When you’ve got a stovetop smoker, or a smoker donabe (ibushi gin), smoked labneh must be excessive in your record of issues to make. Labneh is made just by straining yogurt. The ensuing consistency is wealthy, creamy and exquisite. Superb by itself, you may as well incorporate herbs, spices, or different components. I do know the variety of you with a stovetop smoker might be slim, however I love experimenting with mine, at all times attempting to give you extra methods to make use of it, particularly now that we’ve a fuel vary once more. A good distance of claiming, if you wish to mess around along with your smoker extra, I see you. I exploit mine for all types of issues – nuts, cheeses, tofu, greens, and on and on. So I’ll attempt to put up extra as I’m utilizing it.
Smoked Labneh: The Inspiration
Smoked labneh has been on my record of issues to make for a while now. Late final 12 months we made just a few journeys to San Francisco to ensure we had been able to make the transfer again from LA. I’d stroll by means of the Presidio to lunch at Dalida, partly, as a result of I like their selfmade pita scenario – referred to as Breaking Bread. The pita comes with a trio of spreads (hummus, muhammara, smoked yogurt), some pickles and olives. The smoked yogurt is a show-stopper – wealthy, creamy, luxe. The server wasn’t positive the way it was ready however I began occupied with find out how to strategy it as soon as I might get my smoker unpacked. I already make selfmade labneh usually, so it wouldn’t be an excessive amount of of a bounce. Flash ahead, and I’ve made smoked labneh quite a lot of occasions within the weeks since!
The Approach
I’ve been utilizing a cold-smoke approach and it really works properly. It’s the place you retain the yogurt chilly however flood the realm round it with smoke. Each smoker is barely completely different, so that you may have to tweak your strategy, however this provides you with the final thought of how to consider it. You may see in my diagram under how issues are layered within the smoker. Beginning on the backside: a chunk of foil, wooden chips, the grate, a bowl of ice and a few water, the shallow container of labneh, the lid ultimately goes on above that.
You may see the aluminum foil sitting on the underside of the smoker topped with wooden chips. The foil makes for straightforward cleanup. 
Beneath, a chrome steel bowl of ice and a few water sits on prime of a grate, which retains the bowl from having direct contact with warmth or the wooden chips. The labneh sits within the ice, maintaining the yogurt cool by means of the smoking course of.
Alternate strategy: There’s additionally a technique for smoking Labneh within the NOPI cookbook, however I haven’t tried it but. The labneh is fashioned right into a puck form and positioned on a chunk of parchment paper contained in the smoker – no ice. In addition they use completely different aromatics for smoking (oolong tea, caraway seeds, pink peppercorn, and so forth). I believe the largest distinction could be texturally, with the parchment model shedding extra moisture and probably taking over extra taste as a result of extra floor space is uncovered? Excited to take this model for a spin as properly.
Video: How To Make Smoked Labneh
How Lengthy Ought to I Smoke the Labneh?
Each smoker has its personal quirks and personalities. My recommendation right here is to take good notes. You need a good, spherical, steadiness of smoky notes. Purpose for the candy spot between too delicate and too sturdy acrid (yikes). Each time I exploit the smoker I make be aware of: what I’m smoking, what sort of wooden chips / herbs, and so forth., and the way lengthy. Then be aware how I’d improve or lower the time sooner or later. Good notes are key to getting a very good working relationship along with your smoker. Twenty minutes appears to be the candy spot right here for the labneh utilizing applewood chips. The same timeframe labored properly for this smoked chocolate mousse.
What if I don’t Have a Stovetop Smoker?
Right here’s what my smoker seems to be like, I loooove it (not sponsored). If I didn’t have my Ibushi Gin (donabe smoker) one other strategy to get smoky taste into the labneh is likely to be to make use of a smoked salt. I’d grind it finely with a mortar and pestle and go from there. I’ve by no means actually appreciated liquid smoke, in order that wouldn’t be my transfer, however that doesn’t imply you couldn’t experiment a bit as yet one more strategy. There might very properly be higher liquid smokes in the marketplace in comparison with the final time I performed round with it.
Smoked Labneh: Serving Concepts
- Drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with crimson gomashio (pictured above), together with candied nuts with rose water, seeded flatbread, and various cookies.
- Instead of the poblano yogurt on this mushroom tartine.
- Instead of the ricotta on this roasted mushroom sandwich.
- Instead of the inexperienced chile yogurt on this sourdough galette.
- Rolled into 1-inch balls, rolled in spices, herbs, and/or seeds, and stored, refrigerated, in a jar topped off with olive oil.
Extra Yogurt Recipes
- Do-it-yourself Labneh
- Frozen Yogurt
- Pomegranate Yogurt Bowl
- Mast-o-Khiar Yogurt
- Recent Mint Chip Frozen Yogurt
Extra Methods to Use Stovetop Smoker
Proceed studying Smoked Labneh on 101 Cookbooks