# Tips for smoking  garlic



## mattyoc20 (Jul 11, 2015)

got 20 lbs of butts smoking right now and i figured id throw in some gloves of garlic.  Any tips on smoking garlic would be appreciated.  Going to cut the tops off of the whole clove/cluster and smoking at 230 for a couple hours.  The main question i have is how can i store it.  Ive heard putting it in mason jars submerged in olive oil is the way to go but cant find anything really saying that.  Is that how i should go about it?  Thanks for the help


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## noboundaries (Jul 11, 2015)

Hmmmm, never stored it.  Just ate it over several days.  I stop when my wife says she can smell garlic oozing out of me. 

I'm curious too about the storage.


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## bluewhisper (Jul 11, 2015)

Storing in oil is a botulism risk, that's an anaerobic environment.


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## mattyoc20 (Jul 11, 2015)

how long will it stay in  the fridge for?


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## bluewhisper (Jul 11, 2015)

I don't know. Have you considered mashing it with salt in a mortar and pestle, and letting that paste dry? A little bit of that in some butter could make an interesting garlic bread.


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## tropics (Jul 11, 2015)

mattyoc20 said:


> how long will it stay in  the fridge for?


matty I have roasted it,and I just freeze it in a zip lock bag.

Richie


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## floridasteve (Jul 11, 2015)

Watching with interest...


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## chewmeister (Jul 11, 2015)

BlueWhisper said:


> Storing in oil is a botulism risk, that's an anaerobic environment.


How does sun dried tomatoes stored in oil work then? I've bought many jars of them over the years that way.


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## kiska95 (Aug 21, 2015)

Because they ain't Garlic!


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## crankybuzzard (Aug 21, 2015)

chewmeister said:


> How does sun dried tomatoes stored in oil work then? I've bought many jars of them over the years that way.


I would think that the pH of the tomatoes has something to do with it as well.  Even though there is a small difference in the pH of the garlic and the tomatoes when you look at the numbers, it's a big deal when it comes to canning/storing.

http://foodscience.caes.uga.edu/extension/documents/FDAapproximatepHoffoodslacf-phs.pdf


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## crankybuzzard (Aug 21, 2015)

Found this while doing a search:

LINDA J. HARRIS
Food Safety/Microbiology Specialist, Department of Food Science and Technology
University of California, Davis

STORING GARLIC IN OIL
Extreme care must be taken when preparing flavored
oils with garlic or when storing garlic in
oil. Peeled garlic cloves may be submerged in oil
and stored in the freezer for several months. Do
not store garlic in oil at room temperature.
Garlic-in-oil mixtures stored at room temperature
provide perfect conditions for producing botulism
toxin (low acidity, no free oxygen in the oil,
and warm temperatures). The same hazard exists
for roasted garlic stored in oil. At least three outbreaks
of botulism associated with garlic-in-oil
mixtures have been reported in North America.
By law, commercially prepared garlic in oil
has been prepared using strict guidelines and
must contain citric or phosphoric acid to increase
the acidity. Unfortunately, there is no easy or
reliable method to acidify garlic in the home.
Acidifying garlic in vinegar is a lengthy and
highly variable process; a whole clove of garlic
covered with vinegar can take from 3 days to
more than 1 week to sufficiently acidify. As an
alternative, properly prepared dried garlic cloves
may be safely added to flavor oils.

From another source:

Storing Garlic in Oil - Warning! - Not Safe.

It's important to keep food safety in mind when storing garlic in oil. Low-acid foods like garlic can be a source of Clostridium botulinum bacteria which are found in soil, water, and air. Oil's oxygen-free environment is perfect for growth of this anaerobic bacteria. Garlic in oil, therefore, must be stored correctly to prevent botulism food poisoning. 

Commercial garlic-in-oil mixtures are acidified to prevent bacterial growth. These products can be stored safely at room temperature. Unfortunately, acidification of garlic in homemade oil mixtures can't be recommended because no research exists to support proper procedures. Different people recommend different methods and time to acidify and it is hard to know who is right. Instead, it's best to store these hazardous oils in the refrigerator, but for a limited time only. This conflicts with the desire for long term storage. 

When raw garlic is stored in oil, Clostridium botulinum bacteria can grow. These mixtures must be refrigerated to slow bacterial growth. After 3 weeks of refrigeration, the increased number of bacteria will become a food safety hazard. Therefore, these mixtures should not be refrigerated longer than 3 weeks. 

When garlic is immediately removed after flavoring oil, the bacteria will not have a "food source" for growth. The flavored oil can be stored safely at room temperature. 

When vegetables or herbs are dried, water will not be available for bacterial growth. Therefore, DRIED vegetables or dried herbs (including garlic) in oil can be stored safely at room temperature. Note. Tomatoes are high in acid. Therefore, plain dried tomatoes in oil can be safely stored at room temperature. 

Storage Recommendations: (According to Oregon State University Extension Service). 

Raw or cooked garlic and/or herbs in oil:
These mixtures MUST be refrigerated. Do not store them longer than 3 weeks in the refrigerator. (Note. Raw garlic MAY be safely stored in vinegar at room temperature.) 

Dried garlic and/or herbs in oil: If oil is seasoned with dried garlic and/or dried herbs, the mixture may be safely stored at room temperature. (Refrigeration may delay rancidity, however.)


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## chewmeister (Aug 21, 2015)

Interesting read. Thanks.


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## palladini (Jan 3, 2016)

When smoking Garlic, I usually have my Smoker rocking at 225 degrees.   I slice the tops off, wrap them in tinfoil, then drizzle some EVO on them.  It depends on how you want the final product.  I run mine about an Hour for sliceable. an Hour and a Half  or two hours for squeezable.  Any longer and they turn nasty


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## jeff 1 (Jan 3, 2016)

chewmeister said:


> How does sun dried tomatoes stored in oil work then? I've bought many jars of them over the years that way.



High acid content, garlic has no acid


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## kiska95 (Jan 4, 2016)

Confused ......"Wrapped in tinfoil" how does that create smoked garlic? surely its just baked.


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## daveomak (Jan 4, 2016)

chewmeister said:


> BlueWhisper said:
> 
> 
> > Storing in oil is a botulism risk, that's an anaerobic environment.
> ...


Garlic is a root crop, sort of.....   Botulism lives in the soil.....   Tomatoes should be OK to put in oil IF they have not been contaminated and acidified.....

Baked potatoes, wrapped in foil, have been a known source of botulism...   spuds are root crops like garlic...


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## chewmeister (Jan 5, 2016)

Interesting read. Thanks.


DaveOmak said:


> Garlic is a root crop, sort of.....   Botulism lives in the soil.....   Tomatoes should be OK to put in oil IF they have not been contaminated and acidified.....
> 
> Baked potatoes, wrapped in foil, have been a known source of botulism...   spuds are root crops like garlic...


Actually, it's my understanding that garlic is an edible flower bulb rather than a root crop.


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## daveomak (Jan 5, 2016)

chewmeister said:


> Interesting read. Thanks.
> 
> 
> DaveOmak said:
> ...


That could be.....  but....  it grows in the ground....   that was the point about botulism.....


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## lowcountrygamecock (Jan 5, 2016)

I've never tried smoking it but when we roast garlic in the oven we squeeze it out into a bowl and then scoop it into ice cube trays. Once frozen we put the roasted garlic cubes in a ziploc bag in the freezer. Grab a couple whenever we need them. Works great!


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## disco (Jan 8, 2016)

It's been a long time but when I took my culinary course we were trained not to try and store garlic in oil. Over the years, I have pickled it (delicious) and frozen it by putting peeled cloves on a tray until they were frozen and them putting them in bags and back in the freezer. This lets me take them out one at a time.

I also know a person who purees their garlic, mixes it with olive oil and freezes it in an ice cube tray. They then take a cube out for sauteing or for soups or stews. However, they keep them frozen.

The idea of smoking them intrigues me. I think I might try a bit of really cold smoke as I wouldn't want to cook the cloves at all and then pickle them. The touch of smoke should make them interesting.

Disco


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## darwin101 (Jan 8, 2016)

I have pureed roasted garlic and onions with salad oil, placed in small jars and stored in the freezer.  Both are great in mashed tatters and all sorts of other dishes.  I do the same with the jars of pesto from Costco.  
A batch of each, well smoked is on the to do list.   I love smoked onions in chili, quesadillas and salsa.  :drool


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