Everything should be smoked, right? (Is water wet?!) Appetizers are no exception and in fact the smoke enhances and ups the "poppable factor" of one of our favorite finger foods -- olives. It turns them into scrumptious, easy yet unique and developed snacks that will keep guests coming back for more. So we took our Roasted Olives recipe and completely smoked it out.
SMOKED OLIVES
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 1 to 1 1/2 hours
RECOMMENDED PELLETS: Alder
SERVES: 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
2 cups mixed black and green olives, with pits
3 small sprigs fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (the outer rind)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1/3 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
PREPARATION
Combine the olives, rosemary, garlic, orange zest, olive oil, and orange juice in a glass oven-safe pie plate or baking dish.
When ready to cook, start the Traeger grill on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes). Place the olives on the grill grate.
Smoke the olives for 1 hour, stirring once or twice. Taste the olives and if you want more smoke flavor, smoke for an additional 30 minutes.
That's it! Serve warm to your family and friends.
