Project Smoke

By Steven Raichlen, Workman Publishing, distributor Bookreps, $54.99, 294 pages, paperback

It seems you can smoke just about anything – meat and fish, of course, but also bread, eggs, cheese, salads, desserts and drinks. Even ice. American Steven Raichlen has made TV shows and written a stack of books about barbecuing and outdoor cooking and, although this book has an American slant, it contains a wealth of education and inspiration for any enthusiast. Recipes form the bulk of it but surrounding these is a substantial amount of instructional information, including how to choose a smoker, tools, techniques, adding flavour (by brining, marinading, salting, and more) and how to know when your food is done, and each recipe has in-depth directions in an easy-to-use format. His hay-smoked hamburgers, smoked nachos, honeycured ham ribs, made-from-scratch bacon, smoked coleslaw, double-smoked potatoes, smoked cheesecake or smoky Bloody Mary are sure to impress. For a real talking point, you could even smoke a container of your favourite ice cream. Sally Butters is NZ House & Garden’s food editor