Hot Smoke Herb Garden

If you fire up your barbecue quite often, and if you like to flavour your sauces, salads, meats and other dishes yourself, it will be absolutely worthwhile to grow your own fresh barbecue herbs.

With your own herb garden close to your kitchen and smoker, you will always have your own fresh herbs at hand, picked absolutely fresh on the spot, ready for use, with the best possible taste. (OK, except in winter, but you could always refrigerate small portions for year-round use...)

Your barbeque garden does not have to be big. A sunny and sheltered spot is the most important, yielding the best growth and fullest flavours. Most barbeque garden herbs are quite forgiving when it comes to soil and water conditions, and most can be grown in pots successfully on your balcony, roof or terrace.

On this page you will find a summary of the most important bbq herbs.

Rosemary

(Rosmarinus Officinalis)

Rosemary, the "Holy Herb", is a very aromatic plant which grows quite easily and is in fact an absolute must-have for any serious barbecue garden.

In the middle ages, Rosemary was burned in hospitals as an anti-septic (or maybe to do something about the smell?). These days, Rosemary is mainly used as a kitchen herb.

Taste:
Bittersweet, lemon, pine.

Combinations:
Rosemary combines particularly well with lamb or chicken. Also goes very well with potatoes, just check out the Hot Smoke Barbecue Fries for example.

Plant:
Bushy. Average adult plant is 3' to 5' high and 3' to 5' diameter. Leaves are 1/2" to 1" long, roughly 1/8" wide, grey-green, look a bit like pine needles.

Soil:
Rosemary prefers sandy - or even rocky - soil and does not like too much water. If your garden is on clay, mix sand into the planting hole to improve drainage.

Maintenance:
In late winter: trim back to a half or even to one third, and give some fertilizer.

To Top

Tarragon

(Artemisia Dracunculus)

Tarragon, in France also referred to as "King of Herbs", is an aromatic plant that is quite known since it is an important ingrediënt in Sauce Béarnaise and Sauce Tartare.

There are two main species of Tarragon: French tarragon and Russian Tarragon (Artemesia Dracunculoides). Russian Tarragon can be propagated from seeds, but French Tarragon has a stronger taste and is therefore more generally used in Western cuisine.

In Mexico and the Southern USA grows a herb named Mexican Tarragon or Winter Tarragon (Tagetes Lucida) which is actually not a member of the Artemisia family, but closely resembles the taste and flavour of Tarragon, with hints of Cinnamon.

Tarragon is an important plant in our barbeque garden because of its lovely flavour and many uses.

Taste:
Tarragon has a spicy flavour and rich aroma, with hints of Anis and Fennel.

Combinations:
Tarragon combines very well with fish, turkey and chicken. Also goes very well with potatoes, just check out the Hot Smoke Barbecue Fries for example.

Tarragon is a delicious addition to many salads and sauces, for example Creamy White Gravy with Tarragon (which combines very well with the Brined & Hot Smoked Turkey)

Plant:
My Tarragon plants form loose unordened bushes, with branches up to 4' long that drop and push themselves up in between other plants.

The branches die each year at the start of winter, but in spring they will shoot again from the roots.

Soil:
Tarragon loves a fairly loose and well drained soil. If you have clayey soil, you may want to mix some coarse sand through the clay in the planting soil to improve drainage.

Maintenance:
At the beginning of winter remove dead branches, in spring add some fertilizer around the roots.

Drying?
Don't even try. During drying, Tarragon will lose most of its flavour, therefore you'd better use fresh tarragon (or deep frozen in small portions).

All the more reason to have your own barbecue herb garden!

To Top