While in New Orleans last week I had the best gumbo I have ever eaten commercially and it was in a pizza restaurant. The name is Louisiana Pizza Kitchen and all of their food is cooked in a wood fired oven. The pizzas are awesome. What I noticed most about the gumbo was the very deep smokey flavor that could only come from the roux.
That got me to thinking about how to duplicate that flavor. My question is this. Has anyone smoked flour before? I'm thinking about 2 ways to go here. One is to smoke the flour and then prep the roux on top of the stove as normal. The other is to prep the entire roux in the smoker. If I prep the entire roux in the smoker it will have to be in the MAK as it will need a higher heat than what the Bradley is capable of generating.
Any thoughts guys and gals? I'm looking for any and all thoughts, both good and bad. Thanks for your input.
Why not try em both? Then I'll know which one to use ;D Sounds interesting
Quote from: carnie1 on October 29, 2011, 04:05:46 PM
Why not try em both? Then I'll know which one to use ;D Sounds interesting
I agree with above! I have browned flour in dry pan, it takes on a whole different taste also. Do it outside if you try it. (Trust me on that)
You could also cold smoke the oil..
I think squirt has the answer...I like that idea a lot...smoke the oil...yeah...
Could they have used liquid smoke?
BUT, if I were to try it I would get some oil into the Bradley and let it stoke like smoking salt. Stir the oil often to get it mixed in and run it about 4 hours.
Ron, it didn't have that liquid smoke taste but maybe they used it. I'm going to play with the idea of smoking the flour or doing the entire roux in the smoker. If either comes out well, I'll post the results.
Ron, for the record. After the Saints game last Sunday night and we found our way back into the Quarter we headed straight to Oceana. They had some great crawfish etouffe'e.
Have ya tried making your roux with bacon grease?
I think it gives the roux a smoked flavor.
My grandfather used to make his roux (and gumbo) in the oven. He swore the consistent oven temp made it easier not to burn. I don't see why you couldn't put it on the MAK in a big cast iron pot with the smoke rolling as you make the roux. Quick stir every 15 - 30 min just to make sure you're not burning/sticking. I'm not positive, but I think he went like 325-350 for 2-4 hrs for the roux but it's been many many years now.
I will go the other way and say to cold smoke the flour like we do with salt. Put the flour on some coffee filters and stir it around as you cold smoke it for 3-4 hours.