Smoking meat and meat products is one of the oldest preservation techniques we know, using smoke from hardwood or sawdust. The meat dries out due to the smoke and forms a layer that protects the meat from unwanted microorganisms, preserves it, and last but not least, also cooks it.
We can smoke marinated and salted meat, fish, various types of sausages, bacon sausages and hot dogs, cheeses, and even vegetables. The shelf life of smoked meat mainly depends on the length of smoking. The longer the smoking, the lower the water content in the meat, making it an unsuitable environment for various microorganisms. Smoking mainly gives products the desired and characteristic aroma and taste that we all know well.
We know three basic types of smoking:
Cold smoke smoking (temperature up to 20 to 25 °C) – ideal for preparing sausages, pork belly, hot dogs, and other durable products that remain in the smokehouse for two to three days. The rule here is that the longer the smoking time, the longer the subsequent shelf life of the products. We smoke meat with cold smoke that we want to preserve long-term without further preservation, sometimes also bacon. Besides the effects of smoke, drying of the meat has a significant impact on shelf life. This method is also mainly used for durable salamis. Meat or bacon is exposed to smoke for a relatively long time, three to seven days. The main advantage of this smoking method is that smoke penetrates the food for several days, resulting in perfect preservation. The raw material gains an even color but unfortunately loses a large part of its weight. The smoking time also varies here but should not be shorter than two days.
Warm smoke smoking (temperature up to 60 °C) – suitable for soft salamis, fish, and poultry meat, where the meat gains the desired color within 2–3 hours.
Hot smoke smoking (temperature around 100 °C) – hot smoke is most commonly used for smoking. Meat or salamis smoked this way are juicier because they are less dried. The meat is almost cooked through, but the products have a short shelf life.
The quality of the smoked product depends not only on the quality of the specific piece of meat and fish but mainly on the quality of the burning wood and the smoke produced from it. Only untreated wood may be used for smoking. The most suitable is fresh wood from hardwood deciduous trees and conifers. Very dry trees are not very suitable.
Proper storage of smoked products is also important; even if you do not freeze them immediately, they remain durable for several weeks. Of course, it is not suitable to store them in a warm room. In any case, it is advisable to store them in well-ventilated and dark spaces.
Of course, experiencing smoking live once is more than reading a bunch of articles on the topic of smoking, so feel free to share your procedures and proven recipes for smoking with us.
