Spices and herbs can add bright, complex flavours to whatever meal you are cooking. And while not all dishes need much zest to make them great-tasting, chefs around the world have been making a living by combining spices and herbs with cooking for ages.
Flavours in spices and herbs usually take time to unlock and dissolve into the food you are cooking. Some recipes call for spices or herbs early on, to allow more flavour to infuse in the food. Others, on the other hand, call for them later as a subtle garnish or for presentation.
We, here at Bradley Smoker, want to point out some select spices and herbs that work especially well with food smoking. They’ll help you create even more flavourful dishes and give you greater confidence when cooking.
Popular Spices
Coming from roots, bark, seeds, berries and fruits, spices are all about flavours. Some popular ones used in food smoking recipes include:
- Allspice
- Celery Seed
- Cinnamon Powder
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Cinnamon Powder
- Cloves
- Coriander Seed
- Cumin Seed
- Garlic Powder
- Ginger Powder
- Mustard Powder
- Nutmeg Powder
- Onion Powder
- Paprika
- Peppercorns
If you’ve stumbled across any of Bradley’s recipes, probably you noticed that many of them call for dried herbs and spices in brines and marinades.
This is because solvents like water, alcohol and fats help dissolve and unlock the flavours and accentuate their taste. Remember this when experimenting on your own. To get more flavour out of your seasonings, give them a solvent and give them time.
Heat helps accelerate dissolution, which is why chefs often kick things off with a hot pan of oil, adding pressed garlic, onions, spices and dry herbs.
The low, slow food smoking process gives spices and herbs plenty of time for dissolution and absorption, making it the ultimate cooking method.
Popular Herbs
Used for cooking, herbs are flavourings that come from green leaves. Many of them can be grown on a bright window sill in your house. Thyme, oregano, chives, rosemary, black pearl peppers, sage, parsley and basil do particularly well and are very popular.
One pot of any given herb grown throughout the year will provide enough seasoning for your whole family. Here are some other popular herbs for food smoking:
- Basil
- Bay Leaf
- Chives
- Dill
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Thai Basil
- Thyme
- Tarragon
Fresh vs Dry Herbs
Pay close attention to what your recipe specifically calls for. Swapping fresh for dried herbs can have a big impact on the recipe. For example, powdered bay leaf packs a lot more flavour than crushed or whole bay leaf.
In general, three parts fresh herbs is about equal to one part dried. So, if a recipe calls for fresh herbs and all you have is dried, then you can just change tablespoons to teaspoons and voila. It’s not an exact science, but it usually works.
Be Creative to Substitute a Spice or an Herb
Every once in a while, a recipe calls for an herb or spice that you don’t have. In that case, you can often substitute one herb or spice for another. This will more than likely result in a significant change in taste of the dish. So, it’s usually best to just make a quick run to the grocery store or, better yet, knock on a neighbor’s door!
Hopefully that will get the creative juices flowing, besides prompting you to occasionally change up what spices and herbs you’re using on your next food smoking dish! And as always, leave a comment!
Bradley Smoker is a maker of high quality food smoking products, Bisquettes and food smoking recipes.
Spices and herbs can add bright, complex flavours to whatever meal you are cooking. And while not all dishes need much zest to make them great-tasting, chefs around the world have been making a living by combining spices and herbs with cooking for ages.
Flavours in spices and herbs usually take time to unlock and dissolve into the food you are cooking. Some recipes call for spices or herbs early on, to allow more flavour to infuse in the food. Others, on the other hand, call for them later as a subtle garnish or for presentation.
We, here at Bradley Smoker, want to point out some select spices and herbs that work especially well with food smoking. They’ll help you create even more flavourful dishes and give you greater confidence when cooking.
Popular Spices
Coming from roots, bark, seeds, berries and fruits, spices are all about flavours. Some popular ones used in food smoking recipes include:
Allspice, Celery Seed, Cinnamon Powder, Cinnamon Sticks, Cinnamon Powder, Cloves, Coriander Seed, Cumin Seed, Garlic Powder, Ginger Powder, Mustard Powder, Nutmeg Powder, Onion Powder and Paprika Peppercorns.
If you’ve stumbled across any of Bradley’s recipes, probably you noticed that many of them call for dried herbs and spices in brines and marinades.
This is because solvents like water, alcohol and fats help dissolve and unlock the flavours, while accentuating their taste. Remember this when experimenting on your own. To get more flavour out of your seasonings, give them a solvent and give them time.
Heat helps accelerate dissolution, which is why chefs often kick things off with a hot pan of oil, adding pressed garlic, onions, spices and dry herbs.
The low, slow food smoking process gives spices and herbs plenty of time for dissolution and absorption, making it the ultimate cooking method.
Popular Herbs
Used for cooking, herbs are flavourings that come from green leaves. Many of them can be grown on a bright window sill in your house. Thyme, oregano, chives, rosemary, black pearl peppers, sage, parsley and basil do particularly well and are very popular.
One pot of any given herb grown throughout the year will provide enough seasoning for your whole family. Here are some other popular herbs for food smoking:
Basil, Bay Leaf, Chives, Dill, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Thai Basil, Thyme and Tarragon.
Fresh vs Dry Herbs
Pay close attention to what your recipe specifically calls for. Swapping fresh for dried herbs can have a big impact on the recipe. For example, powdered bay leaf packs a lot more flavour than crushed or whole bay leaf.
In general, three parts fresh herbs is about equal to one part dried. So, if a recipe calls for fresh herbs and all you have is dried, then you can just change tablespoons to teaspoons and voila. It’s not an exact science, but it usually works.
Be Creative to Substitute a Spice or an Herb
Every once in a while, a recipe calls for an herb or spice that you don’t have. In that case, you can often substitute one herb or spice for another. This will more than likely result in a significant change in taste of the dish. So, it’s usually best to just make a quick run to the grocery store or, better yet, knock on a neighbor’s door!
Hopefully that will get the creative juices flowing, besides prompting you to occasionally change up what spices and herbs you’re using on your next food smoking dish! And as always, leave a comment!
Bradley Smoker is a maker of high quality food smoking products, Bisquettes, and food smoking recipes.
