While you are cooking your main course on the smoker, you may simultaneously cook your vegetables in the smoker. Most vegetables will cook in 4 to 5 hours. Larger potatoes may take longer. If you’d rather not have smoke flavored vegetables, just wrap them in foil before putting them on the grill.
Grapevine & Rosemary Smoked Vegetable Medley
Smoked vegetables are healthy and delicious as a side dish or a light meal. Almost any vegetable can be smoked, so experiment with your own favorites. Add smoked vegetables to soups, stews, rice dishes, bean dishes, casseroles, pasta, salads – any dish that uses vegetables – to perk up old recipes or create new ones.
Ingredients:
- 8 sticks dried grapevine (use hickory as substitute)
- 1 cup dried rosemary
- 5 cups water for water pan
- 2 ear corn, sliced in 2-inch sections
- 3 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
- 4 medium scallions, whole
- 4 heads garlic, halved
- 4 zucchini squash, sliced
- 4 yellow squash, sliced
- 2 large sweet onions, sliced
- 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and halved
- 6 large mushrooms, halved
- 6 new potatoes, quartered
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Place grapevine and rosemary on charcoal or lava rocks, and pour water into the water pan. Brush vegetables with olive oil, place in smoker basket and set on lower level grill. Smoke cook for 30 to 45 minutes (electric/gas smoker) or 45 minutes to 1 hour (charcoal smoker). Some vegetables will require longer cooking times than others. The potatoes, bell peppers, corn and onions may be placed in the smoker about 15 minutes prior to adding the other vegetables. If further cooking is required, place vegetables in a preheated oven and roast to desired tenderness. Season with salt and pepper.
Serves 6
Grilled Veggies
Ingredients:
- Eggplant
- Squash
- Zucchini
- Mushrooms
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- Garlic Salt
Slice eggplant lengthwise into 1/2″ – 3/4″ slices. Slice squash and zucchini, halved lengthwise. Brush all the above with olive oil. Sprinkle with coarsely ground pepper and garlic salt. Place mushrooms in a Smoker Basket. Smoke cook for 1 hour or until tender, or grill directly for 8 minutes per side or until done. Smoke until tender.
Frozen Vegetables
Tear off a piece of heavy-duty aluminum about 12 to 18 inches long. Open a 10 to 16 oz. package of frozen vegetables and empty onto the foil. Dot with butter, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water.
Bring sides of foil to center and fold over and over, folding ends of the package to seal. Place on grill and cook along with meat.
Smoked Portabella Mushrooms
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. large Portabella mushrooms
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Fresh basil (chopped)
- Fresh oregano (chopped)
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- Garlic salt
Coat mushrooms with olive oil. Sprinkle with coarsely ground pepper, garlic salt, and chopped herbs. Place mushrooms in a Smoker Basket. Smoke cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours or grill directly for 45 minutes until done. Slice mushrooms thick or serve whole.
Serves 4 – 6
Vegetables in the Water Pan
When cooking beef or lamb, put 1-1/2 to 2 lbs. of scrubbed new potatoes, or 4 to 6 quartered large red potatoes in the water pan. Add water to fill pan ¾ full and cook along with meat. Put whole peeled carrots or parsnips, quartered turnips or rutabagas, whole okra or mushrooms, peeled onions, chunks of squash or cabbage wedges in the water pan and add enough water to cover. Cook along with meat for several hours.
If water cooks away but vegetables are almost tender, add just enough to cover the bottom of water pan; vegetables will then roast to finish cooking. If a ham or pork roast or ribs are scheduled for the cooking grill, put some kraut, chopped apple, wine, and caraway seed in the water pan, along with enough water to cover. Check after 3 hours of cooking and add more water, if necessary.