researchers in Great Britain may have found a solution to this smoky dilemma. Their approach involves running smoke through a zeolite filter, a type of mineral that is also used to purify car exhaust gases. This filter can help extract more than 90% of benzo (a)pyrene, the main carcinogen in smoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe smoking process can cause carcinogens to form in foods,\u201d says Dr. Jane Parker, one of the researchers. \u201cNot all smoked foods are dangerous, but we do know most can contain low levels of these substances, so we should try to remove them. If we could produce a smoke with fewer carcinogens, but that still has the same great taste that would be ideal. Zeolite filters, which are put in a tailpipe, have been used in the car industry to reduce environmental pollutants, but they haven\u2019t been applied to food yet. We want to change that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Healthier smoked food is obviously a big draw but almost as important is the fact that the zeolite filter is said to actually improve the taste, giving the finished product a better, richer smoky flavor. In an article called, \u201cSmoked Foods are Tastier, Less Harmful with a Tip from the Auto Industry,\u201d the American Chemical Society<\/a> confirms that filtered smoke resulted in a more balanced taste, as opposed to a flavor that can be ashy and burnt. One theory for the taste difference is that the zeolite filter removes the smoke\u2019s larger molecules, which may be the ones that give some smoked foods their harsher flavors and smell.<\/p>\n

Some Like It Hot<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most delicious smoked foods is cold smoked salmon, a.k.a. lox. Technically, lox refers to salmon that is cured in a salt-sugar rub or brine, and nova is cured and then cold-smoked (unlike lox or gravlax). However, if you\u2019re looking to make an impression on your guests, you should consider serving hot smoked salmon, using this delicious recipe from Steven Raichlen\u2019s Barbecue Bible website.<\/p>\n

\"Hot<\/p>\n

Hot Smoked Salmon<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/u><\/p>\n