Smoking Meat & Fish
Many use our wood fired pizza ovens for smoking meats, fish, etc. The oven temperature is kept at below 200°C and, as a slow cook or bake as required.
Let your oven go to a downward temperature and then place water soaked hickory, marri or other scented woods, sawdust or shavings. A 2kg chicken can take up to 2 hours, but the flavour is to die for. This meat is especially tasty when left a day to cool and eaten cold.
The heat does the job of cooking and the smoke imparts flavour.
Some close the door off after their main cooking and let their meats cook and smoke overnight.
A variation of smoking is as follows:
Fish smoked in paper
Fish cooked this way is moist and has a mild smoky flavour.; if you have any left over, it's delicious served cold. This is a good way to prepare and carry fish to a picnic site, as the paper will keep the fish cold for several hours.
You can use salmon, flounder, or rockfish, allowing about 1 pound per person. For 8 to 10 people, plan on 3 fish or about 3 pounds each, or 2 fish of 4 to .5 pounds each.
Clean the fish, removing heads and tails; rub with salt (about 1 tea spoon per pound of fish) and sprinkle with pepper. Stuff the cavity of each fish with equal parts of chopped parsley and finely chopped onion. Wrap each fish well in buttered waxed paper so there is a 1 inch thickness of paper (you'll need about 8 double sheets of newspaper for a 3 pound fish). To make the packet easier to handle, tie with string.
Dip the packets in water to moisten the outer layer of paper and place in the oven away from the fire. Let the newspaper smoulder but not flame (quench flames with water). The fish only has to be turned once at 25 minutes then another 20 minutes. When packets have smouldered down to the waxed paper layer (it takes about 3/4 of an hour for a fish of about 3 pounds to cook). Remove the charred newspaper and waxed paper from one side of each fish and turn over onto serving platter; then remove the paper from the other side of each fish. Serve with melted butter and lemon slices.
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...Or imagine sitting down to a sumptuous wood fired Sunday roast cooked by you and your Alfresco for your family...
