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Smokin’ Hot: Ole Hickory
Column!
By Michelle Moran
thing
Holy Smokes! Or should I say holy smoke? This
is our first installment of a new monthly column,
where we’ll test and torture a specialty product –
be it a kitchen appliance, specialty food item or
decorative “must-have” in the culinary world.
We received a few really cool items – some of
which will be reviewed in upcoming issues – but
I figured we would kick off the series with an
unexpected gentle giant of a product. The quest
for this one began simply enough: I e-mailed
Doug Huemoeller of Minneapolis-based Kitchen
Window to ask his advice for a holiday gift for my
husband Danny Mellman, who also happens to
be a chef. And what I was leaning toward was a
smoker. When he sent me the link to Ole Hickory,
I was intrigued. I read more, and I was excited. I
called for pricing, and I faced some sticker shock.
A month later, Robert Worsley pulled up at the
restaurant. After chatting for an hour or so, we
collectively decided to unload the Ole Hickory
Convecture Tri Oven for some testing. Worsley
accommodated us with a test unit for the article,
and since Danny also has his own restaurant, and
we’re working on opening our own cooking school
come April, well, it was worth a go.
Worsley, a barbecue afficianado and former competition BBQ man himself, showed us the ropes.
He began his career cutting meat in 1976, and
since his knowledge of meat – from years of
experience in slaughterhouses and retail grocery
– rivals Danny’s, it was a great meeting from the
start. Worsley teaches cooking classes, performs
demos and competes. He was a great companion
to the smoker for our instruction.
I e-mailed Doug again. “Are you really selling
these?” I asked. “What made you bring them in?”
Doug explained he had one of these wood-burning
barbecue pits in his cooking school and two on the
retail floor. He does, in fact, sell them to restaurants, competition-level BBQ folks and residential
consumers.
And so our quest began.
The smoker itself requires very little preparation
for its first use. Some simple washing down of
racks, a few swipes with a wet rag, and we were
off and running. The unit uses a unique patented
circulation method to achieve the heat movement
used in the convection ovens. This novel concept
truly defines the next generation of technology
in multiuse smokers. We were quickly impressed
with the ease of use – connect to an electrical outlet, tap into a regular gas grill propane tank, and
we were ready to load our wood. Firing up this
A smaller unit is available
for residential use called the
UltraQue. List price: $4,695
