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Owner’s Guide & Instruction Manual
13
Cooking Tips
CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE
There are basically three ways in which you can control the inside oven temperature of your Hasty-Bake. You
must take into consideration that outside factors such as humidity, wind and temperature are beyond your
control, but with continued use of your Hasty-Bake you will quickly become experienced in controlling the
inside oven temperature by using the following methods:
AMOUNT OF CHARCOAL – The more charcoal you use, the higher the temperature.
POSITION OF THE FIRE BOX – Lower the fire box to lower the temperature (slowing down the cooking
process) and raise the fire box to raise the temperature (speeding up the cooking process).
DUAL DRAFT VENTS – Charcoal requires oxygen to burn. Therefore, opening the draft vents will raise
the temperature inside the oven and closing the draft vents will lower the temperature.
TEMPERATURE GUIDELINES
SMOKE
Smoking or slow cooking is done with the hood closed and the food
placed over indirect heat (coals are covered with the heat deflector).
Temperatures are usually kept in the 175 to 210ºF range.
BAKE
Baking is done with the hood closed and the food placed over
indirect heat (coals are covered with the heat deflector). Temperatures
are usually in the 210 to 275ºF range.
SEAR
Searing is done with the hood open and the food placed directly over the coals, (without the heat deflector
in place) for greater heat intensity. The cooking surface will reach temperatures as high as 600ºF. (Be aware
that the temperature will not be measured by the thermometer since the hood is usually left open when
searing.)
USE OF WOOD CHUNKS
You can enhance the flavor of any food with smoke by using either wood chips or chunks. Both do an
excellent job of adding smoke. However, wood chunks are more often preferred since they are bigger and
usually last longer than wood chips. To achieve an intensified flavor, we suggest soaking the wood chips or
chunks in water for a least an hour before use.
Wood chips or chunks can be added to the cooking process by two different methods:
1. Place water-soaked wood chips or chunks in a small aluminum foil pan and place the pan directly on the
coals or on top of the heat deflector. This creates a slow smoke release.
2. Place water-soaked wood chunks directly in the fire box, mixed in with the coals. This creates a quick burst
of smoke flavor.
Following are some guidelines for choosing the “right” woods for the foods you prepare. Of course, we
always recommend that you experiment to find a taste that you like. Remember, your Hasty-Bake oven holds
in the smoke and greatly intensifies the flavor, so be careful to avoid over-seasoning.
Alder – Good for salmon, turkey and chicken.
Apple – Tangy and clean-flavored, good for chichen, pork and fish. The greener the wood, the sweeter the smoke flavor.
Cherry – Sweet and fruity, best with duck and other poultry.
Grapevine – Good for steaks and other meats, poultry and seafood.
Hickory – Rich and smoky, hickory is the “basic” barbecue wood. It is especially good with pork.
Maple – Mellow, mild and sweet, maple is good with poultry, seafood and pork.
Mesquite – Robust and smoky, mesquite is best with beef.
Pecan – Similar to hickory but milder, use with beef, poultry and pork.
Persimmon – Use with beef and pork, also a great choice for wild game.