Foods for cooking in extreme heat

hey all,

I've been testing sous vide par cooking and finishing in the extreme heat of my wood fired oven (800 plus degrees) but was wondering if anyone had ideas for foods that might cook up well with or being par cooked at that temp. What else takes to high temp in that cooking environment? (keep in mind the air temp is hot as well.)

I was thinking kale or broccoli rabe might char up well, getting somewhat crispy and slightly tender, to be served as a side dish. Maybe blistered shishito or padrons as well?

But is there anything more complex that might take well to being cooked on coals, or in a screaming hot cast iron, or Maybe I could keep a grill grate in there?

Would something like clams or mussels or oysters do well in that environment? Skin on shrimp? A thin skirt steak cooked directly on coals? I was thinking of keeping a stack of cast iron pans in the mouth of the oven so they could be preheated.

Any and all suggestions welcome. I am looking to make the most of this cooking environment but there is very little material on cooking at this high of a temperature. Most people run the wood fired oven cool to mimick a regular oven for anything other than pizza.

I want to buck that trend by using the extreme heat to cook foods that will take well to it.

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Comments

Amos_Schorr_168815

Well, tandoori ovens are usually around 8-900 degrees, so anything cooked in there can be cooked in yours. Make naan or laffa or pita or any of those other breads that are usually cooked in them. You can also make all kinds of skewers and kebabs. It would also be interesting to test parbaking regular bread at that temp. The crazy heat would probably cause a super airy crumb due to the initial SPRING. You'd have to watch it very carefully though so you could take it out and transfer to a normal oven.

With a preheated cast iron, it could be a great way to roast any meat you want on the rare side. Like marinated skirt steak. It could also be really nice for something like scallops, I guess. I'm also a fan of charred cabbage, so I'd recommend that.

Lou_34544

You think a kebab would work well in that heat? interesting. I would be concerned about overcooking the outside before the inside reached temp. The interesting thing is this type of oven has different zones of heat. The coals are obviously the most intense, pizzas are cooked typically on the far wall furthest from the fire. The front by the oven opening and far wall front corner are the "coolest."

Ideally, I would cook pizzas on that far wall, but utilize the front zones and hotter zones in the center of the oven and possibly the coals.

An inch-and-a-half ribeye would be bleu in the center but maybe the skirt steak would take well. I didn't consider scallops. Was also considering clams...a skewer is something I hadn't considered which is interesting.

Always looking for more ideas related to this.

Lou_34544

So far my list includes small filets, small fish, whole prawns/shrimp, scallops, shellfish like clams, razor clams, oysters, mussels, maybe crumbled sausages, (maybe even snails?) Some fruits, and green vegetables.

Most other things, like root veggies and thicker meats like chicken would have to be par-roasted. Heartier root veggies I would par cook sous vide.

Basically, anything that is cooked fast over high heat on a stove would work well. Any other suggestions in this category of high heat/fast cooking I might be missing I could experiment with? Also, I would like to work on a dessert or two in cast iron as well.

Would bone marrow work at such a high temp?

Amos_Schorr_168815

Indians cook a lot of kebabs in tandoors. Tandoori chicken isn't just a cute nickname. It'll also help if you marinate it in an acidic solution, as that will help partially cook it before you put it in the oven.