My birthday was in June, and my mother-in-law knows (or is amused by) how much I like cooking, so she usually gets me something from that orbit as a gift. This year, when I peeled back the paper, this is what I saw: a box of Charcoal Champion Smoking Herbs.
But because of the way the paper tore, all I saw was "Smoking HERB", which momentarily paralyzed me with uncertainty regarding this cultural left turn that my in-laws seemed to have taken. Suffice to say, they are not the herb smoking types, at least not in the 9th grade troublemaker sort of way. Fortunately, I figured out my silly mistake before any bawdy jokes were made, and I've been smoking herb(s) in the yard ever since. I also received a metal smoker box in which to place the herbs—they themselves are contained in tiny teabag-like pouches, which you are supposed to moisten before throwing into the box.
Although these herb packets are an effective way to add flavor to grilled delights, one can achieve pretty much the same thing by adding dried herbs to a small foil pouch and placing it next to the charcoal or heat tent in your grill. The smoker box is quite nice, however, and makes much less of a mess. (I used to simply chuck loose herbs—usually fresh rosemary—into the fire to add a smokey dimension to whatever was on the grill, and this method works fine, but at rather sloppy expense.) The smoker box also works well for apple juice or booze-soaked cedar chips, proper teabags (tea-smoked tofu is amazing), or for destroying most types of incriminating evidence. While I will be the first to declare that there are way too many useless accessories marketed towards grilling enthusiasts, the box has proven itself a worthy instrument for herb smoking.
So, uhhh... meet ya by the flagpole after detention?
