Chinese Tea Smoking
from Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn, http://www.amazingribs.com/

For centuries the Chinese have been preserving foods and adding flavor with tea smoke. In fine Chinese restaurants tea-smoked duck is a popular delicacy. The flavor is distinctive and significantly different than smoking with wood. Experimenting with this Chinese technique can really add spark to duck, chicken, fish, pork, and even beef. Here's how:

We begin by making an aluminum foil pouch, then stuff it with tea and other aromatics, poke holes in it, and place the pouch on the coals or on the gas burner of your grill. You can riff on the contents of the pouch, but here's the basic recipe:

1/4 cup tea leaves
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rice
zest of 1/2 orange
10 whole star anise pods
2 (3" long) cinnamon sticks

About the tea. You can use any tea you like, and I usually use whatever is the oldes tea I have instock. Aromatic teas are best.

About the sugar. The sugar burns and smokes and creates a burnt marshmallow scent.

About the rice. Don't leave this out. It smolders and helps maintain the burn. You can use aromatic rice like jasmine rice.

About the orange zest. You don't have to use a zester, a vegetable peeler will work. Just scrape off the orange skin and try to exclude the white pith. Orange skin is filled with aromatic oils that are important to the scent. You can try other citrus such as lemon, lime, or grapefruit.

About the aromatics. This basic recipe uses star anise and cinnamon. You can play with others such as cumin seed, mustard seed, herbs, galanga, dried ginger, peppercorns, or cloves.