Drying and cold smoking - 2

Smoke gives products an additional taste, smell, color, promotes the preservation of meat. Here we are considering cold and warm smoking. With warm smoking, the smoke temperature is not should be more than 45 degrees, with cold – 20. The best result is achieved by generating “Thin blue smoke” in the case of natural smoldering sawdust in a firebox or pallet with a labyrinth. Now they use the method of accelerated smoking – a rather thick smoke in which the product is smoked for a 1-3 days with or without rest periods. Ionization of smoke is often used. The long-term method originates from traditional smoking, when the meat was hung in a room from the ceiling at the point where the smoke from the fireplace came out. In fact, this is drying with constant fumigation with a weak stream of smoke for 1-12 weeks. This method gives the best results.
Sawdust and chips of oak, alder, beech, cherry and other fruit trees are used for smoking. The bark gives a musty taste and needs to be removed. Surface of meat and sausages before smoking should not be wet, otherwise the smoking components will “stick” badly. Also no congestion allowed condensation on the surface of the product during smoking. This is achieved by ensuring ventilation of the chamber and correct temperature regime.
Pieces of meat or sausages in the chamber must hang freely, without touching each other, otherwise they will be visible on the product distinct light spots. Some traditional foods (German Black Forest) smoked using softwood chips. They have a characteristic resinous odor and a black surface. The combustion mode is very important if smoke is generated in the firebox. At temperatures above 500 degrees with limited air flow (pyrolysis), substances that create bitterness and odor appear in the smoke burning in the finished product, there is an active formation of substances that have carcinogenic properties. Therefore, the best way to smoke is to use free smoldering sawdust.