Isle of Wight garlic in its pure, unadulterated state is hard to beat. Sometimes though, a twist on a beloved, everyday ingredient can add extra interest to a favourite recipe. And because our smoked garlic is partially pre-cooked, it has a distinctively mellow flavour, which can suit dishes where regular garlic might be too intense. If you're wondering how to use smoked garlic, read on!
What can I do with Smoked Garlic?
We use smoked garlic cloves to stuff roast chicken, enhance gravy and mayonnaise, mash into butter to make finger-licking garlic bread, or use to crown steaks and Portobello mushrooms for delicious vegetarian garlic recipes. Smoked garlic adds an intriguing layer of flavour to family favourites such as lasagne, Shepherds' Pie, and cauliflower cheese. Or try grating smoked garlic cloves into sliced potatoes and cream for a smoky twist on classic Potato Dauphinoise.
How does The Garlic Farm smoke garlic?
Here at the Garlic Farm Isle of Wight, we hot-smoke raw Iberian garlic bulbs over oak chips for 48 hours to create garlic infused with a seductively smoky oak flavour, reminiscent of summer barbecues and wild cooking. Our in-house Master Smoker keeps a close eye on the smoking process and knows the oaky flavour has penetrated the garlic sufficiently when the cloves begin to soften.
What is the difference between cold and hot-smoked garlic?
It is possible to cold-smoke garlic, but this tends to only add flavour to the outer skin of the garlic bulbs, in which case you need to use the whole bulb in order to taste the smoked flavour. We find the hot smoking process infuses every clove with a smoky flavour, which allows you to use individual cloves in the exact quantity you need them.
How is smoked garlic different from roast garlic?
Smoked garlic is slowly smoked over oak chips to infuse garlic cloves with a delicious oaky flavour. Whereas, roast garlic is usually cooked in a hot oven for about an hour, resulting in soft cloves that are delicious eaten alongside roast meats or squeezed onto hunks of bread.
How long does Smoked Garlic last?
Our Isle of Wight smoked garlic bulbs should last around four-six weeks at home, from the date of purchase.
What to do with Smoked Garlic
There are lots of mouth-watering recipes on our website, and a great use of smoked garlic is in this Smoked Garlic Cauliflower dish. This Stuffed Smoked Garlic Onion combines two alliums in one recipe, but the smoked garlic lends a softer flavour to the dish than regular unsmoked garlic might. Or try this creamy tomato-based pasta sauce using smoked garlic cloves and Tortellini.