A smokey spin on a classic French Onion Soup dish, perfect for the depths of winter! Smoking the onions as a first step adds an amazing depth of flavour to the soup base.

This is best cooked in the Weber where you can move coals around for various stages of the cook.

INGREDIENTS

• 4-5 brown onions (depending on size)
• 75 gm butter, diced
• 1/2 cup dry sherry (apera)
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 TBS plain flour
• 3 bay leaves
• Thyme sprigs and picked leaves
• 4 cups (1 litre) low-salt beef stock
• Moonshine BBQ Nero Rub
• Baguette sliced into rounds
• Provolone cheese, grated, or gruyere

SMOKED FRENCH ONION SOUP METHOD

1. Prepare your smoker by adding a 1/3 chimney full of Heat Beads briquettes to the vortex in the centre of the BBQ and bring the temperature up to 200F.
2. Top and tail onions and remove the skins
3. Place around the edge of the grill, add a chunk of apple wood and place the lid on the kettle. Smoke for 45 minutes until the onions are softened
4. Slice the onions in half then into half rounds
5. Add more briquettes to the lit fuel if needed and place a cast iron skillet over the top.
6. Melt butter in the skillet and add the onions, cooking them for about 25 minutes until they are a deep golden colour
7. Add crushed garlic and a pinch of Nero and cook for a further minute
8. Deglaze the pan with the sherry
9. Add the flour and stir until cooked in, add stock, thyme and bay leaves
10. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes until the soup begins to thicken
11. In the meantime, add your baguette rounds to the grill to toast. Flip halfway through and top with your cheese
12. Put the lid back on the kettle for a further 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted.
13. Place the cheesy baguette pieces in the soup, and top with thyme leaves.
14. Serve!