I hereby declare the 2014 Smoker Season open!
Tonight, we fired up our trusty Brinkmann smoker for the first time this autumn, and as per usual, it didn’t disappoint. Its first meal of the year was a favorite: Portobello mushroom “steaks” with acorn squash! We rounded out the plate with some steamed mixed vegetables (cooked indoors), and dinner was complete. And wonderful.
First, I prepared the acorn squash, which arrived in one of our last boxes from Great Country Farms. I halved the squash lengthwise, scooped out the seeds, and rubbed each half in olive oil. Then, I wrapped each half in a thin layer of aluminum foil and poked a few holes in each foil pouch to allow for the smoke to season the squash. Once the smoker was fully heated, I placed the halves cut-side down on the bottom grate and put the lid on! The squash cooked for a total of 2 hours in order to become perfectly tender.
About half an hour later, it was time to put the mushrooms on. I’d marinated them earlier in the afternoon with a blend of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and chipotle powder, leaving them in the fridge to soak up all of the flavors. So when it came time to put them into the smoker, the hard work was already done! I just plunked them on and let them cook for about 90 minutes.
With five minutes left to go in the cooking process, I steamed a package of mixed vegetables in the microwave – nary an indoor pot had to be dirtied for this meal!
Then it was time to take everything off the smoker. The mushrooms had darkened very nicely and were a bit shriveled – that’s what you’re looking for! The squash gave under a gentle squeeze, which is also a sign of success. We plated everything – adding some goat cheese to the mushrooms and some cinnamon and honey to the squash – and dug in.
The bad news? We have no leftovers for tomorrow. The good news: We both loved the meal! Smoker season is such a fun change from the summertime grilling season; both have their benefits, of course, but the change of pace is always welcome. I can’t wait to fire it up again next week and see what happens!
:)