Smoked Olive Oil

Unknown

Here's a great "condiment" discovereed by accident. It's a by-product of the fantastic the smoked olives recipe in Smoke & Spice. There's a lot of leeway/room for creativity here, but the basic recipe is[p]1. Use or make a disposable aluminum pan, just a couple of square inches than the layer of olives you want to smoke. [p]2. Put olives in this pan, in a single layer. I usually do about a 6" x 6" sixe pans worth, so keep that in mind when you need t increase the following qty's...[p]3. Drizzle about 4 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tables spoons red wine or port, 2 tables spoons finely chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon dried rosemary (or basil or oregano or all 3), and 1 tablespoon rough cracked black pepper, over the olives. (Optional... add a few cloves whole garlic, add some dried tomatoes in oil, add some golden raisins, add some charred red bell pepper, or any type of pepper for that matter.)[p]4. I smoke on BGE, over lump with just 3 or 4 small chunks of wood (cherry, what have you), at 190 for about 2 hrs, to infuse with smoke-a-roma. Then pump up the temp to 270 or so for about 30 min (til juice starts to simmer) to get the olives coated with the heat-coagulate juices. [p]Basically, you are DONE! The cool thisg about these, besides how delicious they are, is that I almost always manage to be able to throw a batch in on the side of whatever I'm cooking. Don't oversmoke, however, or they can get that slightly bitter twang. [p]Now the interesting part. I screwed this up a few weeks back (I can't remember... I added a little too much opil, or I undercooked them a little), and when they were done there were a few tables spoons of residual oil, loaded, of course, with bits of garlic, pepper, etc. I tried drizzling this over a little parmiaggiano reggiano, and HOO BOY is was fantastic. Smoky, olivey, etc etc. I then drizzled some on top of a tenderloin steak and is was fantastic. Really good, even. [p]Which leaves me wondering..... theoretically, you could "optimize" this recipe for the original intent (smoked oilves) AND the delicious by product of "smoked oil" (by adding a little extrac oil/wine) or even make a tapanade perhaps, by also rough chopping the ingredients. [p]Oh, PS.... (the disclaimer)... using canned olives in this recipe yield poor results. I use just about every kind of olive imagineable, becuase there a bulk "Olive Bar" at the local grocer. My favorites are Kalamata and Nicoise, but they are all good, as long didn't come from a can. The canned olives never seem to "soften up."

Thanks for all your help! I can't wait to try that "latent skin" pork butt idea, Spin! [p]Mike/Seattle[p]

Elizabeth

Mike Flaherty,
Oh, My goodness-this sounds divine!! We are a family of olive fans- might have to run out and get some to try tonight!!! THANKS- bet that oil would me fabulous on some fresh french bread......Cheers! Elizabeth

Randman

Mike Flaherty, my wife absolutely loves olives (not me,UGH), so I will try this out. It amazes me how people can come up with ideas. I never have any. I can follow directions great, however. Thanks for the input.

Char-Woody

Mike Flaherty,[p]Thats a beauty...! Post that one in the recipe files and your original will live in posterity. First great innovation in Y2K in original discoveries. I too love olives...Cheers ..C~W

Spin

Mike Flaherty,[p]Wow! The possibilities are endless. Thanks.[p]Spin

Unknown

randman,[p]I really didn't like olives (UGH!) very much until I stumbled over this either! And i still think that common "green olves" from a jar, or "black olives" from a can are hideous/insideous. So make sure get good olives, and just take the tiniest nibble off of one of your honey's olives! Mike.[p]