9 Chef-Approved Foods To Cook In A Smoker, Beyond Meat

You've bought a brand new smoker, and you can't wait to get smoking. You've picked out the best wood, you've got the best cut of meat, and you've finally gotten your smoker to the perfect temperature. But then it dawns on you: Maybe not everyone in your party wants a nice, juicy brisket or pork shoulder. Maybe they don't want any meat at all. Are you out of luck? Of course not. Just because meats are the most common thing to cook in that big green egg, doesn't mean that you're hamstrung. 

Barbecue and smoking maven, Steven Raichlen says there are plenty of other choices out there from produce to pasta and even dessert. We were lucky enough to sit down with the famous chef at the Alisal Ranch during his annual BBQ University and get his top picks for smoking. He was even nice enough to tell us how to do it and why it works. Read on to see what else you can cook in that smoker of yours, just in case you or your guests aren't in the mood for protein. 

Anyone who's ever had a delicious egg salad sandwich or a scrumptious deviled egg knows that in order to make both of these recipes, you need to start with hard-boiled eggs. And while we've tried almost every way we can think of to cook a hard-boiled egg, we've never tried smoking them. Sure, those eggs are perfect right out of the pan, but Raichlen assures us that if you take a few extra minutes to smoke them once they're hard boiled, that egg salad or deviled egg will turn into "a revelation."

Raichlen swears it's not that hard to do, and for an extra few minutes, why wouldn't you throw them into your smoker? But be careful. You don't want them to overheat. So, to remedy this potential disaster, the chef recommends peeling them and placing them on a rack over an aluminum pan filled with ice. Then you wait. But he promises you don't have to wait very long, just 10 or 15 minutes, until you see the eggs heat up. The final result is an egg that Raichlen says is absolutely "phenomenal."

If you're going to make a smoked egg salad, you might want to consider going all in and using a smoked mayonnaise as well. Raichlen's recommendation, which he says is a "revelation," may sound like a strange idea, but considering all the different ways you can elevate the flavor of the creamy white spread, we weren't really surprised by the suggestion. We just couldn't believe we hadn't thought of it.

While Raichlen says that he typically uses a smoking gun to enhance the spread, he tells us that you can do it in a smoker as well. But if you're going to go the smoker route, the chef says to use the same process as the hard-boiled eggs: Place a bowl of ice under the bowl of mayo. That way, the condiment won't get too hot. While you could use the spread in an egg or tuna salad, Raichlen suggests putting it on a BLT. If you do that, Raichlen says you'll hear the angels sing.

We've all seen smoked gouda in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Often part of charcuterie boards, the smokiness of this rich, creamy cheese pairs well with plenty of meats and nuts, which is why it's such a popular choice. But Raichlen says it's not the only cheese you can smoke — turns out you can actually smoke most cheeses. As the chef explains, it's done with indirect heat for a short amount of time. In his book, "Project Smoke," he has recipes for ricotta, Camembert, and mozzarella, just to name a few.

But he doesn't always use wood chips when smoking cheese. Raichlen tells us that while visiting Italy, he discovered a unique way to smoke dairy. They'll take fresh mozzarella or burrata, "and they'll put it in a cardboard box... And then underneath a big handful of hay in a pie dish," he explains. "You set the hay on fire, and it gets a very strong hay smoke, which has a different flavor than a wood smoke," he continues. The whole process only takes a few minutes, and as it smokes, "it covers the cheese with this patina of smoke... And that's phenomenal."

If you want to really make a statement and take one of our favorite comfort foods to another level, Raichlen tells us not to just smoke the luscious pasta dish but to up the ante by adding smoked cheese to your mac and cheese before you cook it. While any cheese would work, since you might have taken Raichlen's advice and just made some smoked ricotta for a sumptuous crostini appetizer, why not save a little and mix it into your favorite mac and cheese recipe? Now, not only will you have an extra creamy mac, the smokiness from the cheese will permeate every ounce of the dish.

Once prepared and poured it into a stunning casserole dish, Raichlen says to place the mac and cheese on the cool side of your grill for at least an hour, never letting your grill get over 250 degrees Fahrenheit. While you could prepare this dish on a gas grill, charcoal is definitely the better choice, especially if you cover the coals with maple, cherry, or pecan wood chips. Follow these few tips, and you'll end up with another dish that the chef says will impress even the fussiest kid.

Even though you can grill just about anything, when it comes to smoking, vegetables are another story. Raichlen says some are "miraculous" in a smoker while others fall flat. For example, the chef believes that "smoking lettuce makes it taste like an ashtray." Beets and chocolate are two other things that the smoking connoisseur says don't smoke well. "They're so strong and earthy, the smoke flavor fights with their intrinsic flavor rather than complementing it," he explains.

But two pieces of produce that Raichlen says are perfect for the smoker are eggplant and peppers. "They have an interesting smoke mechanism because if you put them directly on the embers or you char them on a burner, the skin burns, and it drives the smoke into the flesh." That's why baba ganoush recipes always start with charring the eggplant so that smoky flavor permeates the dip.

Raichlen tells us there are two ways to achieve this delicious curiosity. "If you're a country dweller, you ember char the eggplant, and the burnt skin smokes the flesh of the eggplant on the inside," he explains. "If you're a city dweller, you just crank up your gas or electric burner, and you lay an eggplant right on it and char the skin." But no matter which method you choose, "country dweller or city dweller," if you follow Raichlen's tips, you'll end up with a perfectly charred eggplant that can be used in a variety of weeknight recipes.

Like most of the other items on this list, if you smoke tomatoes on the grill, they need to be placed on the cool side of the grill and cooked indirectly. But Raichlen says this specific produce can be cooked in a smoker as well. Unlike the eggplant, you don't put the whole tomato on the grates. The chef tells us that you have to cut them in half first. That way, the tomatoes get that delightful smoky flavor without getting too hot. "The idea with that is you smoke them fast enough so they get a patina of smoke on the outside when they stay cold on the inside," he explains.

With so many different kinds of tomatoes available, this would be a great opportunity to pick a few different varieties and smoke them all together. While the smoke will affect the flavors of each tomato a little differently, it'll end up creating a Mexican gazpacho Raichlen insists will be "one truly amazing dish."

When it comes to fish, everyone has heard of the popular brunch option, smoked salmon. But that's not the only fish you can smoke. In fact, Raichlen admits that "virtually any fish can be smoked." But the chef says he likes to smoke scallops. Don't like scallops? There's no need to lose hope. In his book, "Project Smoke," the chef has a whole chapter dedicated to smoking various types of seafood, including black cod, oysters, and shrimp.

Raichlen even tells us there's a "very interesting" shellfish dish in France called an éclade de moules where they put mussels in a skillet that has holes all over the bottom. A skillet that's typically used for roasting chestnuts. The French will fill the skillet with dry pine needles, put the mussels on top, and then put the whole thing over a fire. "The pine needles catch fire, and in a burst of smoke, they smoke and open the muscles," he explains. The dish may be just one ingredient, but Raichlen swears that the piney smoke combined with the briny mussels makes for an "absolutely phenomenal" dish.

These days, it's practically impossible to walk into a bar and not find a smoked cocktail on its menu. The awesome trick has become a popular choice not just because of the showmanship involved but also because of the flavor it imbues into the cocktail. While Raichlen says the best way to achieve this cool-looking spectacle is to use a smoking gun, in his book, "Project Fire," which focuses on all things grill-based, the master griller includes a grilled sangria.

He slices lemons, limes, and oranges in half, dips them in sugar, caramelizes them over a hot fire, and tosses them in a big bowl. Then he grills cinnamon sticks until they start to burn and adds them to the citrus. Finally, he mixes in rum, brown sugar, and red or white wine, depending on his mood. While the citrus and cinnamon sticks aren't smoked per se, the smoky flavor they acquired from the grill transfers to the sangria, creating what he says is "a nice charred, grilled smoky flavor." But if that's not enough smoke for you, Raichlen suggests pouring the whole concoction into a pitcher and using a smoking gun to further smoke the drink.

When most chefs write cookbooks, they have to create the recipes. Raichlen is no different. While a lot of the recipes in his book are based on dishes he's enjoyed all over the world, there are several that he developed specifically for "Project Smoke." One such recipe, which he says is a Raichlen signature, is smoked ice cream. We were intrigued. How in the world do you smoke ice cream without it melting?

"You use a smoking gun, but you can also do it on your Weber kettle," the chef says. The whole process doesn't take very long and involves a big bowl of ice. Once you have your ice, you place a pint of ice cream on top and place it in your grill on the cool side. Again, this is done via indirect grilling. The secret this time is the amount of wood chips you use. "Normally, when you're smoking, you want to add chips every hour, so it's a gentle smoke," reveals the smoking maven. But for ice cream, you want to use a lot more chips than you normally would. "You really want to blast it with smoke within the first five minutes before it has a chance to melt," Raichlen continues. "And the amazing thing about that is if you do that with vanilla ice cream, it will taste like a toasted marshmallow. It's really fabulous."