How would you smoke tomatoes ?

So my wife and I have been trying to get a pizza sauce that we both like and Kerry has requested that I smoke some tomatoes. We are looking for something that would have the end result of crushed tomatoes.

I'm thinking of peeling, removing seeds and halving Romas and putting them in my CI pan and smoking them at around 200 or so with oak or maple and cooking them without drying them out. Maybe add a bit of tomatoe juice if they get to dry before having a smoke flavour.

Thoughts and comments please.

Cheers
Bob

Never done that myself. but there was a post way back...Se if i can find it.

I think i would leave the skin on. Smoke @ low temp for 2h. Skin will crack opend and they will get a good smoke flavour. Peel the skin after they are smoked and Chop/purre them.

Well look Here

AND

Here.

Good luck!

Thanks Daniel

I made some smoked tomato confit the other day, it's pretty amazing.

Peeled and halved (left seeds in). Smoked with lots of oil with a 1/2 full load of charcoal 170 degree fire overnight, let dry in the sun for a day or so, then drained the oil and cooked the tomatoes further over a slow simmer in a small saucepan.

About 4 pounds of tomatoes reduced to 1 pint of product but the flavor is intense, smoky, sweet and delicious.

I take them all the way to the sun-dried tomato stage in this article, but you don't have to go that far. You'll get a lot of smoke flavor on them and they won't be anywhere near dry after a couple of hours in the smoker at low temp.

Smoke Dried Tomatoes

Regards,
Chris

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chris Allingham:
I take them all the way to the sun-dried tomato stage in this article, but you don't have to go that far. You'll get a lot of smoke flavor on them and they won't be anywhere near dry after a couple of hours in the smoker at low temp.

Smoke Dried Tomatoes

Regards,
Chris </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks Chris,

I had read that article already. I mostly wondered about peeling it first before smoking but it probably won't make that much of a difference.

Going looking for some nice Romas. I'll let you know how it works out.

Update. So I got a dozen romas sliced them in 1/2 and seeded them. Smoked them for about 1 1/2 hrs at 175-200 with 1 small lump of hickory.

Took them off and they were mushier than I wanted them. Peeled them, pureed them and then Kerry went at them with her pinch of this and dash of that. Part way through the process I asked her how she was going to recreate it if we liked it since she wasn't measuring anything she was putting and she just gave me this mind your own business look.

After another minute and more trips to the spice drawer I said "well if we really love this sauce and you don't write down quantities or even what's in it how am I supposed to make it if you die before me???" Apparently this was right up there with the time I said "but that's not the way my Mom makes it, I'll give her a call" just after we got married.

She mumbled something about "if I keep that up it's not likely she'll die first" so I grabbed a beer and headed outside.

Results of the sauce- it was very smokey and a little runny. The tomatoes were very sweet but we decided it wasn't quite right for pizza.

BUT we had friends over yesterday and made brochette with it and it was fantastic.

Next time I'll go much shorter with the smoke and leave the kitchen as soon as I hand over the tomatoes.