Smoked Garlic

Smoked garlic is a variation of roasted garlic. To make it you can use a gas or charcoal (or wood) grill that will close with a vent for airflow.

Smoking food opens a whole new flavor dimension. Plus, who doesn’t love the smell of a bonfire? It takes you back to summer nights roasting marshmallows over the fire and homemade BBQ. The smell of wood burning brings back those memories and also cooks up delicious food.

I’m guessing you may have had smoked pork or chicken, but have you ever had smoked garlic? If not, grab yourself some heads of garlic, because you’re going to want to dive into this culinary experience and bring back those nostalgic memories.

Smoked Garlic Recipe

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Smoke Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4 heads of garlic or 12 total servings
Good for: snacks, condiments, gluten-free, vegan
Difficulty: easy

Smoked garlic is a great way to add flavor to sandwich spreads, soups or just enjoy by itself. Its mellow, smokey flavor is a great way to add savory, buttery garlic flavor to any dish!

Ingredients:

2 cups hickory smoke chips, about 2 handfuls
4 heads of garlic
8 teaspoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper

Equipment:

Cutting board
Knife
Grill
Grill safe container
Measuring spoons
Smoker box or foil tin and aluminum foil

Recipe Steps:

Prepare the smoke chips:

Soak 2 handfuls of smoke chips in water for at least 30 minutes.
Add the soaked smoke chips to your grill’s smoker box or make your own smoker box.
To make your own smoker box, add the pre-soaked smoke chips to a foil pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Poke a few small holes on top for smoke to escape.

Prepare the garlic:

Cut ¼ inch of the garlic heads off to expose the garlic and place in a grill-safe platter.
Drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil on the top of each head of garlic. Pour it slowly so it falls in between the cloves.
Salt and pepper the heads of garlic.

Grill the garlic:

If you made your own smoker box, place the foil pan under the grill grates for the smoke to appear faster or just set it on top of the grill grates.
Turn the grill on high heat and watch for smoke to appear.
Once you notice smoke coming from the grill or smokebox, turn the center burners off and leave the outside burner under the smoker box on low heat so the temperature is near 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the prepped garlic and let it smoke for an hour or until the garlic is golden brown and soft to the touch.
Let the garlic cool before squeezing out the cloves. Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions:

Enjoy the warm garlic cloves on top of a fresh slice of crusty bread. It’ll spread easily with how soft it becomes with cooking.

Add the garlic to marinades, soups or sandwich spreads. You’ll be able to use more garlic than when it’s fresh since the flavor is much more mellow.

Change up the smokey flavor! Try swapping the hickory smoke chips for applewood smoke chips or another flavor for a fun variation to the garlic flavor.

Nutritional Information for One Serving:

Calories: 40
Total Fat: 3g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 50mg
Total Carbohydrate: 3g
Dietary Fiber: 0g
Total Sugars: 0g - Includes 0g Added Sugars
Protein: 1g
Vitamin D: 0mcg
Calcium: 20mg
Iron: 0.2mg
Potassium: 40mg

Don’t forget to show us how you’re making your smoked garlic on Instagram @FruitStandcom! Nothing makes us happier than when we see you enjoying your fruit. Each time you share your FruitStand experience, you’re supporting small farmers and helping other fruit geeks discover rare and delicious produce sustainably. Try even more garlic recipes from your FruitStand fam on our blog!