When making your favorite main dish, smoked vegetables are an easy side dish. Cooking veggies on the smoker will take them to the top. And so the smoked carrots.
Most probably meats like beef, pork, chicken, and fish are made to smoke, and the results will be pleasing. The specialty is the unique flavor smoking provides for the food making it one of the best ways to cook. And you can even enhance the flavors of your favorite veggies.
If you are a fan of carrots and want to enhance their flavor of it, here you can find more on smoked carrots, how to cook them, techniques to prepare them, recipes, and other facts you should know.
What are smoked carrots?
No one would have thought that carrots would make one of the best-smoked vegetables. They would be crispy, salty, and smokey on the outside with an interior of sweetly moist potato fry.
Among all the vegetables, carrots are so versatile and can be used in soups, casseroles, dips, and in a quick bread. You can buy carrots and they are available as fresh, frozen, and canned.
Carrots are used as sweetness to meals, and add colors to the dish. Moreover, they are low in calories, and inexpensive. It is simply the best dish for vegans.
It is a simple process of slicing the veggies into small pieces and then dousing them using olive oil and some spices. Most of the grill culture focuses on meat to be smoked, but smoked carrots are a treat many should experience in life.
The smoke time will vary depending on the smoker but it needs to do between 60 to 90 minutes. All you need to make the smoked carrots is to use the whole carrots and toss them with high-quality olive oil and roast them at the right temperature for the delicious carrot side dish.
Why smoked carrots?
Carrots are rich in vitamins and fiber. They are also a good source of antioxidants. Carrots are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Moreover, they are known for giving you a good sight as they are rich in beta-carotene, which changes into vitamin A.
This helps to keep the eyes healthy and lowers the chance of eye problems. They are also known for fighting off harmful free radicals in the body and making you less likely to have cancer. They are a great source of vitamins A and K1, potassium, fiber, and antioxidants.
Moreover, they are good food for weight loss and have been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease, and low cholesterol.
So when you roast the carrots, they are a healthy vegetable side dish and carrots are actually healthier when you eat them cooked more than eating them raw. When they get cooked they release more vitamin A as well as you will find it easier to digest.
Usually, vegetables like carrots will not be enjoyed at most outdoor barbecues compared to other food items, especially meat. But any food can be taken to the next level on the grill or smoker if you do it right.
And so smoked carrots when done right can be absolutely delicious. And you can prepare it as a side dish for your main dishes like chuck roast, whole chicken, and pork tenderloin. This smoked carrot recipe is a vegetable side dish for nearly everybody will wish for. You need to sprinkle the browned carrots with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika after cooked in the oven.
How to prepare carrots for smoking?
- First, you need to consider what type of carrots you should buy. It is recommended to buy carrots with the greens still attached.
It is better if they are crispy, firm, and small to medium in size. If you find carrots where the tops are attached, they would mostly be fresh and green. They should be flabby from wilting and show spots of soft rot. - You need to clean the carrots by giving them a good rinse and then peel off the skin with a peeler. You can smoke the carrots either by having them whole or in 1 to 2-inch segments. Do not cut them too small to prevent them from getting cooked faster and getting mushed.
- To smoke the carrots, it is better if you place them in a grill basket because the carrots are small and skinny and will be likely to fall through your grill or smoker. You can put them in a baking dish but it will block a lot of the smoky flavor from penetrating the carrots.
- You need to choose the temperature depending on the seasoning you use. If your seasoning has no sugar you can smoke your carrots at high temperatures for a long period. But if you are going to use sugar, it will begin to burn and develop a bitter flavor when cooked above 350 Fahrenheit. So you need to keep the smoker temperature below it to be safe.
How long should you smoke the carrots?
If you are going to use a grill to smoke carrots then you need to set it up for indirect cooking with charcoal or burners. If the carrots are grilled over direct heat they will have no time to absorb much Smoky flavor although they taste delicious.
If you cook at a low temperature the smoked carrots will come out in a delicious way especially if you are cooking them along with meat, and it requires a lower smoking temperature taking just longer. When you slice up the carrots to smoke at 350°F, it will take about 30 to 35 minutes in total and you will also be at risk of burning a sugar Glaze in that much time.
So you need to make sure that you smoke your carrots at 225°F for about 19 to 120 minutes. This will surely absorb a lot of Smoky flavors. You can finish them in about 10 to 15 minutes at 350°F with honey balsamic glaze. So you will come up with perfectly cooked and smoked carrots that will not be mushy and without a burnt glaze.
Smoked carrots recipes
Cheesy smoked carrot mac and cheese
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound smoked carrots
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 + 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup Colby-Jack cheese
- 10 crushed crackers
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup Havarti cheese
- 8 oz cooked pasta (chefs choice)
How to make
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
Blanch and smoke carrots, and combine them in a food processor with lemon juice, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, and salt. Process it until it gets purely smooth.
Take a pot and heat it over medium heat, and begin the cheese sauce by melting 4 tbsp butter. Once the butter gets melted, whisk it in the flour and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the milk slowly and whisk the entire time.
Then increase the heat and bring it to a simmer. The milk will start to get thickened into a creamy sauce as it cooks and reduces. Add pureed carrots to the cream sauce and continue to cook until the sauce begins to form bubbles.
Once the creamy carrot sauce gets heated, stir the cheese until it gets thick and melty. Combine the sauce with cooked pasta. Melt the remaining butter and combine it with crushed crackers. Scatter across the top of macaroni and cheese and bake it for 30 minutes or until the cracker begins to get brown in color.
Smoked carrots with honey glaze
Ingredients
- 8 Large Carrots
- ⅓ Cup Honey
- ¼ Cup Melted Butter
- 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Coarsely Ground Pepper
- Fresh Parsley chopped (optional)
How to make
Preheat the pellet smoker to 400 degrees and line a medium-sized baking sheet with parchment paper.
Then wash and pat them dry carrots, chop them on both ends of each carrot, and then slice them in half at a 45-degree angle. Take a large mixing bowl Place the carrots in and pour the melted butter, honey, salt, and pepper over the top of them. Mix them well.
In a single layer, line the carrots, on the prepared baking sheet and place them in the smoker. Smoke the carrots for 35-40 minutes, or until fork-tender.
Remove the carrots and garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if desired, and enjoy.
Smoked carrot with sesame yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 kg bag Coles carrots
- 1 small clove of garlic
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbs pepita seeds
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbs Coles finest Canadian maple syrup
- 1 tbsp tahini paste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ tbs Squeaky Gate extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp chili oil
- ¼ cup Coles mint leaves, chopped
- 1 cup Jalna yogurt
How to make
Arrange woodchips and Preheat the smoker.
Toss the carrots first in 1 tbs of oil, then in cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Place the carrots into the smoker and leave to cook for 1 hour, or until the carrots become tender in texture.
Take a bowl and add the yogurt and whisk in the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt. Add the pepita seeds and remaining oil into a pan over medium heat and toast for 2 minutes, or until puffed and crisp.
Onto the base of a serving plate, spread the sesame yogurt. Top with the smoked carrots and drizzle over chili oil, pepita seeds, and mint.
Smoked carrot Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces of pound carrots
- 2 unpeeled cloves of garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 juiced lemon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, plus 1 teaspoon for garnish
For serving
- Endive
- baby bell peppers
- Radishes
- blanched green beans
- Persian cucumbers
How to make
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place a baking sheet and toss the carrots and garlic cloves with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Roast the carrot until it becomes a texture tender and gets lightly caramelized, stirring halfway through, for about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the carrot from the oven and let it cool until warm.
Peel the garlic cloves.
Take a food processor, and mix the roasted carrots and garlic with tahini, cilantro, lemon juice, and 5 tablespoons of water. Pulse until smooth.
With the processor running, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Shift it to a serving bowl.
Make a small well in the center of the hummus and fill it with olive oil. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of cilantro over the top. Serve with crudites and pita chips.
Smoky carrot dip
Ingredient
- ½ cup skin-on almonds
- 2 Tbsp. plus ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 lb. peeled carrots, trimmed
- 3 Tbsp. (or more) fresh lemon juice
- ¾ tsp. hot smoked Spanish paprika
- 2½ tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup canned chickpeas
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup coarsely chopped parsley, plus leaves for serving
How to make
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
On a rimmed baking sheet, toast the almonds and toss halfway through, until slightly darkened and fragrant, 8–10 minutes. Set aside and let it cool.
Cut the thick carrots in half length and then slice all carrots crosswise into 4 pieces. Toss on a parchment-lined baking sheet with 2 tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt.
Spread carrots out evenly on a baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until it becomes tender and gets brown for about 1 hour.
Transfer carrots to a food processor. Add garlic, lemon juice, pepper, chickpeas, paprika, chopped parsley, ½ cup oil, 1½ tsp. salt, and reserved almonds.
Process, adding more oil as needed, until mixture is almost completely smooth. Taste dip and add more lemon juice and/or salt if needed.
Transfer dip to a small bowl, drizzle with more oil and top with parsley leaves.
To obtain more on FOOD, follow our WEBSITE.
Follow us on FACEBOOK.