Barbeque season is upon us, and the vendors at the Caldwell Farmers Market have plenty to offer to add local flavor to your grilled and smoked creations. Chivers BBQ Sauce, based in Boise, carries classic American sauces, and Wagner's Idaho Foods sells mustard to spread on your hot dogs or hamburgers or to use as the base of South Carolina-style sauces. Round out your barbeque spread with a pie – cherries are in season and both sour and sweet varieties are available at Purvis Nursery & Orchard's table.

New to the market this year is Darrell & Jack's Gourmet American Smokery in Caldwell. The eponymous local spicecrafters, Darrell Scruggs and Glenn “Jack” Meri, started their business about 18 months ago after being inspired by a cooking show. They bought salt and fired up the smoker the same day and have been developing their blends ever since. Their uniquely infused spice blends begin with pink Himalayan salt, which is then smoked with 100-year old applewood from Symms Fruit Ranch and combined with flavorings such as chili peppers, garlic, pineapple and soy sauce.

Smoked salts are incredibly versatile and can be used in meat rubs and BBQ sauces, substituted for plain salt in bread recipes, or sprinkled on top of just about anything. The Smoked Serrano Chili Garlic Salt is perfect on fried egg sandwiches, and some of Darrell and Jack's customers have been using the pineapple smoked salt to rim margarita glasses.

Those of you who don't eat meat can play, too. One valuable bonus of smoked spices is that they add that savory, full, outdoor flavor that can sometimes be lacking in vegan or vegetarian diets, turning an uninspiring bean soup into a hearty meal. Barbeques can be unwelcoming if you don't eat meat, so to remedy that we've created something to set out at your next party: an intensely spicy hummus using Darrell & Jack's Stoopid Hot XXX Habanero Sea Salt. It will serve four hungry people if used as a meal's primary protein, or a crowd if eaten as a side or snack. Serve with the accompanying flatbread recipe or with pita, chips, crackers, or other breads.

SMOKY HABANERO HUMMUS

• Start to finish: 10 minutes
• Servings: 4+

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon Darrell & Jack's Stoopid Hot XXX Habanero Sea Salt
• 4 cups cooked and drained chickpeas
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 2-4 tablespoons water for desired thickness
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika

Method:

• In a food processor or blender, chop garlic and habanero salt.
• Add chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, 2 tablespoons water, cumin and paprika and blend until very creamy.
• Adjust consistency by adding more water, a tablespoon at a time, until desired texture is reached. Add more lemon juice or habanero salt to taste.
• Scrape hummus into a serving bowl and top with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of paprika and habanero salt.

SMOKY HABANERO AND SESAME FLATBREAD

• Start to finish: 25-30 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon habanero salt
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Method:

• Preheat oven to 450°.
• In a food processor, mix flour and salt. Add water and oil, and process to form a soft ball of dough. Add 1 tablespoon warm water if too stiff. Continue to process until dough is well kneaded, about 15 seconds.
• With floured hands, turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Cover and let rest for 10-20 minutes.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sesame seeds on floured surface. Begin rolling out dough, sprinkling the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame seeds on the dough. Roll dough out to a 12-14 inch circle, dusting with flour and turning as needed to prevent sticking.
• Place dough on an ungreased 12-14 inch pizza pan or cookie sheet and bake in 450° oven until browned and crisp. Cool on rack. If dough is browned but not crisp, return to turned-off oven briefly to dry out. Break into large pieces and serve with hummus.

(Originally published in the Idaho Press-Tribune in 2015.)