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    You are here: Home » Food » Side Dish Recipes » Smoked Beets with Goat Cheese Ranch

    Smoked Beets with Goat Cheese Ranch

    July 22, 2021 By Mary 2 Comments

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    Smoking beets adds incredible flavor to this earthy root vegetable. The smoked beets are slowly smoked until tender, and then served with a creamy goat cheese ranch dip. This recipe is also vegetarian and gluten-free.

    Smoked Beets with Goat Cheese Ranch on a plate with a glass of white wine
    Smoked beets are a fun salad or appetizer.

    Beets are a favorite vegetable in our family. It’s one we can all agree on. And while our kids prefer golden beets, this recipe works great for both golden and red beets. 

    Always looking for new ways to prepare beets I was inspired by a restaurant I recently went to in Santa Rosa, California, called Bird & The Bottle, where I had a smoked beets dish served with what they called a “goat cheese ranch”. The beets had a perfect kiss of smoke, and the dip was creamy, much like a thick ranch dip you’d serve with vegetables (not like a watery ranch dressing for a salad), with fresh herbs. I loved it! And since I don’t live in Santa Rosa I won’t be going back to that restaurant anytime soon, so I had to try to crack the code on the recipe at home. This is my version. Pretty darn close to what I remember.

    But if you happen to be visiting Santa Rosa anytime soon, I urge you to check out Bird & The Bottle. The food is excellent and the recipes are inspired by wood-fired flavors!

    Beets

    Beets are a root vegetable that are easily found year round. From earthy and rich, to sweet and fruity, beets will have a diverse flavor profile. If you grew up with the canned stuff and are turned off by beets, then grab a fresh bunch from your local farmers market, give ’em a whirl, and taste how rich and delicious they can be.

    • Red Beets – The richest and earthiest in flavor. The most common red beet is called “Bull’s Blood”. These rich red, almost purple, beets have an earthy aroma and flavor. When roasted or smoked, the earthiness is enhanced.
    • Golden Beets – Light in color, these beets offer a fruity and sweet flavor. If you are turned off by red beets flavor profile, these are a great choice because they don’t have as much of that earth flavor.
    • Chioggia Beets – These beets are typically a light red and have a unique red and white striped pattern to them when you slice into the beet. They are not as sweet as golden, and not as earthy as red, making for a nice visual when cooking, and with a moderate flavor. After smoking or roasting the contrasting stripes will blend a little.

    For this smoked beet recipe we use red beets for the color contrast and flavor, but tested with the other beets for the same results.

    Preparation

    Smoked beets are very easy to prepare. Simply chop off any beet greens, and wipe them clean of any dirt. From there simply place them directly on the smoker to cook. While the beets do take a while to cook, this is a great vegetable to add to the smoker if you’re doing any other long cooks (such as a pork butt, brisket, ribs, etc.). If you’re going to have the smoker on to cook your main dish, this is an easy vegetable to add while the meat is cooking.

    How to Smoke Beets

    6 red beets smoking on a grill
    1. Preheat your smoker to 275 – 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Try not to go above 300 if you want the smoky flavor. After 300 it becomes more like roasting.
    2. Place the beets in the smoker and close the lid. Continue Smoking for roughly 2 hours, or until the beets are soft. The exact time will depend on how large or small your beets are (larger will take longer to cook). We use our Thermoworks One Thermapen to test for the texture and typically the internal temperature of the beet is around 205 – 210 degrees F.
    3. Remove the beets from the smoker when they are either at 205 temperature (or if you can pierce the beets with a toothpick or knife and they go through easily). Let cool for 10 minutes. Then gently peel the skins off the smoked beets, and dice into large chunks.

    When serving the smoked beets, serve at room temperature. This step can be done the day prior to make for easier preparation when preparing for a large meal. Just peel them and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

    Goat Cheese Ranch

    The goal is to get the consistency of creamy ranch dip (not like a liquid dressing) and still keep the richness of the goat cheese. To do this we mix goat cheese with sour cream. And then we add lemon juice, dill, and salt to add some additional flavor. You can also add a small amount of ranch seasoning for more spice and classic “ranch” flavor.

    Pro Tip – Let the goat cheese come close to room temperature to make it easier to mix.

    Smoked Beets with Goat Cheese Ranch on a platter with a glass of wine

    Plating the Beets

    1. In a bowl, combine the cubed beets with the micro greens, pine nuts, olive oil, and finishing salt. This will coat the beets and add both texture and flavor.
    2. Add the goat cheese ranch to the bottom of a plate or shallow bowl.
    3. Top the ranch with the smoked beets and serve.

    Wine Pairing

    We’re going for contrasting flavors here. The beets are rich and earthy, with a mild smokiness to them, and the creamy ranch is lemony with fresh dill. While you can pair beets with a red wine (I’d suggest something fruity with a touch of earthiness like a Gamay Noir or Pinot Noir), I prefer a white wine with good acid to cut through the richness of the dish. Sauvignon Blanc and an off dry Riesling work great and are a refreshing choice for the dip and beet combo. A crisp dry Rosé is also a flavorful and safe choice for this also.

    Other Salad Recipe Inspirations

    • Grilled Beet Salad with rosé infused cranberries and bacon
    • Cold Lentil Salad with smoked sausage
    • Grilled Salmon Salad with citrus vinaigrette
    • Black Bean Salad
    • Grilled Romaine with fresh tomatoes

    smoked beets top view

    Smoked Beets Recipe with Goat Cheese Ranch

    Smoking beets adds incredible flavor to this earthy root vegetable. The smoked beets are slowly smoked until tender, and then served with a creamy goat cheese ranch dip. This recipe was inspired by a restaurant dish I had at the Bird & The Bottle in Santa Rosa, California.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours
    Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 296kcal
    Author: Mary Cressler | Vindulge
    Cost: $10.00

    Ingredients

    • 2 bunches fresh beets (a bunch will contain around 3 beets, try to keep the size of the beets consistent)
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon pine nuts, or your favorite nut or seed (chopped almonds, sesame seeds, also work well)
    • ¼ cup micro greens (alternatively you can use arugula, butter lettuce, or endive leaves)
    • ¼ teaspoon finishing flaky salt

    Goat Cheese Ranch

    • 4 ounces goat cheese
    • 2 tablespoons sour cream (full fat Greek yogurt works well too)
    • zest of one small lemon
    • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Goat Cheese Ranch

    • Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir to incorporate.

    Smoked Beets

    • Preheat your smoker to 275 – 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Try not to go above 300 if you want the smoky flavor.
    • Place the beets in the smoker and close the lid. Continue Smoking for 2 hours or until the beets are soft. We use our Thermoworks One Thermapen to test for the texture and typically the internal temperature of the beet is around 205 – 210 degrees F. You can also test with a toothpick or knife, it should pierce with little effort.
    • Remove the beets from the smoker, and let cool for 10 minutes. Then gently peel the skins off the beets, and dice into large chunks.

    To Assemble the Salad

    • Place the ranch on the bottom of a large plate.
    • In a small bowl toss the cubed beets with olive oil, pine nuts, greens, and finishing salt. Place on top of ranch dip and serve.

    Notes

    Beets – If there aren’t fresh beets, then buy them in singles. Be sure to buy consistent sized beets.
    Ranch Dip — for a more “ranch” flavored dip you can add some ranch seasoning to the dip in lieu of salt and dill. Start with a ½ teaspoon and taste to your preference. 
    Find the perfect wine pairing at the Vindulge Wine Shop

    Nutrition

    Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 692mg | Potassium: 1253mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 455IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe? We would love to see!Mention @vindulge or use the hashtag #vindulge

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. SS says

      October 13, 2021 at 7:56 pm

      What wood did you use for smoke?

      Reply
      • Sean Martin says

        October 14, 2021 at 10:04 am

        We used oak wood for this smoke. We also would recommend cherry or apple. The heavier woods like mesquite can get too smoky even for a short cook.

        Reply

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    Mary-Cressler-Sept-2015-smI'm Mary, a wine/food/travel writer, Certified Sommelier, mom of twins, former vegetarian turned BBQ fanatic, runner, and founder of Vindulge and author of Fire + Wine cookbook.  Thanks for stopping by!

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