Smoked/dried tomatos

[Guest]

I just read the article here about smoking tomatos.

The one thing I did not see was how to combine the use of the WSM and the oven.

How long in the WSM before transfer to oven? and is there a different technique like using chunks rather than chips for a quicker transfer of smoke.

Also, I had thought of sprinkling with some sort of seasoning before putting in the WSM for added flavor. Like mabey Texas BBQ Rub or Penzy's Chicago Steak Seasoning (our current favorite and great on the outside of baked potatos too!)

 

[Chris Allingham]

From the article Smoke Dried Tomatoes:

"Another way to smoke-dry tomatoes is to use the electric hot plate method described above to apply the smoke flavor, then transfer the tomatoes to a food dehydrator or electric oven for drying. A gas oven is not a good choice because the combustion of natural gas produces a moist heat that greatly increases the drying time.

"A food dehydrator is your best choice, with the entire process taking about 16 hours from start to finish.

"If using an electric oven, set it to the lowest possible setting and prop open the oven door to allow moisture to escape. Since many ovens only go down to 170-180°F, propping open the door is essential.

"Either way, after 8-10 hours, start checking the tomatoes every 60-90 minutes and remove those that meet the test for doneness."

The electric hot plate part of the article describes 5 applications of smoke to the tomatoes using five small dry wood chunks, approximately 2" x 1-1/2" x 1/2" each, burned individually, one after the other.

You could certainly apply a seasoning to the tomatoes, if you like. I have done salt and pepper in the past, but now I just do them natural. That way they're neutral and can go into most any dish.

I did a great batch last month using the WSM for smoke and the food dehydrator to finish them off, but it took a lot of hours to get them dry.

Regards,
Chris

 

[Guest]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Russ C.:
The one thing I did not see was how to combine the use of the WSM and the oven.

How long in the WSM before transfer to oven? and is there a different technique like using chunks rather than chips for a quicker transfer of smoke.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I apologize as it seems I left out one detail of my question.

The combination of using the WSM w/charcoal and oven was what I was wondering about.

What is the minimum time that it should it take for the tomatos to absorb the smoke before going into the oven for the rest of the drying process?

I was not really wanting to buy a hot plate and I was thinking this would cut down on charcoal comsuption as well as refuel/temp worries. Just using the minimum time in the WSM for smoke flavoring then into the oven. Might even be able to do 2 or 3 batches at once if your oven is big enough. Just take out of WSM and into oven, refill WSM etc.

Sorry for the confusion Chris.