Barbecue has a long and storied history that has enchanted the U.S. since the 19th century, built on the pillars of tradition and low and slow cooking. However, most pit masters have never had to serve 20,000 meals a day.
“Combi ovens have made smoking meat much more accessible for our operation,” says Bill Laychur, Penn State University’s corporate executive chef in University Park, Pa. “It requires a lot less training and attention than a smoker.” Many modern combi ovens feature optional smoking boxes, which operators can fill up with wood chips of their choice and turn on preset smoke-cooking settings. Here are some menu items going up in smoke inside combi ovens—a power player across many applications.
Thrifty meat and pork cuts
When brisket became too expensive, Laychur swapped in beef-round flats to offer Penn State dining guests a smoked meat option. The team preps the meat and then throws it in the combi oven overnight. “We had to put signs all over the oven to make sure no one from security sees it on and turns it off,” he says. “But it saves us a lot of time.” Laychur says a combi oven smoker isn’t quite as good as a traditional smoker, but he still achieves beautiful smoke rings.
Tim Bruce, executive chef of Murray State University located in Murray, Ky., recommends cutting pork butts into thirds. “We have done 16 pork butts in one oven in under four hours,” he says. “[It’s] great for a production kitchen.” He also suggest liberally seasoning the cuts, because the moisture and convection can cause some of the seasoning not to stick.
Fish
The ovens often have both hot and cold smoking features. Bruce uses the cold smoking feature to smoke white fish and salmon used as an entree in the dining halls. “When smoking more delicate items like the fish, use very low temperature and short smoking times,” he says. “You can really impart a lot of smoke flavor quickly, and you don’t want to overdo with these items.”
Cheese
Using the low-temp smoking feature, Bruce also smokes cheddar and provolone for sandwiches. “It is a great advantage to be able to smoke at varied temperatures, with speed a third the time of traditional smoking—and indoors,” he says.
What not ot put in the combi
Laychur says there is almost nothing he wouldn’t try in the combi oven, but he hasn’t used it for any true baking. He does agree with one stipulation: no hot dogs. “The wet heat will make this taste like a boiled hot dog. Dogs are meant to be grilled,” he says.