Happy New Year! It’s been a crazy December and I’m playing catchup. One of my favorite things to do while smoking meat is to try something new. I love cauliflower and usually roast is so I assumed smoking it would just add another layer of flavor to the dish. I loved the marinade used on here and can not wait to make this again. Even if I was roasting it in the oven I would this flavor combo.
Smoked Cauliflower Roast
(Adapted from The Edgy Veg)
1-2 cups wood chips of your choosing (I used maple wood)
water or apple juice
enough vegetable broth to cover the cauliflower completely
1 cauliflower head, leaves removed
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
1 tsp mushroom seasoning or MSG
¼ tsp black pepper
Soak your wood chips in water or apple juice for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Place your wood chips into a smoker box, or wrap them in tin foil and poke some holes into the foil.
Preheat your BBQ to 350F for indirect grilling with wood chips placed into your BBQ above your heat source.
Boil the cauliflower in vegetable broth for 5 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Remove it from the broth and place it on a wire cooling rack for about 10 minutes to drip dry.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, tomato paste, dijon mustard, and seasonings: paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, mushrooms seasoning and black pepper.
Place cauliflower into a cast iron pan and generously rub with the marinade/ sauce we just made.
Place cast iron pan with the cauliflower on the grill away from the main heat source and smoke the cauliflower for 45-75 minutes or until fork-tender. Don’t open the lid too much or else you will disrupt the smoking process.
Serve drizzled with herbed caper sauce and garnished with fresh herbs and capers (optional).
Oven-roasting instead of a BBQ? Bake cauliflower covered in foil in your preheated oven at 425F for 45-60 minutes or until fork-tender. You won’t get that smokiness that a BBQ provides, but its still tasty!
Notes
What is indirect heat? For indirect heating on my Napoleon Rogue 425 XT, I use only the two outside burners, leaving the one in the middle off. I turn them down to medium or medium-low and allow the grill to preheat. Then, when the grill is warm, place the food in the middle of the grill, over the burner that is not on.
