Smoked eggs using BGE mini and A-Maze_N

idahopz · Apr 1, 2016

The weather is beautiful in north Idaho and outdoor cooking is the plan for the day. On the menu are smoked pickled eggs, wood-fired pizza, and European-style crispy crust bread. We used a BGE Mini for the smoked eggs using an A-Maze-N 6-inch with cherry pellets for a slight smoke flavor, and then into quick pickle solution for a couple of days to develop that acid bite we love.

While that was going on, we fired up the pizza oven and cooked pizzas with our favorite topping: sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, fresh mushrooms, olives, feta, and Mozzarella. Red pepper flakes made it spicy. Lastly, I begged the missus to make her European-style bread that has a thick crisp crust, and wonderfully tender inside. All in all, it was a couple of days to remember.

The Mini with the tube smoker

IMG_8984.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

The "smoker" loaded with eggs

IMG_8977.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

The fire pot must be filled with smoke if this is any indication

IMG_8978.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

IMG_8978.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

IMG_8982.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

Unfortunately two of the eggs right above the tube were hit with the rising heat - will need to figure out a deflector if I do this in the future

IMG_8983.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

The oven is fired and ready to go

IMG_8985.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

Nothing like the flavor of a wood-fired pizza!

IMG_8986.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

My missus did her bread - famous in my book because I have never found it anywhere except Europe.

IMG_8979.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

SmokinAl · Apr 1, 2016

Your pizza oven is awesome! So is the pizza!

I wish you had more photo's of it.

The bread looks delicious too!

Would love to have the bread recipe!

Points to you!!

Al

gearjammer · Apr 1, 2016

OK, I'm starting to get ideas here.

First off everything looks delicious.

I could really get into that bread.

I have a large stone fireplace, let's see if I've

got any of this right.

If I just push the fire back I can bake bread in it?

Or do I need to enclose that entry a bit?

I could easily make something to enclose that entrance

a bit if I had to.

Thank you for your help.

Ed

idahopz · Apr 2, 2016

Thanks for the comments guys!

... and I appreciate the points, Al !!

The pizza oven is a work in progress because I bought it as a kit and had to come up with some kind of encasement to make it look reasonable. Unfortunately I'm not much of a mason either, but it looks better than it did when I put it together. I kept a record of my construct, and will put up a few pics to showcase my embarrassment at a masonry attempt!

I'm not sure if you could bake bread in a fireplace, Gearjammer, but I don't know why not - the baking takes place in a Dutch oven and all you need is a 450 degree temperature, which should not be too difficult just by piling coals around the Dutch oven. Baking a pizza might be another story - having the enclosed area seems to make a difference.

I'll put up some of my wife's bread making techniques as well as her recipe, which is a modification of a recipe she found on YouTube - that baker was a really funny guy!

dirtsailor2003 · Apr 2, 2016

Pie looks good. Can't access the link. So I'll have to take the word of others that all the rest is good too.

idahopz · Apr 2, 2016

dirtsailor2003 said:
Pie looks good. Can't access the link. So I'll have to take the word of others that all the rest is good too.

Sorry, sometimes the photo storage sites can be a bit of an issue. I have a similar problem with posted photobucket images because I do not have an account with them

Here's the bread recipe

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour (500g) - however any kind will do
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water - the amount is variable depending on the "feel" of the dough
Cheese, herbs or other flavorings you would like to use (absolute amounts are to taste)

Method

Mix flour, salt, and yeast with the handle end of a wooden spoon.
Add water slowly and stir until the dough looks sticky.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until it doubles in volume (about 2-4 hours)
Scrape the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for a minute or so. Now is when you add any additional ingredients such as herbs, cheese, etc.
Form into a ball and place into a generously floured tea towel and return to the bowl - ensure that the dough is loosely covered with the tea towel and let rise for another hour or two.
Here's the success to the thick European crust - place a Dutch oven into your oven and preheat to 450F. A pot with a lid will do nicely if you do not have a Dutch oven.
After preheating, dump the dough ball into the Dutch oven, make several slits in the surface of the dough ball and return the Dutch oven to the main oven - bake for 30 minutes. As the dough cooks, it is releasing steam which continuously bathes the baking bread, developing the delicious thick, crispy crust.
Crack the lid and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes depending on how dark you want the crust.

If you want to make the dough into pizza crust, just use less water - the dough is simply not as sticky, and is easy to manipulate for pizza

For naan, omit the yeast - the unleavened bread is delicious with dips such as Sabra humus

idahopz · Apr 2, 2016

Found a few pics of the pizza oven, but warning that I'm not a mason! It is definitely a work in progress.

Pouring a pad - 6-inches of standard bag concrete - lucky I have a kid that can haul the sacks! Here I am attending to the detail

IMG_5278.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

IMG_5278.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

IMG_5288.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

Almost finished with the basic construct

IMG_5290.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

Here's my helper - he looks glad to be done for the day

IMG_5341.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

After a couple of years of indecision, I finally decided on a stucco finish (mostly because I felt I could handle it) - here's the base coat with lots more to come to finish it off. The final color will be terra cota, and hopefully have a finish like you see in the old John Wayne movies

IMG_8692.JPG

idahopz
Apr 2, 2016

1967robg · Apr 2, 2016

That's awesome! I'm going to end up with cookers all over the yard. Point!

idahopz · Apr 2, 2016

Thanks 1967RobG!!!

dirtsailor2003 · Apr 3, 2016

Since your wife likes to bake bread and you like to eat it, you need to get on Amazon and buy her this book:

image.jpeg

dirtsailor2003
Apr 3, 2016

Ken Forkish's book will take that rustic loaf to the next level.

I've used that recipe since I was in boy scouts. It's an easy bread to make while camping. The double rise over multiple days will really add to the breads flavor and texture. If you want to spice it up give this a try sometime:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/134305/loaf-of-death

Fire water:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/133831/experimental-fire-water-aka-acid-rain

idahopz · Apr 3, 2016

Thanks for the tip, dirtsailor2003!

We have trued various additions like cheese and herbs, but not spicy yet. I absolutely love spicy

driedstick · Apr 25, 2016

Sorry I'm late to the party that looks great all the way around..

Is that lake CDA in the background?? My aunt lived in Athol for yrs, use to go visit her on another lake she live on (forgot the name)

A full smoker is a happy smoker

DS

idahopz · Apr 26, 2016

Good eye, DS! Yes, Lake Cd'A - been here for nearly 30 years in the same place. Has not changed much in all that time.

The lake near Athol - Cocolalla?

Thanks for the point!

Smoked eggs using BGE mini and A-Maze_N

Smoking Fanatic

SMF Hall of Fame Pitmaster

Master of the Pit

Smoking Fanatic

Epic Pitmaster

Smoking Fanatic

Smoking Fanatic

Meat Mopper

Smoking Fanatic

Epic Pitmaster

Smoking Fanatic

Smoking Guru

Smoking Fanatic

Similar threads

Hot Threads