From Canada with Love, Happy 4th — Enjoy These Smoked Lemons :: Arne Salvesen

jb has asked me to contribute to the vast and growing Building Moxie empire with a post about the  Independence Day weekend … no doubt because he’s going to be too busy celebrating, and posting anything while celebrating is never a good idea.  I’m a little concerned because he wants me to post on my view of the 4th of July as a Canadian.

Yes, I’m a Canuck, and it just so happens that Canada Day is this weekend as well.  July 1st is when we celebrate the birth of our country by making love in canoes, tuning up our snowmobiles, and cooking things over real fire.  It’s a kind of “cute but dopey” version of what you do.  We may not be as overtly patriotic as our southern neighbours, but we’re fiercely proud of who we are.  Remember, we invented pulling the sweater over our opponents heads so we can get in a couple quick shots.  We may be a polite lot, but we’ll kick your ass if insulted.  And then we’ll apologize aboot it.

Growing up next door to the “States” has allowed me a steady diet of American jingoism through the various forms of mass media.  Of the 10 or so television stations we had access to as a kid, only 3 were from Canada.  Sesame Street for years was the American version … yes Virginia, there is a Canadian version (both French & English).  I believed the alphabet ended with the letter “zee” until my very Canadian grandfather (roots traced back 5 generations to the Plains of Abrahama … Google it) saved my back bacon and told me “zed” was in fact the last letter.

But I love the States.  Honestly and truly.  How could anyone not love the country that invented barbeque?  Meat cooked lovingly over charcoal and wood for long periods of time until it falls apart and tastes of smoke and love.  I’ve been a devotee of the art of Southern-style BBQ … we have to clarify it as “Southern” so as not to have it confused with “grilling” … for years.  I’ve competed, fed thousands and made many friends doing so.  The pig is my Golden God and I worship it whenever I can.

So what is it about BBQ that allows it to connect me to you Americans so lovingly?  I think my friend Keith Talent who writes for the Vancouver food site Urban Diner says it best:

At the risk of alienating every dinner invite I may get over the next four months, it’s got to be said; stop grilling with gas. The gas barbecue is the outdoor equivalent of a microwave. You’d never cook dinner in a microwave for guests, would you?

It’s about taking the time to do things right.  It’s about celebrating the fact that the best things in life, take effort.  And from this Canadian’s point of view, too often I see that American culture is becoming obsessed with the quick and easy.  Fast food, text messaging, reality TV (quick fame) … I know I don’t need to go on because you know.  Deep down in your soul you know. Short-cuts and quick-fixes always make things worse.  It’s why Mom’s peach cobbler always took 2 days to make, why you went cruising not sprinting in a ’57 Chevy, and why the best pulled pork takes at least 12 hours to smoke.

So in the spirit of friendship, I’d like to present you with a favourite recipe of mine.  It takes a while to make, but the results will have you sitting back, relaxing and celebrating our great nations in no time.

Happy Fourth of July!

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Smoked Lemons

It started over at Urban Diner, and a brief mention of smoked lemonade. As I was planning on smoking some ribs for Canada Day, some lemons were purchased, and an experiment began.As you can see, the colour looks really good. That was after 3 hours at 225C using cherry as the smoke wood. The fruit was very loose at this point, so squeezing them to get the juice was a piece of cake. As a side benefit, some of the lemon juice from the top rack in the smoker dripped onto the ribs on the lower rack producing an unexpected citrus note in the ribs. Something to remember for next time.

Smoked Lemonade w/ Tequila ... or Gin ... I forget

The lemonade was a simple 1:1:1 ration for water, sugar, and the smoked lemon juice, although if I did it again I’d reduce the amount of sugar. The result? Very interesting. My wife didn’t like it at all, my son thought enough of it to take it to work with him where he said it received rave reviews.For me, I’m not sure what I think. I don’t hate it. I’ve had several glasses, some spiked (gin & vodka so far) and some not. I think what I’m trying to deal with is that the smokiness is not at all a flavour I would have associated with lemon juice. It would be like taking a big gulp of milk and having it taste like… oh I don’t know … cheese?

But I’m glad I did it, if for no other reason than to see the look on guests faces when I ask them if they’d like a glass of smoked lemonade.

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Note from the hosts:  “Empire” ha! and you may or not have figured — I hung with Arne last week in Louisville . . . at what we have come to call #gejune.  I know him for his fabulous hats, his love of Q (as he calls it), his love of football (the soccer kind) and hockey as well as for hosting one of my favoUrite blogs at http://www.usefulspaces.net.  He is also a top tier kitchen designer.

I really appreciate him posting for us – I thought it was quite brilliant to have a Canadian post for the 4th, especially one that knows as much about grilling as he does.  What I didn’t realize (American) was that today is Canada Day.  What fun and happy C. Day Arne! I think he knocked this post out of the park (or is that off the pitch?).  Follow him on twitter @ArneSalvesen.

>> A happy and safe 4th from the entire team at Building Moxie.  Enjoy! ~jb