Here are the results of my exhaustive, if unscientific, look into the process of making roasted garlic. I did most of my work in my pit, with the rest being done on the gas grill, but it should apply to a regular oven just as well. I tried several methods, both with and without oil, with a general goal of producing a dried product to be ground for use in rubs. I realize that some of my trials need further refinement and testing, but, for anyone unfamiliar with the process, it's a huge jump start. The end definitely justifies the means!
Following several suggestions from the List (Thanks, guys!), I tried roasting the whole bud of garlic, with the top cut off, as well as separate cloves, peeled and unpeeled. The easiest is the whole bud, although it's difficult to cut the tops off of all the cloves, due to the difference in height.
My first finding is that oil (olive oil is preferred) is necessary to a quality, consistent product. The cloves I dry-roasted went from not cooked enough to burnt in a matter of minutes. The oiled cloves got nice and soft (for immediate use), and got somewhat dry, as well as golden brown, with continued cooking.
The separate, unpeeled cloves, with the tops cut off individually, doesn't take much preparation, and produces an excellent product, but with no browning. It tastes great, as garlic, but there is not much of a roasted flavor.
The peeled cloves are a real pain in the A** to prepare, but, once roasted and dried, have a flavor and aroma second to none! I didn't think to pat the garlic with a paper towel before putting it in the dehydrator, but it hasn't seemed to cause any problems, at least not yet. I don't know if the extra oil will affect the shelf life.
One last thing. Using a sharp knife, cut the cloves at least in half before drying. I didn't realize this until a day and a half had passed, with the garlic not noticeably drier than when I started. The browned outer crust is a rather effective moisture barrier! Once cut, they took less than a day to be ready for my spice grinder. And what a WONDERFUL smell (if you're not a vampire)!
I realize this is a rather long post, but there is no other way to share the results with all of you folks. Thanks for your indu
