Smoked Cabbage Steaks
Thickly sliced cabbage, coated in olive oil and imbued with oaky smoke, makes for a worthy main course or the best side dish at the table.
Equipment
- 1 smoker
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cabbage
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- barbecue rub (pitmaster’s choice)
Directions
- Prepare a shallow sheet pan for the smoker—use a disposable one, or cover one from your kitchen in foil. Brush the foil with about one third of the olive oil.
- To carve the steaks: Wash the cabbage and remove just the outer leaves. If necessary, trim the hard stem to flatten the base of cabbage. Set the cabbage on its base (core side down) and cut the rounded edges off the sides. Save the raw cabbage for a future dish (maybe slaw). From what remains, cut the head of cabbage into steaks, each about an inch and a half thick, retaining a bit of the core in each, which helps give them some structure. (One large head of cabbage breaks down into three or four steaks.) Transfer the steaks to the prepared shallow pan.
- Drizzle remaining olive oil over the the cabbage, and coat the surface with your favorite barbecue rub. (I prefer one with some sugar to help with browning.) Season generously.
- Smoke the cabbage steaks for two to three hours at 275–300 degrees. The smoke time depends on the heat of your smoker and the density of the cabbage. Green cabbage is less dense than red, so it catches more smoke and cooks more quickly.
- Once the layers start to separate, the surface has browned from the smoke, and the outer leaves have gotten tender, it’s time to cover the whole pan tightly with foil to finish cooking. You can leave it in the smoker, or transfer it to a 300-degree oven to save wood. The covered cabbage steaks should be tender after about an hour. Serve them whole as a main course, or cut into wedges to share as a side.