Smoked beets are a modern take on a classic soul food vegetable favorite.
Beets are lightly smoked and tossed with simple vinaigrette and topped with goat cheese.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO SMOKE THESE BEATS
- Beets
- Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Sugar
- Goat cheese
- Fresh herbs
BEETS SMOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the beets
Place whole beets in a large saucepan with salted water. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium cooking until beets are easily piercable with a knife (about 25 minutes). Drain and rinse. Once cool, peel the beets - wrap them in a paper towel and just rub the skin off with your fingers.
Smoke the beets
Pre-heat smoker to 375 degrees. Brush beets with oil and a little salt. Once smoker is ready, place beets on a grill basket/tray, place in smoker, and cook over indirect heat 15-30 minutes.
Make the glaze
Mix balsamic vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, stirring as needed, until thick and syrupy. Serve the beets with the glaze drizzled or brushed on. Remove the beets and slice into wedges. Topped with fresh herbs and goat cheese.
SMOKED BEETS CONSIDERATIONS
Cooking time will depend on how smoky you want them. The boil essentially pre-cooks them to make the beet pliable for the smoke to penetrate. The longer you cook, the deeper the smoke penetration.
These are better sliced on the thinner side. I slice mine on the thinner side for about ¼ inch thick wedges.
Highly recommend owning and using a grill pan. They make it easy to handle vegetables on a grill without fear of any falling through the grates. Though its not a worry for these beets it does matter when smoking smaller vegetables.
I ate these smoked beets as a stand-alone dish, but you could easily add lettuce or greens to build a more traditional salad.
Remember these are red beets, so be careful as they stain everything they come into contact with. I keep plastic bags around to mitigate the staining.
MORE SMOKE VEGETABLES RECIPES
Smoked and fried green tomatoes
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Ingredients
- 4 medium beets scrubbed and sliced in halves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp. Kosher Salt
- 4 oz. goat cheese
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs parsley, cilantro, tarragon, etc. (optional)
Instructions
- Place beets in a large saucepan. Add salt and cover with water by at least an inch. Bring to a boil and cook until beets are easily pierced with a knife, 25 to 35 min.
- Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Once cool, peel beets.
- Meanwhile, preheat smoker/grill to about 375 degrees. Brush beets with oil and add a pinch of salt.
- Once ready add beets to a "vegetable grill basket" and place in the smoker cooking over indirect heat for 15 to 30 min. depending on how smoky you want them. Remove beets from smoker/grill and cut into smaller slices
- Make the glaze by mixing balsamic vinegar, sugar, and salt together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to simmer, stirring as needed, until thick and syrupy and reduced by about half.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool; glaze will thicken as it cools.
- Serve beets with balsamic glaze drizzled or brushed on and topped crumbled goat cheese and herbs.